After seeing a trailer for this film, I thought to myself "that looks amazing, I have to go see it!" I was lucky and got the opportunity to watch it in Japan when it was cinematically released in 2004.
Visually, it is a real treat - like nothing else I had ever seen. I'd recommend it for this reason alone. The action sequences are stunning, and the way characters subtly move even when they are not the focus of attention is just amazing.
The plot..? Well, for me it just tries too hard to be 'deep' and it contains a lot of clichés that have already been used by some of the 'deeper' anime efforts of recent years. That's not to say it is bad, but seasoned anime watchers will definitely feel a sense of deja vu. Indeed, the opening sequence where the lone female in a derelict city is rescued by a team of hi-tech soldiers is hugely reminiscent of the opening from 'Final Fantasy Spirits Within', another movie that tried too hard to be intellectual and came across as just dense.
Overall, I would say watch it for the amazing visuals. It's a landmark piece of animation. The dense and overambitious plot does pull it short of being a classic, but that's a criticism that could equally be levelled at a lot of other films that would be less worthy of your time.
Visually, it is a real treat - like nothing else I had ever seen. I'd recommend it for this reason alone. The action sequences are stunning, and the way characters subtly move even when they are not the focus of attention is just amazing.
The plot..? Well, for me it just tries too hard to be 'deep' and it contains a lot of clichés that have already been used by some of the 'deeper' anime efforts of recent years. That's not to say it is bad, but seasoned anime watchers will definitely feel a sense of deja vu. Indeed, the opening sequence where the lone female in a derelict city is rescued by a team of hi-tech soldiers is hugely reminiscent of the opening from 'Final Fantasy Spirits Within', another movie that tried too hard to be intellectual and came across as just dense.
Overall, I would say watch it for the amazing visuals. It's a landmark piece of animation. The dense and overambitious plot does pull it short of being a classic, but that's a criticism that could equally be levelled at a lot of other films that would be less worthy of your time.