Ghost in the Shell Summary & Review
Japanese properties seem to be very popular here in America. People my age are really into the world of anime. I have never really been into this style of entertainment. I don’t like the way the characters look, and find that it focuses more on graphic violence and gratuitous nudity over compelling characters and coherent stories. That’s why I am always open when a live-action version is being produced. Today, I saw Ghost in the Shell, based on the manga of the same name.
This film focuses on Major (Scarlett Johansson), a police officer, whose soul is real, but her body isn’t. She is the first robot to be inhabited by the soul of a human who was nearly killed in a terrorist attack. Now working for a team of agents known as Sector 9, she is hot on the trail of a terrorist who is killing members of Hanka Robotics, the company that made her. However, the closer she gets to him, the more she uncovers about her mysterious past. It’s now her mission to discover who she really is before dark forces get to her first.
I was never against the casting of Johansson. I think she is a great actress, and since this film is made in America and not Japan, it made more sense. What also doesn’t make sense is the fact that fans in America are mad, but the Japanese fans are perfectly fine with her casting. I think most everyone overreacted to the casting. Now onto my review.
I thought Ghost in the Shell was just OK. Let’s start with the good. First, I thought the visuals were beautiful. I loved the way they designed the city. Everything was so colorful and vibrant. No, it’s not a world that I would like to live in, but it’s one that I would love watching in a movie or TV show.
I also enjoyed the designs of the characters. I thought the costumes and various cybernetic enhancements looked really nice and original. In my opinion, I was happy that Major was wearing a suit rather than being completely naked like in the anime. I felt it was more tasteful than just having a naked woman killing bad guys.
I really loved the musical score of the film. It was very akin to the styles of music found in anime. I know I said that I don’t really like anime, but the music is pretty good. I loved the techno style of the score, and even the songs in the film were pretty good.
However, this film’s main problem was the story. I think the Japanese put a little too much thought into their stories. I thought Ghost in the Shell’s story was overly complicated and convoluted. I couldn’t take anything in this movie seriously. I don’t really think there is any hidden meanings to this story, and some people are overanalyzing it.
Ghost in the Shell was visually gorgeous, but with a story way too complicated and only slightly entertaining action scenes, there wasn’t much else to enjoy. I don’t really see what people find so great about this story. Maybe I’m uneducated because I saw this version, but I just don’t get it. While I did enjoy this movie, it really wasn’t anything special.
