Waltz with Bashir (2008) (Israel)

Explicitly well built yet grimly presented with high contrast animation Waltz with Bashir is a documentary film from Israel. Though it is a documentary its surprisingly entertaining in an equal way to a feature film that builds a strong plot using speculation and reaches a point of realism at it’s peak. The horrifying reality about Waltz with Bashir is that its not fiction but it is the story of a dark event that took place in West Beirut, Lebanon in 1982 which later the world identified as the Sabra and Shatila massacre.

Director Ari Folman is on a path of self-realization when he interviews several veterans from the period of the invasion of Lebanon. And this movie represents those interviews and the findings in a very creatively laid out animation based cinematography.  The style of animation it self looks unique and very original and when it mixes with the details of the story there is very thin line between reality and animated characters. As the story telling style is attractive and appealing the viewers are carried to a certain point when they are bombarded with a brief session of live news footage. It is surprisingly well made and the presentation of this certain event is built to last a lifetime in the memory.

Waltz with Bashir is not just another documentary about war and barbaric human behavior. It is something more that has the capacity to reach in to deep corners of the mind and haunts viewer for times to come. And when it comes to events like this being haunted is essential as nothing comes close to the true pain and suffering the real victims went through.

My score 4/5

Genre: Drama | Documentary | Biography | Animation

Director: Ari Folman

"Vals Im Bashir" (original title)

Whiplash (2014)

Vernon Schillinger is back and this time he is having a brutal temper with a determination of vengeance. If you have seeing the great tv show OZ (1997-2003) you will know what I’m talking about. I have not seeing much from J.K Simmons in recent years as a groundbreaking performance but in Whiplash he is kicking some true ass. This hot headed no mercy high school music instructor and his band of music students will make you forget the real world. When they make music you will make music and whey they sweat you will sweat. And most painfully when they bleed you will also bleed. Whiplash is a freaking intense movie that we get to see rarely and 2014 is the year we got lucky.

Andrew (Miles Teller) is a first year music student at a prestigious college and he surprisingly gets selected to play in the college band lead by instructor Fletcher (J.K Simmons) who has a reputation to be downright tough. While Andrew being one of a kind determined and truly talented young man, Fletcher breaks him down to the core. When Andrew realizes that he have to give more than the best he could offer to survive in the band Fletcher raises the bar higher and higher.

While J.K Simmons is a veteran actor with lot of experience under his belt the main role is played by Miles Teller who is a young actor whom we have never seeing in a role that’s worthy mentioning of. But in Whiplash he delivers a thundering performance and at times you might wonder, “Who is this kid? And why is he so good?”. Well these two fantastic performances combined with the ear-blowing amount of jazz music, this movie is an experience beyond experiences. I mean if you’re a fan of jazz and especially a fan of drumming I’m sure you will hit orgasm more than a few times.

It is evident that Damien Chazelle has directed this movie with sheer passion and commitment.  There is very good flow, super duper music and lot of heated up harsh one-sided conversations throughout. And none of it goes a waste and when the final showdown happens the point of enlightenment unfolds. I’m certain that many who watched this sweated and intensely raised their heart beat in the last 10 minutes and it would have taken at least another half hour for the blood pressure to stabilize. Seriously, how can a movie about music can do that sort of thing?

Genre: Drama | Music

Director: Damien Chazelle

My score: 4/5

24 City (2008) (China)

This piece of Chinese movie is dramatically thought provoking as it has a very thin line between fiction and reality. Being masterfully directed by renowned Chinese director Zhanke Jia  I believe there is nothing less you can actually expect from it.

The plot is based on the demolishing of a factory complex known as factory 420 in the city of Chengdu which has stood there for over 50 years. The property is now set to build a luxury apartment complex known as 24 City. The movie one by one introduces several people panning through 3 generations who have had connections with the factory 420 in different ways for many decades. These people reveal uniquely different stories from their lives surrounding the factory 420 and it ultimately leads to the history of China and its recent economic revelations effect on its people.

Though 24 City has a strong documentary type narrative and structure, it’s actually a movie made with real actors and actresses.  I’m certain that for anyone who is not familiar with the cast might immediately have a belief that the events that take place are certainly for real. However, it is not entirely wrong either due to the fact that some strong elements of the movie do exists for real and the director has very skillfully combined these fiction and nonfiction elements in to a single storyline. Due to this nature 24 City is definitely a movie that has the capacity to play with the viewers minds no matter in which way you would like to interpret it, as a documentary or as a movie.

