Appleseed:
Alpha (2014/Sony Blu-ray)
Picture:
A Sound: A Extras: B+ Film: B
Appleseed:
Alpha is a beautifully digitally animated film that serves as a
prequel to 2004's Appleseed and its sequel Appleseed Ex
Machina. The best way to describe the animation style is that it
is similar to that of the Final Fantasy animated films or most
modern videogame cinema. The characters and environments all look
pretty realistic are at time is on par with most CGI effects you see
in big budget Hollywood films. About ten years or so ago when this
animation first became a big deal with Final Fantasy: The Spirits
Within (see our reviews elsewhere on this site of the above),
most mainstream audiences didn't really get into it. Visually, that
film was beautiful but the story was so bad that nobody really cared
here in America except for die-hard fan of the game.
While
this film, Appleseed: Alpha, is my first time seeing a film in
the Appleseed series at the time of this review, I am pretty
sold on the concept and like the overall style of the film. It
reminds me in a way of Neil Blomkamp's Elysium and District
9 in terms of some of the tech and desert like landscapes. The
strongest attribute it has is obviously its conceptual design and the
animation itself. I do feel like it need some better voice actors to
help carry some of the characters and some of the human animation is
a little too stiff. Since I do enjoy gaming, in a way this film
feels like it would have been more fun interactive. I felt at times
like I waiting for the next level to load and the game play to start.
With Sony backing this, I am honestly surprised this isn't a game.
At any rate, the film itself is worth a watch if you are a fan of
Cyberpunk or Military Science Fiction.
Appleseed
Alpha depicts the early days of Deunan Knute and Briareos in the
22nd century as they embark on a journey throughout dystopic ruins of
New York in search of the city of Olympus. They are hired by Two
Horns, the warlord of the ruined city, to eliminate bipedal combat
machines. During the fight, they encounter Iris and Olson who are
tasked with preventing the malevolent cyborg Talos from capturing a
secret weapon humans were building. Talos uses Iris to activate the
gigantic war machine and its up to them to save humanity!
The
sound and picture on the disc are top notch. The 1080p 1.78 X 1
digital high definition transfer leaves little to be desired and is
accompanied with a powerful DTS-HD MA track that is loud enough to
disturb your neighbors. The sound design in this film really shines
in lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1. Having Ultraviolet copy is
great in this release as well and a suitable presentation for your
tablet or smart phone. Special Features on the disc are a
Filmmakers' Commentary and an excellent eleven part
Making-of Documentary.
-
James Lockhart
www.vimeo.com/jamielockhart
