Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
In a utopian society created at the end of World War III, a female warrior who has been plucked from the badlands begins to see cracks in this new facade. And what does this community have planned for the rest of humankind?
Appleseed (2004) is a technically ambitious CG-animated adaptation of Masamune Shirow's manga, blending cel-shaded characters with detailed environments in a way that was visually striking for its time. The plot covers familiar cyberpunk and post-apocalyptic territory—utopian society concealing dark truths, human-vs-machine tensions, bioroids and governance ethics—competently but without great depth or originality beyond its source material. The voice acting is serviceable but unremarkable, with characters that feel somewhat flat emotionally. Cinematographically, the film's hybrid animation style was pioneering in 2004 and features dynamic action sequences, though the aesthetic has aged somewhat and lacks the fluidity of hand-drawn anime peers. The ending resolves action beats adequately but feels rushed and leaves thematic threads underdeveloped, undermining the buildup. Novelty comes from its distinctive visual technique and loyal adaptation of a beloved property, though the narrative concepts were already well-trodden in cyberpunk anime by that point.