24 City has very best of cinematography and storytelling structure. Every scene and story is built on certain theme that differentiates with short verses mostly extracted from old and contemporary poems. And each of these story segment has a wonderful feel of its own and its certain that the viewers would connect with some stories more than others with relatively close personal experiences of their own.

Even from a view point of a person who has very less knowledge and experience of China and its people 24 City will open up new windows of realization. Its indeed is because of the magical touch of Zhanke Jia.

Genre: Drama

"Er shi si cheng ji" (original title)

Director: Zhanke Jia

Rating: 4/5

New World (2013)

No matter what kind of an impression you had earlier regarding Asian action and gangster movies, New World will open your eyes to some thing so heart pounding that when it ends you will be hungry for more. With well-executed bloody action sequences and top of the line performances and with a  twisted  plot this movie just pulls you off the chair more than once.

Though some of Hollywood experts will call this a rip off of the great gangster flicks like the Godfather or Departed I solemnly disagree to that statement as for the fact that though this carries certain similarities it is brilliant and unique in mostly Asian way.

New World is a long movie that runs over 2 hours but it does not waste a minute. It has this elegance that the Asian crime movies commonly has with gangsters in dozens wearing clean suits and pitch-black and dustless cars that rolls on blood money. With that beauty of cinematography with panning and high angle shots New World creates a dramatically enjoyable crime thriller. And the music is so good it just swiftly blends in to the scenes and gives the viewer goose bumps.

The plot is not that complicated yet will take a while to make sense. It is twisty beware but some might be able to foresee the ending from far. But there is no solid assurance that thing will go as planned so viewer will stick to the end. Even at the end it gives some answer and leave the viewer with more questions perhaps. And all this thanks to the brilliant acting and direction.

Like I said at the start no matter what opinion you have around New World there is no doubt it is one of the finest of gangster crime movies you saw in a while.

Genre: Crime | Thriller

Original Title: "Sin-se-gae"

Country: South Korea

Language: Korean |Mandarine

Director: Hoon-jung Park

Rating : Genre 4/5 | Overall 3/5

-Priyantha Bandara

678 (2010)

This powerful drama from Egypt speaks of sexual harassment that woman faces day by day and how the majority of society reacts to them. Not to mention that it’s shameful to be seeing by men knowing that men has the sole power and control to eliminate this situation around the globe yet men don’t choose to do so. And in a society where woman pays the price for every harassment she goes through and their silent cries get disappears in the breeze. 678 will open up your mind to this ugly truth and the director has done a good job at making the message clear.

In a world dominated by men the voice of women is hardly heard. In some regions of the world (Including ours) woman has less opportunities to follow their dreams and live an honorable and an independent life. And many become tools of selfish men and harassment is not a rare thing.

678 is well directed. It is packed with strong acting by several lead characters mainly female. Though its storyline may seems a bit too coincident based it is loosely grounded on some events that took place in Egypt that led to controversial changes in law systems of the country.

It is not a surprise that the movie faced with controversy and several attempts of blocking of screening at cinema festivals etc. However it is to be understood that the subject is universal but not only limited to Egypt. 678 will give the viewers a fresh look at a silently burning issue and it is very heart felt.

Genre: Drama

Director: Mohamed Diab

Score: 4/5

A Touch of Sin (2013)

Every crime has a victim and every criminal has a story of their own to tell. A Touch of Sin is one of the most powerful of such crime stories I have seeing recently and its directed by the well-known Chinese director Zhangke Jia. Zhangke is famous for his style in powerful dramas that mostly speak of the contemporary themes that surround the rise of Chinese economic boom and the resulting cultural changes.

A Touch of Sin is a collaborative of four different storylines that has minor connections with each other (which remind me of the great Mexican production Amores Perros-2000) that had the same style of story telling. There are more than few main characters in this due to it’s nature of the plot and each story has certain uniqueness’s and similarities to fathom. For me it’s hard to tell which story is my favorite and which is not as I see a certain beauty in all of them. As all the stories are based on some sort of a crime (large or minor) at a certain point viewer comes to the realization of where it is heading.

