Cyborg detective Batou is assigned to investigate a series of murders committed by gynoids—doll-like cyborgs, which all malfunctioned, killed, then self-destructed afterwards. The brains of the gynoids initialize in order to protect their manufacturer's software, but in one gynoid, which Batou himself neutralized, one file remains: a voice speaking the phrase "Help me."
Mamoru Oshii's 2004 follow-up to his 1995 anime noir is that rare sequel that surpasses the original.
– Andrea Gronvall,
Chicago Reader,
18 Apr 2007
fresh:
The elegance, attention to detail, the invention and expertise all ensure that the movie's never less than visually breathtaking.
– Geoff Andrew,
Time Out,
24 Jun 2006
fresh:
Occasional passages of shell-cracking egghead overload aside, there's no getting past Innocence's astounding visual power.
– Geoff Pevere,
Toronto Star,
29 Oct 2004
rotten:
The effect of so much pretension and so many lovely images eventually becomes soporific.
– Liam Lacey,
Globe and Mail,
29 Oct 2004
rotten:
Praiseworthy for its concepts and aesthetics, yet it is too theory-heavy and action-shy, clumped with philosophical tangents and scholarly reference points.