snowboarderbo
I'd like to start out by saying that the artwork and animation in this film are gorgeous. Truly beautiful art, stunningly realistic animations. My only complaints about the art are pretty typical anime complaints: everyone's hair looks like leaves from some kind of weird plant growth on their head, and there is no detail in anyone's face, so everyone pretty much looks alike, except for having different colored leaves on their heads. This is truest of the 2 female lead characters, who are virtually indistinguishable looking.Where the movie fails is in the story, the characters, character reactions, the science, the sociology, and nearly everything else that doesn't have to do with the visual aspect of the film.The movie contradicts it's own internal logic over and over again. It ignores basic physics, biology and sociology. Here's some examples:1. People in huge metal exo-suits are able to "sneak" around. They can smash thru house walls, but when they infiltrate a house, they move like a commando team, as if no one can hear the incredible racket that half a dozen 8 foot tall "robots" would make. Somehow the exo-suited people are able to climb stairs that could in no way hold their weight.2. People in exos are surprised by a group of RPG launching soldiers. Why wouldn't these exos have radar, or other "bio signature" reading capabilities?3. The mission they are on requires a device to be active for 3 minutes. Why is the exfil for their mission 72 hours after insertion? Makes no sense.4. When the last ditch effort to crush Daiwa happens, it is foiled because the tunnels are a greater distance from the facility than thought. One of the bad guys opines "jags aren't much for jumping" as an explanation for why the facility is safe. WTF? We just spent like 20 minutes watching these things swim thru dirt and leap hundreds of feet into the air, covering hundreds of lateral feet per jump.5. People react all wrong to emotional triggers. Vexille cries out in aguish at Maria's death. WTF? She just met Maria, and Maria isn't even human. Vexille is upset that Maria shot Takeshi after he "turned". Why? She just met Takeshi, and she knows he isn't human anymore. Vexille is also perturbed by many small horrors, all of which are not realistic depictions, IMO, of this character. She's a freaking special ops commando, one of the most elite of elite, yet she's bothered by little things even more than a 1950s sitcom mom would have been.6. There's just too much more in the film that isn't believable, isn't at all true to real life, and which violates the conventions set up in the film. If a film's own internal logic isn't consistent, it's difficult if not impossible to understand and empathize with what's happening, and that's what happens in this film. (It's understandable, if complete nonsense, but there's no way to empathize or feel anything for anyone in this film.)7. Which leads to this point: there is no real attempt to give us any characters with any depth whatsoever. Everyone in the film is so flat that they are aren't just two dimensional, they are nearly one-dimensional.The few early attempts to humanize even the humans in film are too short (Vexille talking to a fellow commando asks him if he heard from his wife/girlfriend and he says "not since she left" and that's it.One quick shot of Vexille and Leon together at home, to establish their relationship; a reluctant embrace after a confrontation about Leon's past, and that's it. Other than that, everyone in the movie is a prop, including Vexille.8. It's fine to play loose with science in science fiction, but visually its hard to watch enormous heavy things flying on rockets that can turn on a dime, as if they had no inertia of their own. Weight, mass, inertia are all absent from the world this film inhabits.9. I just wanted to point out, since others have made comments about Paul Oakenfold's involvement, that Paul Oakenfold is a DJ. He did not write the music for this film, he simply selected songs for it. Mr. Oakenfold is very good at what he does, and for the most part the music fit the scenes it was paired with, but to credit him with "the music" is wrong. He just picked the songs, he didn't write and record them.*** Much of the film was maddening to watch, since it was so ridiculous, yet I've watched this 3 times now and will likely watch it more. Why? It's amazing to look at. The visual style, the colors, the lighting, the camera-work (yes, the camera-work!) are all stunning, and they are so overwhelmingly awesome that they make the movie watchable.If we could just get a story from a manga writer that wasn't a) completely incomprehensible, b)hackneyed beyond belief, and c) filled with crappy pseudo-philosophical undertones (I'm looking at you, Ghost In The Shell... and Akira... and Appleseed... and nearly every other anime that isn't Dragonball Z) there is no doubt in my mind that mainstream audiences would be excited about the format and turn out in droves to see it.Overall, if you like anime already, I'd be surprised if you didn't like this film. If you're new to anime, you'll probably like this film. If you think that The Matrix Revolutions and Reloaded were the best thing to happen to movies EVAH, you'll prolly like this.If you thought that Phantom Menace was crap, if you didn't bother with anything Star Trek since they added psychics, if you hold out on seeing a movie because Ben Affleck is in it without Kevin Smith directing... you may want to just rent this one, or even better, get a friend to rent it.
Kakarot_XR
**SPOILERS** I bought this movie on DVD expecting to get me through a boring night or at least give me cheap laugh at it's pitiful attempt to 'be'/'beat' Appleseed.20 Minutes into the movie. I was hooked, shocked and more importantly - GLAD I bought the film! What's so good about Vexille that it (in my opinion) tops Appleseed? It's everything as a whole! First off, the storyline.Its set in Japan in the near future.Although many say it's too weak, not interesting enough and rather linear. They fail to realise the brilliance of the story! Instead of the typical and overused human's creating robot like humans Vexille does something which is the exact opposite! It focuses on a crazy Company called 'Daiwa' which develop a virus that slowly mutates/transforms the human DNA into metal! Then they get the government to unleash an illness that requires the whole Japanese population to be vaccined. (Really, the vacination is the mutation virus). Slowly the body turns into metal then finally, the virus attacks the brain causing the brain to be taken over by the virus and then controlled, so that Daiwa can control the humanoid's! That's the jist of what has happened in Japan. I've spoiled some parts of the story, but left out what actually takes place IN the film.Now the story does have some weak points like not explaining WHY the Daiwa company are wanting to turn human's into humanoids (of course they want to take over the world, but WHY exactly?!?). And HOW exactly the government got involved in this... But that should all be explained in the next movie which will probably be a Prequel.The CGI/2D Shaded graphics design is nothing new, it's used in Appleseed. The design of the characters are much like Appleseed too, but what really makes it unique are the robots and the 'jags'! I've watched a lot of anime's and Japanese movies and let me tell you. The Jags are probably the most unique robot/enemy I have ever seen! They are the main reason why this movie differs enough from Appleseed.Again, the only problem is, we are told WHAT the Jag's are doing in Japan, but we aren't told HOW exactly they are built and etc. Another problem I hope the second movie deals wth.The movie is filled with a mix of action, drama and tension to keep you interested and not bored.Overall, Vexille is a good compact eye catching movie that will hook any anime/robot lover from start to finish.Give it a solid 8.5/10.
taysir_t3
When I first came across this movie online I checked out the plot synopsis on here and decided to give it a look. I was expecting lots of fighting in the future style sci-fi, but instead found this to be an incredible and profound film which has yet to leave my mind.First off, the special effects are amazing. There were many scenes throughout this film that blew me away. The camera angles, choreography, and the atypical soundtrack were all done and chosen impeccably. There is a particular action sequence in this film which had me riveted to my seat and completely engrossed to my screen.A lot of people have said that the dialogue is pretty dry (they're right), but I found that the depth of this story is almost completely revealed through the images on the screen than through the narration. As a result, the limited dialogue allows you to insert many of your own emotions into the film making it a very unique and personal experience.Overall, the film is an enthralling story of survival and salvation in a very bleak and downright frightening future. I guarantee this movie will be on your mind after your done with it and many of you will probably end up revisiting it.A must see. 8/10.