Though there is no hard hitting ending to this movie once it’s done the viewer will be still living a trance. There is beautiful cinematography, acting and very little of music and laughter going around. But I completely like the way it flow at times wished that some stories has more. And truly this portray the cultural and economical effects the modern China and its people are going through and some of it may seems overwhelming.

Genre: Crime| Drama

Director: Zhangke Jia

Original title: "Tian zhu ding"

Score: 4/5

Like Father Like Son (2013) (Japanese)

Like Father Like Son is a tale of parenthood and for some very good reasons it proves that parenting is not about how much wealth you posses in the bank but the love that you carry in side your heart. Directed by the well-known Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda this story is brilliantly woven and will give you a tear or two on the way. But its so beautiful that you will see the beauty of human nature and the unending love parents posses for their children no matter how stiff they may seem from outside.

When Mr. and Mrs. Nonomia discovers that the only son they have and love so dearly is not their own they face the most painful decision of their life. After raising a child for 6 years and giving him so much love and making so much dreams for his future, Ryota Nonomia the successful businessman is struck by the discovery that his own blood is elsewhere. With his wife Midori he must find a way to let go of his son and welcome the true son to their lives. But in the process children suffers more than adults.

Like Father Like Son is beautifully directed. It’s subtle and less noisy throughout and the script is kept to a minimal with more emotion filled faces makes the story. The director makes the viewer feel the tragedy of the characters lives and at the same time it keeps the viewer guessing of the ending. With good cinematography and power filled performances this movie is capable of touching the viewers heart and mind.

Genre: Drama

Original title: Soshite chichi ni naru

Director: Hirokazu Koreeda

Rating: 4/5

-Priyantha Bandara

These Final Hours (2013)

With a familiar looks to the often seeing apocalyptic genre sci-fi movies that has less heart but more adrenaline, These Final Hours is a completely different emotional ride to the end of the world. It runs with enough juice to keep the viewer gazing but ends with a staggering amount of emotional drama that the viewer may not be ready for. The last half hour is totally powerful that most high budget apocalyptic movies will fall down in front of this small time Australian production.

You will witness beautiful performances here. Especially the little girl (Angourie Rice) who will make you weep a little along with the other actors including the lead Nathan Phillips.

For being a movie that heads for an obvious ending it does a marvelous job in all aspects. These final Hours will make you stop breathing for a while when it ends. This is superb!

Rating: Genre 4/5, Overall 3.5/5

Genre: Drama | Thriller

Director:  Zak Hilditch

The Maze Runner (2014) – Ratings Genre: 4/5, Overall 3/5

It is ok for me to admit that The Maze Runner delivered more than what I expected. After a brief glance over the plot I set my self to witness another Hunger Games movie but what I got was something more thrilling, gripping and a suspenseful experience. Being said that The Maze Runner is not a fresh approach to a plot or Sci Fi nature. And it is based on James Dashner's 2009 novel of the same name.

There has being many mind boggling cinema on certain mazes (or traps true or imagery) and escaping from it including Cube (1997), Inception (2010) and Pans Labyrinth (2006) to name a few and each delivered a very powerful cinema experience. Standing against great movies like what I have mentioned earlier The Maze Runner is still has a long way to go being this is the first of a sequel of movies we are about to see in the coming years. But talking of this one alone it had done a pretty decent job.

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Thomas our 16-year-old hero wakes up in a strange place without having any memory of his earlier life. He and another group of people who experienced the same are trapped in a glade surrounded by a giant concrete maze. Though finding the way out of the maze and getting back home sounds a good idea the maze comes with many lethal surprises. But it seems like Thomas has some answers and soon the gang realizes that he is different.

For a dystopian sci fi thriller The Maze Runner has some gripping ground to start off with. And the movie steadily evolves within the first hour from nowhere to somewhere and the viewers get to feel the strange and mysterious presence of the maze. There is no scene that I can call as dragging or irrelevant thought they seems slow or not filled with enough action and suspense. But the movie quickly hit a phase of action and adventure and from there the game plan completely changes.  What I really like about The Maze Runner is it’s overall mood. As the viewer just like the people who are trapped in the maze are kept in dark so the same mysteries boggle in every ones minds. It’s as if the viewers also has to find answers to the mysteries and we are left with no options but to try. And at times we are left to make tough choices.

Equipped with strong acting and brilliant CG The Maze Runner is a movie that will keep the viewer engaged every second. And when it finished it opens up a whole lot of new questions while answering only few of the burning ones that was laid out at the start. I guess we have to wait another year to find out what happens next.

