Appleseed: Ex Machina
Anime Review by DireWolf
Appleseed: Ex Machina is the sequel to Appleseed, which was released in 2004. Directed by Shinji Aramaki and John Woo, both movies involve overpowering visual effects and stunning combat choreography. While this series of films are inspired of the 1980’s Appleseed manga by Masamune Shirow, they share little with it or its OVA adaptation.
The city of Olympus stands as a beacon of hope after the destruction and chaos left after the 3rd World War. Governed by Gaia, an artificial intelligence, and partially populated by bioroids – humans genetically designed to suppress their emotional aggression, Olympus is a veritable utopia. However, even Olympus has its dissidents and employs the paramilitary ES.W.A.T. to handle terrorist activity. Among the operatives of ES.W.A.T. are Briareos and Deunan, former lovers who have served together in one capacity or another since the war.
As Ex Machina opens, ESWAT engages a group of terrorists who have taken hostages in a church. After subduing the enemy, Briareos attempts to question one of the terrorist cyborgs, but finds that he’s activated a self-destruct sequence. Briareos and Duenan dive out of the church, but Briareos, the only cyborg to fully integrate with his advanced systems, is injured.
While waiting for her partner to recover, Duenan takes some time off to ride around the city. But she soon encounters trouble, as a construction worker, using a robotic suit, has gone berserk on the job site. With no time to wait for backup, Duenan engages the enraged worker, and with the sudden arrival of a new ESWAT member, Tereus, manages to subdue him. Duenan, however, is shocked to discover that not only is Tereus her new partner, but he is a combat bioriod designed from Briareos’s DNA.
Duenan, stunned by this turn of events, seeks to protest, but is ordered to comply as Tereus is so important to Olympus and they need to be sure he is capable. Duenan seeks refuge in her friendship with Hitomi. While driving through the city, Hitomi introduced Duenan to Connexus, a new personal computer worn on the ears to project a holographic HUD over the eyes.
As the new partners get used to each other, Briareos returns to the team to partner up with Aeacus, another cybornetically-enhanced veteran. Briareos, once at peace with his cyborg existence, is now troubled by Tereus’s presence as a constant reminder of what he has lost. However, all differences are temporarily put aside as an international conference begins in Olympus to debate granting Olympus control of all satellites communications to form a surveillance and telecommunications network. The conference is interrupted by a series of terrorist attacks, and while they are thwarted, the apparent betrayal of Aeacus stuns Briareos and the rest of ESWAT.
Briareos, apparently shaken by Aeacus’s death and having to confront Tereus’s existence, goes berserk and is quarantined in the hospital. Suspecting otherwise, Duenan determines that Connexus is responsible for seizing control of humans and cyborgs alike and forcing them to engage in hostile activity. With Hitomi’s help, Briareos escapes from the hospital in time to find that Dr. Kestner, who treated his previous injuries, has corrupted his cybernetics. But before anyone can act, Kestner activated Connexus, now linked to the Olympus satellite network, and kills himself.
With riots spreading in every city across the world, Briareos, Duenan, and Tereus must trace Kestner’ shadowed past to an abandoned project in Poseidon, a militaristic country neighboring Olympus. As Olympus begins to crumble, humanity’s last hope lies with these three heroes, who must confront their issues with each other if they are to stand a chance against their overwhelming enemy.
From the start, Appleseed: Ex Machina uses stunning graphics and pulse pounding action sequences to ensnare the viewer. While the first movie was burdened with the additional task of world-building, Ex Machina is able to focus solely on the plot at hand. This clearer focus renders the movie far more enjoyable, since you don’t have to wrap your head around so much new information. The interspacing of Aramaki’s smooth story development with Woo’s roaring action provides a perfect counterbalance for you to enjoy the entire movie without losing the impact of either element. While the musical score is unremarkable, it is well tailored to support each scene.
As far as sequels go, I have little to complain about; Ex Machina provided plenty of action and a decent dosage of character development. If I were to nitpick, the only flaw would involve the political dealings as Olympus begins to influence the rest of the world. In the few scenes where foreign dignitaries are portrayed, they are often cowardly and divisive (i.e. they are politicians) where Olympus is strong and commanding.
I give Appleseed: Ex Machina an 8/10.
