Armitage III: Poly Matrix

Publisher
MVM
Director
Hiroyuki Ochi
Production
AIC
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Film
Running time
90 mins
Year
1997

Armitage III: Poly Matrix

By Adam Cook
13th Jun 04

Let's get one thing straight, this is not the third in a series of films, the III in the title refers to the characters name. Now that is out of the way it should stop anyone emailing me asking for reviews of the first two Armitage movies.

This recently released MVM title is actually an American edit of the original Japanese series. Whilst the core elements remain there are a number of deleted and added scenes and a brand new ending. Whilst I haven't had the opportunity to watch the original I have heard it is the better of the two versions, however there is plenty to enjoy in this version too.

The film is set on Mars (although its planet of origin is rather superficial) and centres on our protagonist Ross Sylibus a cop from Earth that asks for a transfer to Mars after the murder of his partner by an android. The story revolves around uncovering the true reason behind a spate of 'Third' murders. There are two types of androids on Mars, the Seconds and the more advanced Thirds which are extremely human like in appearance and attitude. Aiding in his quest to uncover the truth is the titular character Armitage, a female cop that excels at her job and also happens to be a Third. There are lots of twists along the way which I don't wish to spoil for you so will leave any more story description there.

As mentioned earlier, the films setting is rather superficial there is no real reason for it to be set on Mars, what it does create is another example of the future metropolises that so often appear in science fiction films. It is incredibly similar to the one that appeared in Blade Runner with its seedy night life and giant corporations that are less than perfect. Even the main themes of androids and wanting to be accepted as humans are very reminiscent of the Ridley Scott classic. Whilst its story may appear unoriginal it makes up for it in its style and delivery.

The story was penned by Chiaki Konaka who would later write the brilliant Serial Experiments Lain. This pedigree is evident in this film even if you have to get passed some rather cheesy Americanised dialogue that appears to have been added during the films edit. However the core story is incredibly sound. The story develops at a good pace with new information continually being unveiled and more questions being asked every time one is answered. It is testament to Konaka's ability to spin a good tale that the film never gets bogged down in technical jargon which it so easily could have done, nor does it become too complicated as more twists and characters are introduced. The audience is always fully aware of what is going on, but there are a number of unexpected developments that may surprise some viewers.

At the films core it is a detective film with a buddy cop element. The investigation drives the narrative, but the relationship between Sylibus and Armitage continues to grow as they play off each other. Good detective stories rely on three things. Firstly the story should unfold in such a way that the antagonist is always one step ahead of our heroes until the final confrontation. Secondly the villain should be suitably evil and their crimes suitably depraved that we want to see their eventual demise. Finally we must care about our protagonists and their own fate irrespective of the case in hand. Thankfully Armitage III fulfils all three criteria with aplomb. There is a very human element to Armitage and the audience cares as much about her own plight as they will for the eventual capture of the murderer. There have been plenty of films that tackle androids and robots wanting to be treated like humans, but few achieve the goal as well as this movie. I think a large factor for its success is the way in which the murders are committed along with the general attitude of Mars' human populace towards the androids. There are a number of scenes that are reminiscent of the holocaust and racial killings that occurred even in our recent histories. It's the contrast of the inhumane acts by the humans and the quest for acceptance by the androids that provides a more powerful backdrop to the story than just some random killer on a murder spree.

There are some negatives that mar an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable feature. The American edit is not perfect. There seems to be some very abrupt and misplaced cuts which I can only assume is due to the American release. Likewise the DVD only has an American dub, which whilst the voices are being provided by the likes of Keifer Sutherland the actual acting is not great. In the age of DVD it is inexcusable not to provide the original Japanese voice over with an English subtitle option. Also as mentioned earlier there are a number of cheesy lines that really don't fit with the rest of the movie. Whilst these elements detract from the film they are not enough to affect your overall enjoyment.

The animation is of a very high standard. The set pieces are handled with perfection and some are very original which is rare in this day and age. The character design of both Sylibus and Armitage is a little weak with Armitage appearing to be a very generic female anime lead. Likewise the cityscape is nothing original either, but the general quality glosses over these imperfections.

The audio soundtrack is traditional anime fare with rock music dominating the action. It works fine but is nothing particularly special. The sound effects are suitably beefy though with conflicts sounding as brutal as they should. As mentioned earlier there is only the option of the English dub which is adequately handled although not my preferred choice.

Overall Armitage III is a very polished and entertaining detective story. Whilst its setting isn't particularly original the plot has enough twists in it to keep even the most jaded viewer interested. The use of some powerful imagery helps lift this above the traditional sci-fi films that are common place and provides deeper meaning to the actual content of the movie.

Well worth a watch.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English 5.1 Surround Sound; Biographies of the Director and Writer; Original theatrical trailer

Release information: 10th May 2004. MVM

Notes: The DVD is adequate. Whilst I would have said a Japanese voice over would have been essential it is sadly neglected but some people will not mind this. The biographies are quite interesting although not particularly detailed. The original trailer is merely a piece of filler in a rather sparce set of extras. Thankfully the feature is good enough for the extras not to matter too much.

-- Adam Cook 13th Jun 04

Armitage III: Poly Matrix Images