“Hailed
during its UK theatrical release
as a work of stunning futuristic
animation by The Guardian Guide and
by Metro as a superior, elegantly
nuanced sci-fi animé, Vexille is now
available on DVD as a special two-disc
release...” THE CLEVER AND SPELLBINDING animé Vexille is a fantastic sci-fi
film with beautiful and creative animation. It is 2077, ten years after the
United Nations — alarmed by the possible misuse of advanced robot knowledge
and the likelihood of it leading to the 'weaponization' of the
human body — had passed a resolution banning the use of android technology.
Refusing to accept the directive and keen for the mega-corporation Daiwa Heavy
Industries — that dominates the Japanese economy — to press ahead
with research, world-leading Japan has, for the past ten years, been a stand-alone
renegade nation shut off from the rest of the world.
In the wake of a shocking "Christmas present" from Japan to British, French
and Russian representatives that involves murderous ultra-advanced android Saito,
another android passes on a garbled message, having been captured during a spectacular
motorbike chase.
Suspicious about Daiwa's bio-tech android programme and the possibility that
it may now have reached the ultimate extreme, the United States sends a crack
Special Forces Unit (SWORD) to infiltrate Fortress Japan on an intelligence
mission — with only a ten-year-old image of Tokyo to guide them.
Aware that Japan's high-tech seclusion is due to an electro-magnetic network
named RACE, that filters out all waves and light reaching Japan and scrambles
outbound signals, the mission is to penetrate the electromagnetic shield and
transmit a reverse beacon to unscramble the diffusion barrier.
Gutsy young female Lt Cmdr Vexille Serra leads her unit to hook up with a band
of Japanese underground rebels holding out against the might of the Daiwa Corporation
— with the help of Commander Leon Fayden, who was in Japan a decade before.
Narrowly avoiding capture and separated from Leon, Vexille loses consciousness
and is rescued by a boy called Takashi and a young girl, Maria — a name
that is oddly familiar to Vexille — who tells her that there are eyes everywhere.
Nobody is safe. Even outside the city walls the wasteland is crawling with the
terrifying Jags — the failed experiments from the android programme that
search for any type of metal and absorb it. And it is through Maria that Vexille
makes a horrifying discovery that threatens the future of the human race.
Vexille has a lot going for it — amazing technology; great robots;
superb animation; well-observed touches; cute mini-robots; good-looking heroes
and heroines; the stunning motorbike chase and a fantastic pinnacled US city.
The Japanese city has scant echoes of its vibrant past — it is a city that
seems to celebrate the splendour it has lost.
The sheer excellence of Vexille is consistent throughout the length of
the film — a fine example of an impressive and captivating animé production
that you'll want to watch over again.
Directed by Fumihiko Sori (Ping Pong) and utilising the talents of the
creative team behind the groundbreaking CG animé Appleseed, the epic
Vexille is a stunningly realised CG animated sci-fi feature that further
pushes the boundaries of what viewers have come to expect from a cinematic revolution
that has already amazed filmgoers through the works of animation Directors such
as Mamoru Oshii (Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence), Satoshi Kon (Paprika)
and Hayao Miyazaki (Howl's Moving Castle; Spirited Away).
Vexille is an action-packed, vividly-rendered fantasy adventure —
set around a disturbingly plausible scenario for the extinction of humankind
— enhanced by an exhilarating musical score from international DJ Paul
Oakenfold (who also scored Appleseed). Screenplay is by Haruki.
• Vexille is available now on DVD from
Momentum Pictures as a special two-disc release in a limited edition Steel Book
case, and is packed with exclusive fan-pleasing extra features that include:
an audio commentary by Jonathan Clements (co-author of The Animé Encyclopedia);
an extended interview with director Fumihiko Sori on the making of Vexille;
voice case and music recording footage; interviews with Sori filmed at the Locarno
Film Festival; a look at how 3D animation is made and at Sori's work as an animation
creator; Trailers; Vexille: The Inside Story Featurette; plus bonus footage
from Sori's forthcoming live action feature Ichi. Release Date: 1 September,
2008 | Price: £19.99 | Certificate: 12.
"…a chillingly beautiful vision of a dystopian future" —
The Times
"…simply breathtaking" —
SFX Magazine
"Anima for the Hi-Def Generation (4 stars)" —
Empire
"The clever and spellbinding animé Vexille is a fantastic sci-fi film
with beautiful and creative animation. The sheer excellence of Vexille
is consistent throughout the length of the film —
a fine example of an impressive and captivating animé production that you'll
want to watch over again" —
MotorBar
“Hailed
during its UK theatrical release