Ghost In The Shell took the world by storm in 1995. It is a feature anime film directed by Mamoru Oshii and adapted from the manga of the same name written by Masamune Shirow. This review is based off the Manga Entertainment and Anchor Bay Entertainment English-dub.
The setting is 2029 Japan where after a third world war, humanity has taken to augment their bodies (shells) and minds (ghosts) with cybernetic implants.
Major Motoko Kusanagi (Mimi Woods) is the team leader for a special-ops organization Public Security Section 9 of “New Port City” in Japan.
After the infamous scene where the Major assassinates a foreign diplomat trying to get a data expert from defecting, the organization is investigating the mysterious Puppet Master (Tom Wyner) who is hacking seemingly random people for an unknown purpose.
According to her boss, Chief Daisuke Aramaki (William Frederick Knight) there seems to a be a strange tie to Megatech Body, a company that is somehow tied to another government organization known as Section 6, a cooperative, but often rival group to that of Section 9.
The Major and her partner Batou (Richard Epcar) continue to investigate and soon uncover a conspiracy called Project 2501, whose purpose is more sinister than they first thought.
The animation in the original film is stunning. The later 2.0 version, which is updated with unnecessary CGI, still does not quite compare. The original is the superb and while it could be digitally remastered, the CGI cuts made it a bit more jolting. Also, I am not a fan of all of the nudity.
As for the story, the plot is pretty much straightforward. It is cyberpunk mixed in with a little bit of government conspiracy and a touch of philosophical meandering.
It is the themes that make this film unique. It forces the viewer to ask questions about individuality, humanity, all while not being preachy. At times, the dialogue did get a little dense and left me scratching my head, but for the most part I did enjoy it.
The only thing I was not a fan of was the ending. I felt as though the ending was slightly nihilistic, themes which I do not enjoy. I wanted to have a more rounded ending, especially after the deep nature of the film.
FAVORITE QUOTE: There are countless ingredients that make up the human body and mind, like all the components that make up me as an individual with my own personality.
PARENTAL CONCERNS: Action violence, sexual content, nudity, foul language
Check out the English trailer below:
That is my review. What did you think? Let me know in the comments below and tell me if there’s a movie you’d like me to review. Check out my thoughts on the popular anime flick My Neighbor Totoro. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more posts like this one.
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This article has been updated from a previous version.
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