Appleseed
A battle-hardened survivor enters a postwar utopia and confronts the machinery hidden beneath its promise of peace.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- tense
- bleak
- philosophical
- anime marathon
- cyberpunk night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film visually arresting and musically effective but held back by generic storytelling, awkward dialogue, and ponderous existential ideas.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Deyunan discovers that the seemingly benevolent postwar community has plans for humanity that undermine its utopian facade.
Deyunan and the cyborg Buriareosu are central to conflicts involving altered bodies, human allegiance, and machine power.
The narrative takes place in a futuristic city founded after the third world war, surrounded by the badlands and threatened by terrorism.
The production is noted for its use of shading, motion capture, and visually arresting depictions of nonliving and mechanical forms.
Films like Appleseed, and why
Ghost in the Shell
shared cyberpunk dystopia, human-machine conflict, and philosophical science fiction themes
Vexille
shared post-apocalyptic worldbuilding, biomechanical action, and questions about humanity's technological future
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade
shared Japanese animated cyberpunk setting, militarized protagonists, and resistance against technological authority
Movie Details
- Director
- Shinji Aramaki
- Release Date
- 2004-04-17
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (414)
Cast
- Ai Kobayashi
- Asumi Miwa
- Jurota Kosugi
- Yuki Matsuoka
- Yuzuru Fujimoto
- Takehito Koyasu
- Mami Koyama
- Miho Yamada
- Toshiyuki Morikawa
- Ryuji Nakagi
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HiDive
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Appleseed about?
- A battle-hardened survivor enters a postwar utopia and confronts the machinery hidden beneath its promise of peace.
- What is Appleseed like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Appleseed as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Appleseed violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Appleseed as brutal.
- What did critics think of Appleseed?
- Critics broadly found the film visually arresting and musically effective but held back by generic storytelling, awkward dialogue, and ponderous existential ideas.
- Which films are like Appleseed?
- Films with a similar feel include Ghost in the Shell, Vexille, and Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade.
- How long is Appleseed?
- Appleseed runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch Appleseed?
- In United States, Appleseed streams on HiDive.
