Review by Dennis D. McDonald

This animated film, a descendant of Richard Morgan’s original Altered Carbon novel, adds little to that novel’s basic idea: digitally stored memories can be transferred from one body to another thereby doing away with — for the well to do — permanent death. But it does excel at graphically depicting extremely well choreographed — and bloody — sword- and gun-battles.

Some will be put off by the familiarity of the story elements and setting. It does look and feel like an amalgamation of elements of Blade Runner 2049, Ghost in the Shell, a bloody and stylish Japanese Yakuza film from the 1970s, and a nourish 1940’s private eye film.

But the animation is colorful, art design is stylish and classy, and the fight choreography is very very tight.

My only real complaints are that body motion is a bit too stiff to look real when characters are just walking across the floor, and there is little if any humor to provide a respite from the all too serious and frequent conspiratorial discussions and the gallons of blood that are spilled.

But this is definitely worth a watch especially if you are partial to traditional Japanese dramatic themes like honor and tradition combined with frequent swordplay and blood.

Review copyright (c) 2022 by Dennis D. McDonald

Some “violent” films