Anime’s popularity in the West continues develop from the seed sown by Ghost in the Shell, Akira and the Studio Ghibli movies to name but a few. Here Suri, of Ping Pong directorial fame, continues with the same production value as his debut, only seeming to push the limits of possibility one step further.

Combining all the elements of the Hollywood canon, Vexille is a conspiracy theorist’s wet dream and a technophobe’s worst nightmare.

Set in a vision of Tokyo 70 years in the future, the film’s premise is that Japan has closed its borders, cut itself off from the rest of the world and has continued to hold its position as the nation with the most advanced robotics industry on the planet.

But something is wrong, very wrong. Cue US super-soldier Lt. Cdr. Vexille Serra, on a doomed mission behind enemy lines tracking international criminal Saito. After finding herself alone in the sealed state, Vexille discovers all may not be as it seems in the land of the rising sun, more specifically within the world of the robots within.

On the face this may seem to be pretty standard Manga-esque fare, however the plot is so well conceived that one could argue it has a superiority over other similar movies in that this is believable, just.

Narrative aside, the film triumphs thanks to the state of the art animation on offer here, utilising the latest 3-D techniques capable of bringing a single follicle of hair to life on the head of our protagonist.

Breathtaking barely comes close to describing the artists’ futuristic, neo-apocalyptic vision of a world increasingly dependent on robots. It is so good that it would be a challenge for any animation fan not to spend most of the 109 minutes gawping at the screen.

An interesting soundtrack has been compiled for the film by once-great DJ Paul Oakenfold, and includes such luminaries of the electronica world as Underworld, Asian Dub Foundation, DJ Shadow and Carl Craig.

The superior animation and musical scoring lift this out of the realm of the specialist buff and into the arena of the mainstream, although the occasionally weak dialogue reminds us that it is still anime that we are watching.

DVD Extras

Although it is always nice to see the theatrical trailers for films, animation geeks and those with a thirst for knowledge should find the Making Of documentary the most interesting offered in the small selection here.

Dir. Fumihiko Suri
Starring: Meisa Kuroki; Shosuke Tanihara; Yasuko Matsuyuki; Christopher Sabat
Avex Entertainment Momentum Pictures

Martin Guttridge-Hewitt