Ghost in the Shell

Voices of: Atusko Tanaka, Aki Otsuka, Tessho Genda, Mimi Woods, Bryan Cranston
Directed by: Mamoru Oshii
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Animation, Action
1996

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A cyborg policewoman hunts a mysterious man known as the Puppet Master.

Review:

Tim: It took me an extremely long time to finally get around to seeing Ghost in the Shell. I'd heard of it, obviously, but I'd never watched it. I found the film to be a good manga adaptation. I can't say I loved the film, but I was entertained and intrigued by it. It does a good job of painting a picture of this futuristic society where humanity and technology are closely intertwined. It tackles some big issues, many of which will some day no longer be science fiction. It's a solid action film and a movie that's certainly worth checking out.

It's interesting to consider how this film influenced many filmmakers and films. It had an obvious influence on the Wachowskis and The Matrix, but you can certainly see many other influences throughout Hollywood. I love that the lead role is a woman (a cybernetically enhanced woman, but still). It felt a bit ahead of its time to have our protagonist be such a strong, bad ass female. The Major is a terrific, memorable character.

The visuals were quite impressive throughout. While it feels a little dated watching two decades later, you can certainly appreciate what it meant for viewers at the time. The animation was quite strong, very much unlike most of what we were used to seeing in the mid 1990s. This is certainly an adult movie, with adult visuals and adult themes. That was not common in 1996, so I can see how this film felt refreshingly unique.

Now, while there is much I enjoyed about the film, I did find it a bit convoluted. It's a surprisingly talky movie and it was hard to follow some of the longer expositions. The movie did a good job of portraying this complex world, but I wish the details of the story were a little more accessible. I was certainly able to follow the film, but it took a lot of work and I undoubtedly missed many details.

The movie does tackle some big, complex themes. Perhaps the most interesting is the one about self-identity. What does it mean to be you? What is consciousness? As the lines between humanity and technology blur, this will be an increasingly thorny issue. It was quite fascinating to watch that explored here.

I have to admit, my manga experience is minimal, as is my understanding of the anime realm. This was a good introduction for me, but I can't say I was blown away by Ghost in the Shell. It was a good movie, a cool viewing experience, but outside of it being influential, I wouldn't call it a great film (and I know thousands of people will disagree with me). All I can say is that I did enjoy this movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence