Appurushîdo (Appleseed) poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Ai Kobayashi, Jurota Kosugi, Yuki Matsuoka

Masamune Shirow's celebrated manga of the fusion of humans and technology in a world devastated by war has been given a new and visually impressive adaptation in this anime drama. In the year 2131 A.D... read more read more...., Deunen Knute (voice of Ai Kobayashi) is a female warrior for hire who, after encountering her former lover Briareos (voice of Jurota Kosugi), discovers he's not the man he once was -- he's now part human and part robot. As Deunen and Briareos venture into the high-tech city of Olympus, they meet Hitomi (voice of Yuki Matsuoka), who is a member of a genetically engineered race of strong and intelligent beings who have taken over rule of the city. They have not done so without resistance, and Deunen and Briareos join forces with Hitomi and her cohorts when rebels launch an attack on the city. But while she defends Olympus, Deunen begins to suspect she has a greater alliance to those who wish to defeat Olympus than those who defend it. Appleseed (aka Appurushido) was previously filmed in 1988; this version incorporates new digital animation technology which combines the look of rounded, three-dimensional images with the visual style of the traditional pen-and-ink process. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

75% liked it

19,755 ratings

Critics

25% liked it

32 critics

R, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Shinji Aramaki

Release Date: October 16, 2004

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: May 10, 2005

Get It:

Stats: 1,237 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Appurushîdo (Appleseed) Appurushîdo (Appleseed) Appurushîdo (Appleseed) Appurushîdo (Appleseed) Appurushîdo (Appleseed) Appurushîdo (Appleseed) Unfinished masterpiece
Upload a Photo | View All Appurushîdo (Appleseed) Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (1,237)

  • jmanard52
    June 18, 2008
    jmanard52
    Stylish look good story fun ride. I loved it!
  • garyX
    March 1, 2012
    garyX
    After a world war devastates the Earth a Utopian city of the future is the subject of a power struggle between the benign genetically engineered clones and suspicious human military that inhabit it. Appleseed is 100% Japanese Anime in that is literally a Manga comic brought to li... read morefe with all their inherent strengths and weaknesses. The visuals are absolutely glorious; the opening which can best be described as a Wachowski inspired take on the future scenes of The Terminator and climactic battle sequences are absolutely breathtaking. The CGI may be a little dated in the fast moving world of technology, but this is an example where computers are used in an inventive and creative way, rather than painstakingly trying to recreate reality; I personally could not give a crap whether every hair on a characters head moves realistically or not. This combination of cel-shaded characters and fabulous Japanese production design is far more pleasing to my eyes. The action scenes are brilliantly done, directed in a frenetic and thrilling way and yet are also very clear and easily followed. Bay, are you listening? Unfortunately, as usual the long-winded "explanations" that link these superb sequences tend to be overly convoluted techno-gibberish but the astonishing visuals and action make up for the shortcomings in the plot. If you want some robot-orientated ass kicking without the Bayisms and bimbos, this should be your first port of call.
  • kiriyamakazou
    September 22, 2010
    kiriyamakazou
    Humans and a kind of genetic robot race live together in a perfect utopia, while a world war rages on the outside of their city. Of course, like all sci-fi, humans and robots don't get along. There are awkward issues about race, and the violence of man. It's all the same stuff th... read moreat has been discussed before and in more subtle detail. Of course emotions are what makes humans both great AND evil. Blade Runner analyzed such themes with a lot more maturity. Here, the animation is nice and the action scenes are fairly awesome, even if some cheesy music invades the film at times. It could have served from dialogue being cut. Do we need lines such as "Move and I'll break your neck?" That's fairly obvious from the way you're holding her. I understand the need to explain such creative futuristic worlds, but writers need a better way to explain, instead of relying on dialogue.
  • stuartb1234
    November 30, 2009
    stuartb1234
    For me personally, probably the second best anime I have seen (after Akira of course). The CG animation works well and although the voice acting (in the english version) is cheesey as hell with some dumb one liners, the film itself is very enjoyable.
  • Stinger839
    August 4, 2008
    Stinger839
    Can't believe I've neglected to review this!!! Maybe it's just that a movie like this, I had too much to say and put it off for too long. It's an incredible CG action flick, the characters actually provoke emotion in the audience, the visuals are all stunning, and the plot is app... read moreropriately complex. Such a great movie and must see for anyone into anime or scifi.
  • rezpatriot
    January 1, 2008
    rezpatriot
    No faults in this CGI cyber punk Mecha Film, If you like that kind of thing of course.
  • skactopus
    June 18, 2007
    skactopus
    This animation is based off a manga that I have not read at this time, so I cannot comment at how close the story or characters are to it. What I can comment on is the CG effects and the cell shading animation. This movie really does an excellent job at combining the two to pro... read moreduce a great graphical feature. In short, it is visually stunning.

