Customer Rating:  
Summary: Ex Machina gets a B+
Comment: If you liked Appleseed you'll like this, but don't expect to see anything new. The eye-popping visuals are back with a finer palette of colors but the storyline is weak. It feels more like an episode than a movie.
Personally I liked Vexille (2007) better. It will undoubtedly draw comparisons due to the fact that the writer/director, Fumihiko Sori, is the same man who produced Appleseed (2004). But I think you'll find the storyline to be a little fresher. Still, Ex Machina is worth buying. I suggest that you buy this product at a retail store. My pre-order on the collectable metal case edition arrived sealed with the discs and nothing else. No chapter booklet, nor did it have the special edition comic that came with a retail purchase. A mistake I won't make again.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Worthy Installment
Comment: Appleseed Ex Machina is the third movie in the series. As the movies have been substantially spread apart in their realease dates, there are substantial differences in animation between them. The second movie was a huge step up from the first, melding cinematic graphics with excellent animations. Ex Machina takes it yet a step further: cinematic graphics are used exclusively, with no animation. At first I didn't think I'd care for it as much, but the characters have been infused with an even further level of development through the plot and scripting. I was also pleased to find that the annoyance level was turned down (i.e. main character didn't yell out 'Briarios' name 300 times through the movie). All in all, I felt this movie was a worthy installment in the Appleseed series. Here's a brief breakdown of the movie for ease of reading....
-Graphics/Animation: Top notch, character realism nearly rivals that of FF Advent Children.
-Music: Heavy hitting techno tunes for the action sequences; quite pleasing
-Scripting/Voices: Admirable job on voices and scripting, no complaints
-Plot/Character Development: Great focus on main characters, although almost to the point of making the plot a bit hazy. If you liked GITS storyline concepts, you'll definitely like this one; very in depth.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Amazing... best anime since the original
Comment: If you saw the original Apleseed, you will definitely enjoy its sequel, Ex Machina. The characters are back in unbelievable visual and audio quality. Excellent plot as well; highly enjoyable to any anime/sci-fi fan!
Now that HD-DVD is going the way of the dodo, you can get a great deal on this movie if you already own a player.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Looks great, not the best story.
Comment: The CG animation is better then ever (not cell-shaded like the last) and looks fantastic. Shirow's art never looked so good. The previous film though, was much better written and a lot less predictable. Ex Machina has distinct story holes and an overly-contrived setup that makes the whole thing seem forced. Story that should have been more developed wasn't and plot that should have been trimmed was needlessly stretched.
I enjoyed the art, as I usually do with Shirow's work, and the voice acting wasn't bad either, but don't expect a brilliant screenplay. With the right expectations it's enjoyable for most any Otaku.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Sci-fi, hi-fi action
Comment: It seems that people either love or hate this revived anime franchise. I for one, find myself drawn into its post-apocalyptic world of technological marvels and complex political struggles. The emotional side of this film is much more developed than in the previous installment. The characters' personalities and flaws are explored on a deeper and more satisfying level. But not to worry fellow action buffs, there are still plenty of genre-defining fight sequences that take full advantage of the innovative computer assisted graphics. The influence of the inclusion of legendary director John Woo on the project makes itself apparent in scenes of gun-slinging glory. Anime fans, show this one to your non-believer friends for a sure convert. The attention to detail and sophisticated graphic rendering should help displace that "cartoons-are-for-kids" mentality. All-in-all, Ex Machina is a welcome amendment to the series.
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![Appleseed Ex Machina (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ir%2BEIx2iL._SL160_.jpg)
