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Rating:  -
Ghost In The Shell' (released 1996 in the U.S.) by director Mamoru Oshii was a real butt-kicker for its time and brought renewed interest to Japanese Animation from North American film critics long after the landmark emergence of Akira (1988). The highly cerebral and detailed scriptwriting brought raves from some critics, while the sometimes altered translated English-dubbed version brought baffled reviews from others.
While there are some great animated cinematic-styled action sequences, the film is still also an intellectual and philosophical mystery maze with characters struggling with the meaning of survival in a cybernetic world - themes that would years later influence and inspire the Wachowski brothers as they explored similar themes in 'the Matrix' trilogy.
Along with possibly being one of the first original and sophisticated cyber-mystery thrillers, 'Ghost in the Shell' was also one of the first anime that appeared to integrate the old ink, cell, and paint methods into computer CGI digital graphics thoroughly and successfully to a seamless level of cinematic film mastery.
(Back in the 80's, 'Akira' was still heavily using cell graphics and original BG paintings, while other anime in the 80's like 'the Lensmen" and 'Phoenix 2772' still had CGI technology in its underdeveloped early stages - the differences between CGI and Cell animation could be easily observed by the viewer.)
Kanji Kawai's striking operatic music beautifully enriches and enhances the mood of 'Ghost in the Shell'. The music classically and digitally bridges the new with the old.
Still, the qualitative uniqueness of the movie comes down to its detailed and highly complex science fiction screenplay, which is similar in sophistication and spirit to the ones that exists in films like 'Blade Runner' and '2001 A Space odyssey' (and also to some limited degree to Pixar's new 'Wall.E'). These are the type of films that force the viewers to think at times while going along for the ride. (And it appears that films like these just don't come along very often.)
But if that gets too boring for some viewers there's still always enough stylish but brutal butt-kicking by Motoko (Major) Kusanagi and Batou to keep any viewer tuned into the cyberpunk thriller right to the very end.
***
Rating:  -
The film is great, and I really liked the english transfer. This disc has 5.1 in both Dolby and DTS for both Japanese and English. You really feel the action rolling past you when listening. The set has some great extras, too. The case has a clear plastic sleeve, and the inside is a tri-fold with the two discs and special extras. The two sided poster is the image on the cover, and the opposite is the Major floating on a red background. The postcard is also nice. Recommended for the collector, otherwise the single disc will do.
Rating:  -
A few memorable scenes, lots of dialog that tries to examine some deep subjects but fails. Not miserably, but fails. Had I seen this when it came out, it might have had a bigger impact on me, but the characters were wooden and the ending unsatisfying.
If a human could have an artificial heart and still be human, what if the whole human was artificial? When is someone no longer human and does it matter anyway? Mildly interesting story that can stand on its own, it just doesn't stand very tall.
Unfortunately, reviewers on Amazon give out 5 star ratings like they are candy for dying kids. Every teenager (mental or otherwise) rushes off to plug their latest fad. At least I liked it well enough to finish it...
Rating: -
This is the first "Ghost in the Shell" movie to have been based on the popular manga. It's set in 2029, apparently in Hong Kong, and follows the agents of Section 9 - a government agency that deals with unsavoury (and frequently criminal) elements. Life is very different : the internet plays an much greater role in life than it does now, while most people now have technology-enhanced bodies. These improvements range from controlled metabolisms to cybernetic bodies.
Section 9 has a small, though clearly very effective team. Daisuke Aramaki is is charge, though takes no active part in the missions - a rather elderly gentleman, he deals with bureaucrats, politicians and reports. (In fact, he life seems to ne so busy that her doesn't always get to read the reports submitted to him). Major Motoko Kusanagi effectively operates as the team leader in the field. Kusanagi is a cyborg - a human brain fitted in a metal body that features some very cool optional extras. Batou is not only a very experienced officer, he is also - apparently - the closest thing the Major has to a friend. While he is primarily biological, he does have some quite significant implants - most obviously his eyes. Togusa, who has virtually no implants at all, is the most recent arrival to Section 9. He was recruited by Kusanagi herself, who views diversity as a strength. Ishikawa, meanwhile, barely appears at all - he acts as Section 9's computer expert and doesn't6 take part in any of the fighting.
As the film opens, Section 9 has been helping the Ministry of Foreign Affairs deal with a couple of difficult political asylum cases. (The individuals requesting asylum were proving to be as unsavoury as those they were requesting asylum from...Section 9's involvement meant no awkward decision had to be made by Minister Nakamura). At the same time, Nakamura is building up to a round of very secret talks...disturbingly, it would appear that the talks and the delegates are now under threat. The Minister's Interpreter has been attacked, with the technological upgrades to her brain proving her weakness. These upgrades have been hacked into, by a shadowy terrorist known only as the Puppet Master. This process is known as Ghost Hacking, and is an attack on the victim's very consciousness. It allows the hacker to alter his victim's memories - essentially destroying their very identity. The interpreter, the Monkey Man believes, would have been used by the Puppet Master to kill the key delegates at the talks - and everyone involved with these talks is now under surveillance.
There is very little to go on as to the Puppet Master's true identity. The "infamous Master Hacker", whose nickname was coined by the Ghost Pack, is believed to be American. However, any remaining details - age, background and (despite the moniker) even gender - are all a matter of speculation. However, this incident is the first confirmed Puppet Master attack in Hong Kong - and it seems clear that, for whatever reason, Nakamura's round of talks is his intended target.
The film features some great artwork and is very atmospheric. With the Major, in particular, there is a very clear and real sense of isolation. This stems from the fact she is largely technological, rather than biological - "cyborgs", she says "have a tendency to be paranoid about their origins". Ironically enough, she's not alone in her loneliness - despite how much easier technology has made it to communicate, it's a mood that seems all too common throughout the city.
Rating: -
The special edition 'Ghost in the Shell' is well done, however in some cases you will need to adjust the sound volume as it is very powerfull and maybe overdone as far as the balance to the effects, to voices. All in all the overal quality is great. I usualy prefer the original language versions but in this case the dub english speaking edition is fine and again done well enough to cover up that fact.There is also a second disc with interesting items and both DVD's have enough options that no mater what system you are running it can be adjusted for optional viewing. A great choice and enough sound power to shake the pictures off you walls.
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