    As far as the plot is concerned it takes you on a futuristic sci-fi journey and like many other animes you really need to pay attention or you may be lost. It may require multiple viewings, which isn't really hard to keep yourself from doing anyway.

    There are quite a few action scenes and they are rendered and animated nicely. You will not be disappointed at the gun power this movie has to offer. The techno-rock soundtrack enhances the action as well.

    As mentioned earlier the visuals are great, but one thing that the cell shading didn't do too well was express emotions on characters faces. This isn't too big a problem since it is easily to tell what a character is feeling with the tone of their voice, the partial facial expressions that can be seen, and the scene of the movie.

    Any anime fan should enjoy this film and may want to check out the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series and vice versa. I myself enjoyed the "Stand Alone Complex" series a bit more.
  • CloudStrife84
    May 25, 2007
    CloudStrife84
    Amazing CGI and effects, but the story is quite thin and uninteresting.
  • Fascade518
    January 20, 2007
    Fascade518
    By far the BEST sci-fi japanese Anime I've ever watched. Part 2 is coming out.... I can't wait! I "accidentally" purchased it for my PSP...been watching it for a week now....LOL...Timeless well designed computer generated art.
  • jonnycrumley
    January 10, 2012
    jonnycrumley
    Good movie. Although I felt unengaged by the movie's storyline, the stunning animation made up for it. The battle scenes and visuals were spectacular (particularly in the first 5 minutes), with lots of cool Sci-fi weaponry and futuristic landscapes.

View All Appurushîdo (Appleseed) Reviews

Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones
April 25, 2007
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

The stock characters and leaden stretches of expository dialogue are welcome evidence that there's still no computer program capable of telling a decent story. Full Review

Leslie Felperin
January 25, 2005
Leslie Felperin, Variety

Newbie viewers will be left twiddling their thumbs while waiting for Deunen's next bout of butt-kicking action sequences. Full Review

G. Allen Johnson
January 14, 2005
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle

Yes, it looks good, but it doesn't come close to exploring the grand themes it has in mind, or to ascending anywhere near the landmarks of anime. Full Review

Lisa Rose
January 14, 2005
Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger

A cross-pollination of eye-popping combat and provocative ideas. Full Review

V.A. Musetto
January 14, 2005
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

The action scenes might grab you, but there's a lot of talky downtime.

Elizabeth Weitzman
January 14, 2005
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

Though Appleseed has its selling points, it's not an especially strong entry in the genre, despite the presence of so many pneumatic heroines. Full Review

Kevin Thomas
January 13, 2005
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Dazzling visually but is flattened by corny dialogue better suited to the 1936 Flash Gordon serial, a needlessly hard to follow plot and heavy-handed exposition clotted with pseudo-scientific mumbo ju... Full Review

A.O. Scott
January 13, 2005
A.O. Scott, New York Times

Has a plot that frolics in the no-man's land between fiendish complexity and utter incomprehensibility. Full Review

Richard James Havis
January 13, 2005
Richard James Havis, Hollywood Reporter

Despite swaths of verbal exposition and a tendency to overdose on robot action sequences, the film has enough originality to interest demanding fans of the genre.

Carrie Rickey
January 13, 2005
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

The bizarre gulf between the realism of the backgrounds and the stylization of the characters undermines a story line about a conspiracy to rid Utopia of 'bio-roids.'

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within
    Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within (86%)
  • The Animatrix
    The Animatrix (77%)
  • Total Recall
    Total Recall (17%)
  • Appurushîdo (Appleseed)
    Appurushîdo (Appleseed) (94%)

More Movies like Appurushîdo (Appleseed)

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Appurushîdo (Appl... : Watch Free on TV

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Appurushîdo (Appleseed). Want to create one?

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Appurushîdo (Appleseed) Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Appurushîdo (Appleseed) to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

garyX Skin by garyX
34 Profiles
Add to Profile

More Skins