Well, let's start with the good points about this "film". Oh well, I should correct myself- the singular good point. And that is the animation... well, in the first 15 minutes of the film actually. Cell shaded animation is pretty interesting, but it's ultimately gimmicky. The fight scene in the beginning of the film is decent, it even gives you the impression that this movie is a decent action flick. Don't be fooled by it though. Why?That brings me to the awful part of this movie. Without getting into too much details, the story -the most disastrous part of Appleseed- it's incredibly cliché,it's filled with cheesy, lame dialogue. The setting of the movie, a future "utopia", is unconvincing, totally non-immersive. This movie tries to take itself seriously, it tries to be an interesting philosophical and entertaining sci-fi, but it's ultimately incredibly shallow.This movie butchers a good manga that won the Seiun Award, back in 1986 I think. The only reason I watched it, is because I am a fan of Masamune Shirow, but it seems this was a mistake on my part, since the movie has nothing to do with the manga- it only borrows a few characters from it...In the end, I'd give the film a 4 out of 10 rating (not even worth a rental)... however, I gave it a 1 out of 10 to lower it's unbelievable and unjustified high rating here on IMDb.

This is one of those movies that everyone should watch. Not for the story, which unfortunately isn't all that wonderful, just a pretty standard yarn about Utopian world and futuristic issues between real people and genetically engineered ones. Not even for the animation, which really is breathtaking by the way. You should watch it to see what a real female heroine should be like. You know how there's...oh, I don't know, Lara Croft? She kicks ass, but she's utterly cold and you can't really relate to her? Or...there's countless other anime chicks who're ultimately only sidekicks to the main male characters, whoever they are, and they're usually either sullen or vapid to boot? Deunan Knute, the main character from Appleseed, is not only a woman soldier, she's unbelievably cool and actually has a soul to boot. Oh, and she's gorgeous, but totally doesn't give a damn. I can honestly say that with the exception of Kill Bill (which, yes I'm going to say it, has a little more blood than I have the stomach for) there is no other movie with a female heroine as inspiring. I hope this is going to be the beginning of a trend rather than a relatively little-known exception to the rule. So, what's the plot, you say? Deunan is a soldier fighting in a third world war that has resulted in worldwide destruction and the creation of a city called Olympus. In Olympus, humans co-exist with other, less emotional and therefore less violent genetic counterparts. Deunan is summoned back to Olympus, and told the war is over. But there is another reason why she's been called back, and the answer seems to lie in the uneasy tensions between the humans and the new humans, and the powers that preside over Olympus, a lot of whom have Greek names. Assigned as her bodyguard is her former lover, whom she hasn't seen in a long time. Due to heavy injuries sustained in a war, he's had a new body fitted out for him. Nowhere near as hot as it should be, but somewhere out there some hentai animators are going yeah, cyborg sex, go for it! By the way, a little fact from the manga, her lover Briareos, though you only see him for about ten seconds in the movie, is actually black. Do I love this woman or what? I mean, she can fight, she can shoot, she is never whiny, not for one second, and she's actually into the interracial thing too? There's nothing in the plot synopsis above that you won't find out in the first half-hour of the movie (except the Briareos being black thing. That you got from me.) And the plot, a little too complicated and not really inspiring enough, isn't going to be what you remember. But if you watch anime and are sick and tired of seeing girls being shown as these paragons of virtue that whine in high-pitched voices, or just sick of robotic female action heroes in mainstream Hollywood, just watch Appleseed. Deunan Knute rules all.

When I was flipping through the channels I happened upon a movie with a title that didn't seem in keeping with the fact that it seemed to be highly complex cg. Post-apocalyptic Japanese anime named "Appleseed?" Huh? My interest was piqued, and it was just starting, so I stayed.When I think of Appleseed, I think of JOHNNY Appleseed, the Disney flick from the forties, based on a supposed historical figure from the early 1800s in America, who wandered around the countryside with nothing but a bag of apple seeds for company. He planted scores of orchards over his lifetime, and as this anime Appleseed progressed, I guessed the title reference.If you're an anime purist, you may want to turn away at this point in my review...This was a rotten movie. It's as though somebody bought a book of ridiculous clichés, watched a lot of 50s sci-fi, then watched some Lifetime Television, then scripted this story and added some really impressive animation to dress it up. That wasn't enough for me.Pretty to look at, but nothing of value inside.Not recommended for general consumption.

Fantastic piece of anime. This film has paved the way for new 3D anime films. The animation is fantastic. The characters all look human rather than looking like 90's computer characters. The opening sequence is absolutely fantastic and hooks the viewer immediately. The other action sequences that are throughout the rest of the film are good as well. The mechanical design is great and they look incredibly realistic. Weapon design is also great as is the transport. The music throughout the film does create contrast and changes the mood of the scenes. I especially liked the action sequence music. However, even though the film is great, there are some bad things about it. The shading on characters is not natural enough and the translation is not perfect. You may also need to watch the film a couple of times to fully understand the depth of the story, which isn't such a bad thing as you get to appreciate the film more when watching it again. Appleseed is a great piece of animation that has paved the way for new 3D CG films. An amazing and state of the art film. 10/10