…of animes and other geeky stuff

Mar

Vexille Review

Anime, Movies

Story and Plot
Hit the lights, crank up the volume and get ready for one heck of a rollercoaster ride that is Vexille. Produced by the creative team that brought you Appleseed, Vexille is a no less of a CG visual feast from the get-go. Set in the distant future where Japan has been making revolutionary breakthroughs in biomechanical research far beyond anything that anyone has ever seen in the world. The United Nations deemed that the rapidly progressing research could pose a threat to human kind and imposed strict surveillance towards the nation. Japan, not wanting to be watched under the UN, decided to withdraw themselves in 2067 and declared a state of total isolation by erecting visual and communications jamming towers around the country and sealed themselves from the rest of the world.

The story begins 10 years later when a secret meeting was being held between representatives from around the world and Saito, a member of Daiwa Heavy Industry which is a mega corporation that pretty much controls Japan’s economy. S.W.O.R.D., an elite military force of the US Special Forces, stormed the meeting in order to capture Saito for interrogation. The battle that ensued between SWORD operatives and Daiwa’s military robots was truly a sight to behold. There were lots of action going on the screen with debris and explosion filling up every scene. However, when it seemed like SWORD finally managed to capture Saito, he managed to escaped when one of his minions crashed a whole plane through the building.

Vexille, leader of the team, only managed to grab hold onto Saito’s leg which he severed off himself in order to escape. Upon analysis back in SWORD’s lab, they discovered that the limb wasn’t organic in nature and suspected that Daiwa may already be producing androids. This sparked off an immediate operation to infiltrate the island and uncover the truth behind Daiwa’s operation and their involvement with Japan’s isolation policy.

Due to the jamming towers that are installed along the coastlines, their mission had to be discreet and communication was severely limited unless they can install a device that unscrambles the signals for a short period of time. Their plan was to sneak through one of Daiwa’s cargo ship as it returns to the port. Alas, the mission was compromised eventually and they were ambushed by Daiwa’s people. From the aftermath of the battle, only Vexille managed to escape by jumping into the sea. When she awoke, she found herself in a strange unfamiliar village that had lost touch with technology. She was rescued by Maria, a resistance fighter who once had a relationship with Leon, Vexille’s boyfriend who’s also a SWORD member. Maria soon told her the plight of their people and together they led an attack against Daiwa’s headquarters in an offshore island and to find Leon. So what was the big secret that the Japanese government was hiding all these years and what really happened to the cities in Japan after the isolation ? Catch the movie and it’ll surprise you!

My Thoughts

A lot of the effects in Vexille were really well done and pushes the limits of visual effects design. One of my favorite scene in the movie is the depiction of the Jags, failed cybernetic experiments that now consume and assimilate any non-organic materials into a huge worm like creature, think Frank Herbert’s Dune Sandworms made out of scrap metal. This thing is HUGE. With Paul Oakenfold helming the sound track, the score is a mix of techno and trance with works well with the futuristic setting. Overall Vexille is one fun movie to watch. It brings up some interesting question on what makes us human towards the end of the story but you’ll probably be drawn to the on screen action most of the time.

Genres: Science Fiction, Action, Adventure
Themes: Mecha, Military
Age rating: Teenagers
Running time: 109 minutes

Director: Fumihiko Sori
Screenplay:
Fumihiko Sori
Haruka Handa

Rating: