To See or Not To See: Ghost in the Shell

I’ve always respected the Ghost in the Shell franchise. The 1995 anime feature with the same name introduced me to a world full of sociopolitical strife, questioned the concepts of free will, and dabbled in themes of trans-humanism. It’s a deep franchise to be sure, and I’ve been following it from the bleacher seats for almost two decades.

Directed by Rupert Sanders, Ghost in the Shell is a live-action adaptation of the 1995 classic and stars Scarlett Johansson as Major Mira Killian, a practically full blown android (a la the hosts in Westworld) whose brain was transplanted from a dead body and integrated with an AI. Set in the near future, Killian and her colleagues at Section 9, a high tech law enforcement agency that hunts cyber criminals, set out to find the elusive Kuze, played by Michael Pitt. Kuze is behind a host of attacks and the uniquely terrifying geisha bot hacks, and could so hold keys to revealing Killian’s past.

This film is stunning. Jaw-dropping. It might not even be a stretch to say it that looks like a modern day Blade Runner. The special effects, set design, art design and character design are all top notch, a glorious feast for the eyes. The cities, the cars, the designs of the cybernetic implants, the list goes on and on! I just cant stop gushing over how good this film looks! What I found even more surprising was the geisha bots, which were not CGI!

With the exception of Scarlett Johansson, I was not familiar with the cast at all. I feared for the worst when I barely recognized anyone on the list when the cast list was revealed last year. But my fear was unfounded; Pilou Asbæk does a great job at portraying Batou, Killian’s sidekick, and Juliette Binoche is eloquent as a morally ambiguous scientist.

There was also controversy surrounding the casting, some pointing out the ‘whitewashing’ thats typical of a foreign film adaption in Hollywood today. Although I can certainly see the criticism, I did not have a problem with it, as they did explain away it towards the end albeit in a ham fisted fashion.

As a fan of the franchise, I expected a bit more depth in the story than what I saw here. Ghost in the Shell franchise spans three books, four movies, four TV shows, and a handful of short films that dealt with a futuristic society struggling with the integration of cybernetics, and ethically and morally drenched in shades of grey. In this film, it is presented in black and white, evil vs good, and I did not expect that as a fan of the source material. I won’t spoil any plot beats here, but it did leave me a little disappointed.

Ghost in the Shell is a visual masterpiece, but if you wanted something to stimulate the cranium, look elsewhere.

★ ★ ★ out of 4

Photo Credit: Paramount