Genre: Sci Fi | Thriller | Action | Mystery

Director: Wes Ball

-Priyantha Bandara

Thanha Rathi Ranga (2014) – Rating 4/5

For Sri Lankan movie fans it takes a while for a true artistic movie to dawn. In a country where art has many limitations creativity comes with a cost, where as in other regions of the world its limits are far wider and fruitful. And most of the instances the creators were neglected or banished than being commended for their work.  Making a movie that people speaks about in an atmosphere like this is indeed a tricky task and I believe Nilendra Deshapriya has managed to jump through the hoops and squeeze in between the slippery slopes to bring this beautiful movie to light. And movies like Thanha Rathi Ranga is seldom seeing here therefore can be called as a rare gem.

The movie speaks of a rather commonly experienced theme in recent years, the post war Sri Lanka yet manages to pull off a unique plot based on a solid start. 3 friends from the Colombo low income urban community area sets off on a trip of sight seeing to North and East of the country after the end of war. The plot thickens from a fun filled road trip to a suspense ride when they discover something unexpectedly that creates turmoil and showing signs in scattering walls of friendship. And the turn of events after their return to home sets them on a dark and uncertain path of misery.

What catches the viewer at the beginning is the brilliance in cinematography. The movie swiftly shifts from narrative news footage and live street action more than once bringing in perfect harmony between the turn of events on the victory day. And the director skillfully create base for certain events quickly yet effectively within the first 15 minutes of the movie and then gradually moves down a road which is more entertaining than dramatic for a while. But the viewers having the situation in Colombo and the events in back of their minds eagerly waits till the show returns home and it takes a while to do that. But the fluctuation between these layers is smoothly made and the movie flawlessly moves from phase to phase. And each of these phases has a mood of their own and by the time the movie reaches it’s peak the moment of enlightenment is reached with a strike of pain. The concerned viewer will lament in the things that unfolds yet realizes that the damages were caused by things which could have being easily avoided.

Thanha Rathi Ranga has a strong script. It speaks few words yet convey deeper messages along the way. And certain scenes are made excessively powerful with small details and careful attention was given creating them. Scenes such as the handicapped solder crossing the road while the people rejoice in the name of victory is merely a true justification to the bitter truth of war and it horrific claims. Use of signs is prominent throughout the movie and these signs can be seeing in the forms of lifeless statues or living animals but they equally makes enough sense and ads depth to the story. And the last five minutes of the movie is kind of a psychological tease that solely dependent on the viewers comprehension towards the whole story and it can be interpreted in many different ways based on the individual perception. These small yet beautiful mix of little elements pumps life to Thana Rathi Ranga so well that there is lot for the viewer to ponder upon after the ending titles roll. 

Finally it is a must to commend the brilliance in performances or else this write up will be somewhat flawed. Thanha Rathi Ranga has some of the most powerful yet natural of performances that recent local cinema has seeing. These characters instantly manage to grab the viewer and transform them selves in to prominent places of viewers’ minds and even the minor rolls were given equal attention to details. The beauty of these performances mixed with the script unravels a fresh experience on the screen and Sinhala cinema is nourished with one more wholesome movie to its credit.

Genre : Drama

Director :Nilendra Deshapriya

Country : Sri Lanka

Language : Sinhala

- Priyantha Bandara

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014): Ratings – Genre 5/5, Overall 4/5

Matt Reeves’es vision of science fiction is different to many. His movies take emotions in to count than the pure side of the movies scientific nature. This is well proven with his earlier movies like Cloverfield (2008) and Let Me In (2010). And now he teams up with the writers of Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and brings this much improved and very successful sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and it is magnificent. Right from the very beginning to the last scene this movie will take you through an emotional journey of man and ape alike and puts you in a tight spot as a human to determine the fate of things to come and decide write and wrong.

Ten years after the pandemic decease humans are at the brink of extinction. The apes who have survived lives in the woods formed up massive crowds and a form of civilized living. But when the humans bring war to the Apes door step and Apes leadership is questioned, the battle rages.

