Vexille

(2007)
Rented this on a whim, mainly because the animation was done by the same folks who did the second Appleseed movie, which was not a great film but did have stellar animation. I hoped that maybe this film would display a similar level of visual quality but also have a stronger storyline. Vexille (named for its main character, a female special ops agent) takes place in the late 2070s, where Japan has secluded itself behind a diffusing energy screen so we cant see whats going on. Its a preposterous concept, really, but I was willing to play along. It seems a Japanese company has perfected the manufacture of robots so advanced they are indistinguishable from humans. And of course that makes the super hi-tech USA nervous, so they send in Vexille and her team to analyze the electro-shield so that the US can penetrate its secrets and find out just what in the hell is going on in Japan. Yeah, its not Shakespeare, and the plot twist we discover once Vexille gets beneath the shield isnt all that great either. Added to the fun are giant mechanical Dunelike sandworms (which form from all the detritus of Japanese society and eat metal?) and an underground revolutionary force who are opposed to the giant Japanese corporations that run everything. Basically, plotwise, the movies a mess. The animation is a bit more refined than the second Appleseed film, and I applaud anything that helps us close in on hyper-realistic animation. Viewed in that way, the film is a success, with the rendering of materials and shadows being taken a step or two forward. But much like with Appleseed Ex Machina, apparently so much time was spent making the film look good that the script and story all get lost in the mix somehow, and what were looking at becomes more important than what were seeing, if that makes any sense. Pretty visuals, yay; pretty visuals with a tepid story, no. Sadly Vexille fails to deliver on any level but the surface. Theres supposed to be a message about humanity and technology, but its exceptionally poorly made. In the end, this film is somewhat dull eye candy. All but the most die-hard anime fans could give it a pass. April 12, 2010