In the industrial wasteland just outside of Los Angeles, circa 2027,there's a covert war raging between the cyborgs and the humans. "86.5% is still human", insists superagent Alex (Jean-Claude Van Damme wannabe Olivier Gruner, complete with kick-boxing credentials and thick Euro-warble) but as the cyborg conspiracy builds around him he discovers that humanity is more than simply a matter of flesh and blood. Borrowing elements from Blade Runner, The Terminator, Escape from New York and The Road Warrior and looking ahead to digital "data couriers" of Johnny Mnemonic, director Albert Pyun turns the sci-fi spy story into an engine for a visceral thrill ride of sleekly designed action sequences driven by a dancing camera and a breakneck editing rhythm. It's a glorious triumph of style over substance, the vigorous pace leaving the story far behind and nimble set pieces belying a tiny budget with ambitious action choreography and impressive displays of property damage. Apart from a few clumsy special effects at the conclusion and the requisite collection of scene-chewing performances, Nemesis is a thoroughly entertaining piece of sci-fi trash, a classic example of cinematic energy overcoming the obstacles of plot. --Sean Axmaker

Sensational fifth series released with a drama of desertions, betrayals and an ultimate show of might.

When the first Evangelion feature, Death and Rebirth, proved no more satisfying than the last episodes of the original series, Hideaki Anno brought his watershed epic to its conclusion in this final instalment. End of Evangelion begins where the series ended: with the Angels defeated, the sinister cabal SEELE attacks NERV headquarters to seize the Evas and realise their plan for humanity. Misato and Ritsuko fight from inside while Asuka decimates a new Eva series. But when Rei merges with Lilith, and Shinji seems to fuse with Unit 01, the final traces of a coherent story line dissolve into a protracted collage of fantastic images, played against discussions involving Rei, Shinji, Asuka and Kaoru. Anno's dazzling apocalyptic vision forms a weird but oddly logical finale that ultimately can be interpreted to mean whatever the viewer chooses. --Charles Solomon