The very first thing that will blow the minds of the viewer is how insanely good looking this movie is. Thanks to the astounding works of the computer graphics and set creation the green rainy forest and the abandoned dying city both look absolutely realistic. And when the thought provoking plot is mixed up with ultra-realistic expressions of the apes this movie can sink right down in to you. And speaking of the plot it’s carefully written to give the viewer a very good perception of things occurring and the flow is very good.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes as a story is completely far-fetched and it is amazing how it works this well. But if you’re expecting more and more battles of large scale and less talk (or sigh language) then it might disappoint you a bit. But never forget that battles are never justifiable without the correct amount of emotions. And here the wait for the final battle is worth every bit of drama and once you realize that the world will never be the same again for Apes and Humans both there is slight hope left for both. And amazingly you might wish that apes will find their peace once again. Make your own judgment of who’s to be blamed, us or our ancestors.

Genre: Action | Drama | Sci fi

Director: Matt Reeves

-Priyantha Bandara

22 Jump Street (2014) Ratings: Genre 4/5, Overall 3/5

I honestly don’t think that this movie requires any introduction to any of you who are fans of Hollywood comedies. This is the second installment of one of the most successful and talked about comedy 21 Jump Street back in 2012. And this is clearly an improvement to the sequel and seldom have we got to witness a comedy that evolves for better. While the story is almost the same to the previous one just as the movie want it to be the clear new addition is the emotional bond that hilarious lead duo fantastically portray.

Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) is back with a new assignment to bust some emerging new drug by going undercover in college. But when Jenko accidently joins the college football team and meets up new guys to hang out with Schmidt finds himself left out. To make things worse his new found college girlfriend’s family becomes hostile.

22 Jump Street is filled with belly tickling humor. And they come in most strange place with most strange disguises and sometimes it takes a while to stop laughing. But for any who have seeing the previous movie this is no surprise and it’s exactly what they would require. This time the movie goes a bit further and brings in some action comedy to fit the bill along with extended college comedy. Clearly the undercover investigation is bigger and the bad guys too that bring in a grand showdown at the end. Jonah and Tatum are just perfect in their roles and it’s quite a surprise how such chemistry exist in between these completely opposite actors.

It is a must that I keep a note of the ending credits as this could be the most creative and clearly the toughest to make ending credits I can recall. It last for some time and will blow the fans away with makeup, CG and surprising guest starring.

Genre: Comedy

Director:  Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

- Priyantha Bandara

Frontera (2014) : Ratings – Genre 3.5/5 , Overall 4/5

Frontera brings a story that more or less equally affects both sides of the US-Mexican border. Loss, lies, betrayal and pain has no borders and it does not favor a single color or a race. When illegal immigrants have reasons of their own to justify their actions the other sides justifies their actions too. This is a conflict and I believe that the movie has done fair for both ends. But the important message that Frontera brings is that humanity is at question and who will take responsibility to correct its path. 

The story evolve around two men one from Mexico who is illegally immigrating to America and the other who owns the land he trespasses through. When certain events take place where the Americans wife is collateral they both cross paths and lives change.  

Ed Harris who play the key role (Roy) in the American side and Michael Pena who is the Mexican end (Miguel) both brings in strong balance to the performances. Along with the acting and the fine cinematography and the flow Frontera brings in a different experience to different borders.

Beautifully acted and wonderfully directed Frontera by all means is a fine thriller with a taste of a drama. It strongly speaks of two sides of a same story and brings in a powerful conclusion yet still not biased. The director seems to have worked hard on the details and the flow as from start to end the movie is well gripping.

Genre: Drama | Thriller

Director: Michael Berry

-Priyantha Bandara

Cold in July (2014) – Ratings: Genre 4/5, Overall 3.5/5

This is the second time I’m seeing a thriller which has control in this year. After Blue Ruin, 2014 throws this movie which comes with a strong theme and elements of surprises written all over it. Cold in July has perfect flow, good performances and power to keep the viewer gazing till the end.

When a common man shoots and kills an intruder in his house the police quickly files for self-defense and close the case. But when the dead criminal’s father seeks revenge things takes a different route all together.  However the shooter and the criminals father discover some shocking truth about the whole trail of events that has taken place and realizes that the plot is deeper than what it seems.

What I like about Cold in July is its rapid evolving story line. The story moves from phase to phase fairly fast and with each step it brings in new bends to the story along with new characters. With each step the plot becomes stronger and makes the viewer guessing more for things to come. The surprising fact is that all these phases has a strength of its own and for the viewer its pretty much looks like its gonna be the ending phase. But the movie surprises the viewer yet again and moves another step towards a darker and unknown territory effectively.

