It's an exceedingly brilliant combination of future shock set-up and old school moralizing, a deconstruction of what it means to be human rendered in tech tones so slick that you often forget you're watching a cartoon.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Sep 26, 2009

I really wish I could have liked this more.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Apr 29, 2009

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.

| Apr 25, 2007

Shut your brain down for optimal viewing pleasure.

| Feb 9, 2006

It's busy, stiff, artificial graphics are a perfect match for its busy, stiff, artificial plot.

Full Review | Sep 26, 2005

It's an impressive effort, packed with ideas and good action scenes, but still trots out a clichd plot about a super-soldier babe, a race of meek artificial people, giant robot suits, confusing conspiracies and a lot of explosions.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 19, 2005

There is plenty to admire from a technical and artistic standpoint.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 16, 2005

With all that gorgeous imagery, you'd think the filmmakers would have found a way to tell the story visually without using mountains of expositional dialogue.

| Original Score: 1/4 | Feb 1, 2005

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

Full Review | Jan 25, 2005

| Original Score: 6/10 | Jan 24, 2005

The filmmakers are too busy trying to justify their futuristic world, and not enough actually exploring it.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jan 19, 2005

With so much going on in every frame, Appleseed is one of those anime projects that shouts you to sleep.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 14, 2005

There's a little too much talking and not as many battle scenes as we would've liked, but Appleseed is still a decent pick.

| Original Score: B- | Jan 14, 2005

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.

| Original Score: 1/4 | Jan 14, 2005

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

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 14, 2005

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

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jan 14, 2005

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

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 14, 2005

This long-overdue big-screen adaptation makes it hard to tell what was so revolutionary about the series.

| Original Score: 1/4 | Jan 14, 2005

[A] warrior babe cradles [an] injured cyborg bunny in her arms and weeps for him. Take that, Hotel Rwanda!

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 14, 2005

A visual marvel.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 13, 2005