A.Li.Ce

A.Li.Ce

Beneath the opening credits a high-octane chase develops through the skies, over the snowy terrain of Lapland.

A teenaged girl called Alice is being chased by Stealth Troopers - sinister (and heavily armed) robots astride jet-fuelled mini-crafts.

Alice is shot down from the skies and, believing her to be dead, the robots leave. Luckily for the girl, young hunk Yuan is at hand to take her into the warmth of his home and await her recovery.

Two days later Alice awakes and explains that the last thing she remembers is winning the Lunar Sweepstakes - first prize being a free trip to the moon, consequently making her the youngest astronaut in history.

Yuan's attempts to pry further are curtailed by his guest's sudden urge to flee his dwellings in search of a phone to contact home. Alice jumps into Yuan's jeep but the lad is quick and manages to leap into the passenger seat as she makes her getaway.

As she drives, Alice describes to her new friend her last memory: her shuttle shaking then crashing as it set off, moonward bound.

Yuan then explains that the year is now 2030 (a shock to our heroine - it was 2000 when she started her journey!) and that in all likelihood the Troopers have pursued Alice because she was attempting to fly to the moon. The world, you see, has been dominated by a genial dictator called Nero and his super-computers, and he employs the Troopers to wipe out anyone who tries to escape his control by fleeing the Earth.

As Yuan and Alice struggle to believe the stories they've just shared (he's just as sceptical about her claims to be from the year 2000), they are forced on the run by a surprise attack from the Liberation Forces. Just why both Nero and the Liberation Forces - a vehemently anti-Nero cause - both appear to want Alice dead, Yuan does not know …

What follows is a well-conceived, hugely involving yarn with plenty of twists and a neat pin on the implications of time-travel. Not to mention, some interesting inroads along the way into commentary on pollution, global overcrowding, political uprisings … yes, this film has a lot to say!

The biggest draw of the plot for me though was how the rug kept getting pulled from beneath my feet. The overall feeling is "who is the real enemy" - and you'll keep changing your opinion until the closing frames.

This is Japan's first ever completely computer-animated feature (made in 1999). Taking that into consideration, it looks superb. Okay, there are occasional scenes where the images look like something from the Final Fantasy games, but by and large this is a fantastic visual feast: just check out those sun-beams coming through Yuan's windows …

The strong story and well-developed characters help elevate proceedings above the mere novelty of being Japan's first CGI feature though, and it's good to report that A.Li.Ce is involving, thought-provoking and - most importantly - entertaining, regardless of the medium it was shot on.

Visually, Artsmagic have served the film well with a crystal clear transfer (1.85:1 anamorphic). Lovely.

Audio-wise, you have the choice of hearing the film in it's original Japanese (with removable English subtitles) or an English dubbed soundtrack. Pleasingly, they're both graced with a consistently meaty 5.1 mix. The former is the preferred option, as the latter suffers from the occasional stilted vocal delivery in an effort to synch the words with the character's mouths. A tad distracting, but hardly a quibble.

An attractive animated main menu page allows access to some equally great extras …

Best of all is a 37 minute interview with director Kenichi Maejima. He answers text questions on video (speaking in Japanese, with removable English subtitles). Despite looking nervous in front of the camera, Maejima is amiable and light-hearted - although there's a bit too much technical jargon being used for my liking!! A great extra though, very informative.

Next is a substantial video documentary on the history of CGI animation entitled FINAL FANTASIES. This runs for 35 minutes and is essentially Jonathan Clements on stage at the 2003 London Sci-Fi Festival addressing an audience with his great knowledge of modern anime. The post-dubbing on this feature is highly amusing to begin with, but you do get used to it. (Kudos to Artsmagic for even bothering - I imagine they filmed this footage as a DVD extra, then were mortified to discover the audio was non-existent. So rather than scrapping the film seminar, they've got Clements to come in and record his aural thoughts again).

Rounding off the extras are two trailers - one for A.Li.Ce, the other for the equally seminal BLUE REMAINS (both with removable English subtitles), and brief biographies/filmographies for the director, writer and art director. For instance, did you know … A.Li.Ce writer Masahiro Yoshimoto created the Sega Dreamcast game Shenmue?!

Artsmagic's disc is Region 0 NTSC, DVD-9. It comes in a clear keepcase and the 80 minute main feature can be accessed via 12 chapters.

A nice surprise find for me - a film I wouldn't typically hunt down, but a very rewarding experience nevertheless on many counts (visually, thematically, dramatically).

The disc too, like the film, is a winner. If you don't necessarily require all you view to be ladled with gore, then I can happily recommend this as 'something a little different'. And quite probably the only film I'll ever review for SGM that I'm happy to watch with my daughter!!

Review by Stuart Willis


 
Released by Artsmagic
Region All NTSC
Not Rated
Extras : see main review
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