I like Michael C. Halls performance quite much. We don’t see him often in movies to be honest but made some real mark with his striking TV performances as the gay funeral director in Six Feet Under and the serial killer with a code in Dexter. Here he plays a normal family man character who is calm and not heroic eventually turns in to someone who is driven by right emotions to take heavy risks. This is where I see the similarity between Blue Ruin (2014) and Cold in July. Both these movies have normal people characters in them yet come out with powerful story all together.

The weakness I see in Cold in July is its far-fetched action sequences especially in places where the main character appears. The phase where he goes from nobody to a killer seems to be too fast. But this fact does not weaken the movie too much as the other elements holds the plot strong enough.

-Priyantha Bandara

Night Moves (2013) – Ratings: Genre 4/5 | Overall 3.5/5

Soon as you start watching Night Moves the first things you will realize that it’s very slow. It takes a painful amount of time to get in to the plot and keeps the viewer guessing forever. By the time it hits a certain point where the plot starts to form solidly most viewers could have left the place. But if you manage to wait till that certain point the rest of the movie will be a delighting one. The thing is Night Moves doesn’t have a proper start or a proper ending. It is the mid section of a long story and we are left to decide on the way it started and how it would have ended. That’s a kind of risky movie making. 

Josh, Dena and Harmon (Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, Peter Sarsgaard) are three radical environmentalists. They believe that an extreme action would change the minds of others and send a strong message to the people who they want their voice heard. The trio carefully plans a certain activity which puts them in a tight situation and at the end of it they find out that they are not the only people who got affected by it. Post stress starts to build and they begin to lose the grip.

Though how slow Night Moves could be it is stitched with a very prominent and informative sequel of carefully chosen scenes. Once you’re done with the movie you will realize that every scene makes good sense and the viewer has become a part of the trio’s journey. There is good cinematography, effective score and dark mood all over the place, and definitely very good performances by all three main casts. 

Regarding the plot it is sound and extraordinary. Come to think of it it’s very simple in a way but deep and complicated on the other hand. Night Moves deserves the recognition it had got from the critics and fans alike. It’s a fine piece of dramatic cinema that’s woven wonderfully and powerfully character driven. 

Genre: Drama | Thriller

Director: Peter Sarsgaard

Appleseed (2004) Ratings: Genre 4/5 | Overall 3/5

This certain type of a futuristic sci fi animation is mostly scene from Japanese animation studios and most of them are literally mind blowing. They carry purely creative futuristic settings, technology, action and eye popping details to start with. Though most of the serious sci fi fans will despite the plots in most of them still they are the kind of movies that will keep you engaged for a long time if you are a fan. Appleseed (2004) is one of such wonderful animation movies from Japan and first one of its trilogy. And it’s based on the comic book by the creator of Ghost in the Shell (1995).

Appleseed follows the earth after the 3^rd world war which has almost wiped out the entire economic and social system as we know now. And the world is completely in ruins and several groups keep on fighting for their territories. The war is taken over by high tech machinery and only the bravest fighter’s fights in flesh in the front. And in a distant place a Utopian society exists in harmony with humans and human like half machines knows as bioroids. Worrier Deunan is bought in to this peaceful society from the action packed frontline to realize that her known to have disappeared boy friend Briareos also lives there and he is also a different kind of half machine half human right now. Deunan starts to wonder what purpose she can serve in this society when she soon realizes that the battle for mankind is far from over. 

Appleseed has simply jaw dropping quality animation. It will be the first thing that would grab the viewer from the throat and then the action kicks in. The animation is a mix of 3d and 2d graphics which gives a certain blended beauty. Though this type of action and animation is witnessed earlier Appleseed does it really well. The viewer gets to engulf in a deep and thoughtful plot which reveals with solid explanations to the technology and rational of its existence. If you’re watching a subtitled version this section can be a bit tiresome. (I have seeing both subtitled and English dubbed so I know this for a fact). Though the plot is not perfect it is quite good for a war based action sci fi and it’s entertaining enough. 

With limited character development and superficial plot Appleseed has the potential to fail. Yet I feel like it had done a good job in most legs though it is not perfect. As I have now seeing the trilogy in full I certainly admire it more. This is a good start. 

Directors : Shinji Aramaki , Steven Foster,  Mary Elizabeth McGlynn

Original title: Appurushîdo

Genre: Sci Fi | Action | Animation