Review of Vexille (2007) by Chelsea P — 25 Aug 2008

[color=Green][font=Century Gothic]For a couple months, I had been eagerly awaiting this movie. Created by the same studio who brought us the masterpiece Appleseed, the moment I heard about this movie I knew I had to have it. I ended up buying it the same day as Origin, as immediately once I got home, I sat down and watched it.

I don't know what exactly went wrong with it.

The opening showed a promising science fiction movie, the realistically drifting snow showed that they had talent, and the plot seemed interesting....for about 10 minutes. I think that after the opening sequence, the whole movie started to go downhill.

I have no problem with strong women in movies, let alone in anime, but my problem with the main character, besides her name, is that she's a total cut out of Duenan Knute, the main protagonist from Appleseed. She'd be a carbon copy, if it weren't for the fact that she has virtually none of the spunk, fire, or vigor of the Appleseed star. She's basically faceless to use for the whole movie, and that's exactly how she stays. Since we're stuck with her for just about the whole movie, this is a serious problem. This is also very sad because[/font] Colleen Clickenbeard, who does the voice for Risa Hawkeye in Fullmetal Alchemist and is a generally talented voice actress, tries her hardest to breathe life into Vexille, but to no avail.[/color].

[color=Green][font=Century Gothic].

None of the characters are particularly memorable, none of the action was very intense, and the mech designs were just boring. Maybe I was just too dazzled by Ex Machina, but considering that this came out after it, I don't think that's any excuse. I left this movie disappointed, even re-watched it, but nothing changed. It was as lifeless as the first time. For a movie that's supposed to be about discovering your humanity, this had virtually none to be found.

However, if you're looking for a visually nice movie with a nice twist about halfway through, this could provide you with some entertainment for an hour and a forty minutes.

[/font][/color].