Summary: High gloss sci-fi thriller paves arduous cyborg against an illustrious and sadistic criminal. Anime fans willing to dismiss the bromide plot should appreciate this fast-paced, futuristic action frenzy.
Title Aka:	Armitage III: The Movie
Company/Distributors:	Pioneer Entertainment
Year:	1994
Length:	90 Minutes
Rating:
Genres:	Science Fiction
Format:	Feature Film
Content Level:	Violence: Moderate Sex: Mild Nudity: Mild Profanity: Moderate
Comments:	N/A

Synopsis: In the future the colony of Mars is a newly advanced society of humans and cyborgs. They have come to this new colony in order to fullfill their lifelong dreams, to thrive in a new and better society full of advanced non-human technology. They all hope to get away from the home they once lived in. Earth is merely a distant memory for "Ross Sylibus", a police officer who is starting a new life on the colonized planet. However, this society is in fact very different from the one on Earth. Mars consists of aliens, humans and of course "cyborgs". Ross only fears that his cyborgenetic composition (Which he has been given in substitution for his severe 'human' injuries) will only add to the trauma that he fears and despises. The fear that he will become more and more like the machine he so hates. Ross only wishes that the world be returned to normal, as it was when only the human emotion thrived on the Earth. This however, appears to be the very essence which clouds the emotions of the cyborgs known as "Thirds". Robots which contain within their program a unique, and often dangerous self-based emotional program. This allows theme to think more like humans than they ever have before. No one on the planet would ever suspect the Thirds of being non-human. When Ross takes up the duty of tracking down an evil villian who is hunting down and destroying the thirds, he is paired up with a deadly cyborg named "Naomi Armitage". But little does Ross realize that Armitage herself is indeed a Third. This will only endanger their mission, since several occurrences have taken place making it easier for someone to suspect a Third. Such incidents are a "pop-singer" who was killed and actually discovered to be a cyborg. This later arouses suspiction for Armitage and Ross. Armitage soon learns about her forgotten past, about her creator and father (who has some connection to the destruction of the Thirds). As Ross becomes more and more machine, he must realize his perpose. Both he and Armitage work out their differences in order to solve their case and work together as a team. This in turn is the center storyline for "Armitage III", which is actually a feature film version of the original OAV series (Same as the Armitage III Movie) aimed to be released for mainstream audiences. Armitage III plays like "Ghost In The Shell" meets "Bladerunner", by once again presenting the premise of man's relationship with cyborgs and technology. The film is indeed a futuristic action-thriller, much like "Ghost In The Shell". Like the rest of them, Armitage is yet another human-like cyborg searching for her true purpose and feelings. Along side her is Ross, the dence and often tiresome officer. Ross and Armitage work hand in hand. Both their personalities balance out one another, they are yet another anime cop-team. Review: "Armitage III" is in fact a surprisingly interesting and engaging story, one equally similar yet very different from it's predecessors. At first glance the film is simply another Sci-Fi movie, but in fact Armitage III resolves it's suffering of the typical cliche nature, by using effective and rather interesting plot-twists to keep the viewer glued to the screen. Such of this is a side-story reflecting the Thirds' ablity to bear 'children' and they contain a rather unique emotional personality. I must admit, it's one I haven't heard before. Armitage herself is like a lost child who only longs for comfort from the much darker character of Ross. This indeed works well towards some interesting character development, which makes this movie worth sitting through. Another thing which is rather striking about the film is it's pervasive detailed art and animation, which rival animes like "Ghost In The Shell". Armitage III does in fact contain it's share of well thought out action sequences. The score is also rather well done. Though rather mainstream and non-original, it's still very well matched and interesting. But Armitage III is not perfect. The film suffers from a lacking plot and some flat dialouge (This is most likely due to the fact of the transfer from OAV to Movie). Probably the thing which most disappoints me about this rather promising title is it's atrocious english dub. It was done with considerably decent Hollywood actors for Western mainstream moviegoers. Voice acted by "Kiefer Sutherland" and "Elizabeth Berkley". Though Berkley's performance as Armitage is rather decent compared to the often mismatched and 'tiresome' voice of Sutherland as Ross. The animation in the film is quite good, except it seemed to loose it's quality towards the end. The climax is the least effective and composed sequence in the entire movie. What also seemed to gradually loose quality towards the end was the music, which became uneffective and rather choppy. Nontheless, the film does contain some highly interesting moments. One of these is Armitage's encounter with a gigantic mecha robot and the film's ending, which was different from the OAV series. It presented an interesting view about technology and cyborgs, despite all the flaws in the movie. In the end, Armitage III is an interesting and technically impressive action thriller. Perfect for genre fans, those who have seen "GITS" and "Akira". Desite some often flat and convoluted dialouge and sometimes unconvincing characters, Armitage III is an interesting film nonetheless. Well worth a look for mainstream sci-fi fans. Click Here To See Overview!

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