DVD Review: Vexille
Rating: 
There’s a certain irony to Vexille that sets in quickly after the opening credits. The film’s central theme is the subjugation of humanity by an increasing reliance on technology. And yet, the film is itself an example of the very sin the screenwriters seek to purge.
Following closely on the massive success of the CGI film Appleseed, director Fumihiko Sori (aka ‘Sori’) uses the same 2D/3D approach that made the former film a smash hit amongst anime enthusiasts, both here and abroad. Instead of adapting another well-known work, however, Vexille is an entirely new universe, albeit one that borrows heavily from Shirow-san in more ways than one. The result is a film that *almost* succeeds despite itself, a beautiful-looking but fairly run-of-the-mill experience that reminds you of better films, but doesn’t quite achieve their level of success.
The year is 2077 and Japan, in the wake of international pressure to cease research into artificial intelligence, retreats behind a high-tech shroud to become in effect a technocratic North Korea. The heart of this robotic empire is the Daiwa corporation, a sinister manufacturer of - well, who knows what. But whatever it is, it isn’t good. Thankfully the free world can once again rely on the United States and the noble commandos of SWORD, a sort of black-ops enforcement agency who flies around the world putting paid to anyone who refuses to toe the line.
When an infiltration mission on the Japanese mainland goes awry, SWORD agent Vexille Serra (a lovely lass cast from the same mold as Ghost in the Shell’s Matoko Kusanagi) finds herself stranded amongst a group of Japanese freedom fighters led by Maria (yet another Kusanagi doppelganger). Of course, there’s more going on than is made apparent up front - suffice to say lots of stuff gets blowed up real good.
The plot is, as you might have guessed, pretty well-trodden. The humanity vs. technology trope has been beaten to death in popular culture, and Vexille really doesn’t bring anything new to the party - although I found it entertaining to see Japan singled out as a sort of technocratic North Korea, as opposed to some fabricated Southeast Asian country. I was also disappointed to see that Vexille’s entire squad is pretty much out of the picture as soon as she sets foot in Japan. None of these is enough to kill the film, but taken as a whole the story leaves a lot to be desired.
Without a doubt, Vexille is a lot of fun to look at. The attention to detail is amazing, particularly the various mecha and equipment. I loved the SWORD exoskeletons, which look as practical as they do badass. The quality of animation is on a par with Appleseed, which is a curse and a blessing - I loved the unique look of the previous film, finding it a welcome departure from most CGI which does its’ level best to straddle the line between hyper-realism and the fantastic, but falling somewhere smack dab in the middle of the Uncanny Valley. The unabashedly animated look that served Appleseed (and its’ sequel) so well, however, wears pretty thin early in Vexille. Without adding much to the palette, Vexille feels very much like a bridesmaid compared to the previous offering.
I don’t say this often (in fact, I don’t remember ever saying it), but the film’s saving grace is it’s soundtrack. British techno-savant Paul Oakenfold was harnessed to give Vexille a layer of audio polish, and he has succeeded admirably. While a number of tracks were actually contributed by other artists (most notably Dead Can Dance, whose ‘The Host of Seraphim‘ appears in the film and was featured extensively in pre-release trailers), Oakenfold’s presence is felt from beginning to end. The theme song ‘Together Again’, a collaboration with j-pop idol mink, is a particular standout. Mostly, Oakenfold comes through during the many hi-octane action scenes, providing a steady beat that pushes them up the scale accordingly. Combined with the slick animation the result plays as much like a long-form Paul Oakenfold video as it does a film.
As a package, Funimation’s recent DVD release falls a little flat. The transfer and audio are gorgeous, delivering impeccable audio and video, but if you count extra features as a requisite for purchase, you’ll find nothing here of note…a handful of trailers, and not much else. It’s a little disappointing, actually. Funimation has earned a reputation for littering their releases with a decent amount of goodies, but somehow Vexille got left out. Maybe they’re gearing up for a two-disc Special Edition down the line, or perhaps they’re holding out for the inevitable Blu Ray release. Either way it’s too bad they couldn’t come up with anything.
I hope I haven’t been too harsh on Vexille. It’s a good, well-produced flick with some decent action and a great soundtrack. But in the end it looks and sounds a lot better than it actually plays. Getting back to my original analogy, vexille looks beautiful on the outside but ultimately lacks a soul. It’s definitely worth a look, but just be aware of what you’re getting.
Details
Publisher: Funimation
Director: sori
Stars: Meisa Kuroki (voice), Shosuke Tanihara (voice), Yasuko Matsuyuki (voice)
Running Time: 109 minutes
MPAA Rating: n/a
MSRP: $29.98
Release Date: 05/20/2008
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