Ghost in the Shell - the movie

[Ultravanillasmurf]

It was okay.

Johansson was fine, her and her stunt doubles (is it like Anthony Hopkins and his best mate?) performed admirably.

Only one piece of casting jolted, Togusa was a bit old.

I suspect the leading cause of death is road traffic accidents caused by holo adverts, especially those fish at head height.

I think I would like to see it again, like The Force Awakens I watched it hoping it was not going to disappoint, I would like to just watch it.

Funniest bit, spot the kettle whistling without any visible kettle whistle or compatible spout.

[dijit]

As an action it's good, but for a ghost in the shell fan, it's a wee bit dumbed down and disappointing. Why they had to change Major Kusanagi's background story I don't know. They also seem to have taken bits of many of the different films/series and mixed them together. Story wise it fits best with the Ghost in the Shell Arise series of films, with a younger less competent Major. I also felt I missed some of the philosophical discussion of what it means to be human, when you're a cyborg, understanding of social mechanics, and the like, that I've come to expect from the Stand Alone Complex series.

Scarlet Johanson I felt to be a bit lack lustre, out shone by Pilou Asbæk as Batou, and certainly outshone by Julianne Binoche and Takeshi Kitano (who is awesome as Aramaki - "never send hares to catch on old fox" - best line in the film). The effects are certainly up to scratch and are worth watching.

[livanbard]

I expected negative reactions from others since announced. Still enjoyed the movie in spite of it.

[Mr. Peabody]

I thought the film was really great in a lot of ways. It made for a fun night out.
 

Why does everything have to have an origins story?

So very true. The existing franchise manages to develop interesting stories without smashing everything - so it's no wonder this reboot now underperforms. Just about everyone I know who was once excited about the idea steered away from it... A shame for such a well executed and visually pleasing film.

[SotF]

I thought the film was really great in a lot of ways. It made for a fun night out.
 
So very true. The existing franchise manages to develop interesting stories without smashing everything - so it's no wonder this reboot now underperforms. Just about everyone I know who was once excited about the idea steered away from it... A shame for such a well executed and visually pleasing film.

Heard a rumor that the origin story was essentially pushed into it due to the people who flipped out about casting choices...

[The_Baron]

I can see how long time fans may be a bit disappointed that it was an origin story, but come on those visuals were outstanding. If you are into cyberpunk at all go see it regardless of your feelings on the story.

My favourite scene being the Yakuza gangers in the club, so much cool inspiration for any Cyberpunk project. The production design was spot on. It is the kind of movie which I think will be worth rewatching multiple times, the art team, set designers etc. really put a lot of effort it. It actually reminded me of the underrated Total Recall remake (a movie which I love as a stand alone movie) - that also has amazing world building and attention to detail.

Which reminds me, must get on with my Deus-Ex project haha

[Daeothar]

I know I'll probably be miffing off a lot of hardcore fans later on in this post, but that can't be helped...

In hindsight, I actually did see the original Ghost in the Shell anime back in the nineties, but to my embarrassment, I hardly remember seeing it back then. It was only when I watched it on Youtube after seeing the live action one in the theater, that some vague recollections came to me.

But this meant that I was (nearly) unbiased when I went to see it with my friends. I was visually blown away by it and it sits firmly up there for me as one of the best cyberpunk (visual) references, together with Blade Runner, Strange Days, Existenz, Videodrome, Dredd and the Total Recalls (and maybe Gamer?).

Not knowing the original stories (not having read the manga's or remembering the anime's) obviously helped a lot in appreciating the movie as a whole. And I don't just mean the visuals; the story line was compelling too (not better or worse than many other movies), and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience.

When the credits rolled, I heard the many laments of hardcore fans around me and basically shrugged them off; I was clueless to its relation to much of the existing canon. So; like I mentioned, I watched the original afterwards, just so I could join in on the discussion.

And man; was I underwhelmed...

Seriously. It was enjoyable, don't get me wrong, but the whole philosophical undertones that many have waxed on about were just rather meh to me. Maybe it's because I've read, played and seen so much on this very theme, I don't know, but I do know that it has been done before, after and most of all; better. To be honest, (and this is not the anime/manga's fault, but rather the fanboy's), I find that it's been blown up to near mythical proportions, which to me comes across as pretentious, rather than thought provoking. (Hey; I did warn you at the start of my post... )

I discussed this with a friend who really is a hardcore fan of the franchise, and the consensus was that back in the nineties, not having absorbed so much other material, the original anime must have been a true revelation to teenage minds. And over time, this has made the movie grow to a status beyond its actual scope, mostly due to the fans putting it on a pedestal.

But of course this also made the life action movie come about.

And it's not that I cannot relate; I was a true Transformers fan back in the day; cartoons, comics and toys, you name it. So when I heard a live action movie was being made with this IP, I was thrilled beyond sanity. But when the actual Michael Bay product was released, my disappointment almost reached the nerd-rage threshold. It was so untrue to my cherished memories and personal vision of how it should look, I could not be anything but massively disappointed.

So I take it, it was much the same for all the GitS fans out there.

But all in all, it is a thoroughly enjoyable movie in its own right, and even though I have mixed feelings about the whole IP milking sequel thing, I certainly would not mind seeing another live action romp in the GitS universe...



Disclaimer: I do have to agree with the fanboys on one thing though; the theme played during the 'birth' in the anime, should have been played in the same scene, as opposed to the end credits. It clearly belongs there...

[Pijlie]

I thought the movie was disappointing.

Visuals, effects and casts were fine, but the story was a shallow, dumbed down piece of penny-novel melodrama that had next to nothing to do with the original story. It was simply something to bolt a few splendid scenes onto that weren't very creative to begin with because they were practically copied from the book. They even ripped one from Akira...

Given the excellent story of the original manga, using some kidnapped and abused kids scenario instead is incomprehensible. It is certainly not that the story can't be put into movie. They didn't even try to.

A missed opportunity if ever I saw one.

[nic-e]

I have watched the anime but not in many years.

I saw the movie in IMAX which makes even terrible films a fairly fun expereince, But i honestly came away really impressed with the whole thing. The bits of the anime i remember where all in there, and i never felt like i was obviously missing any big references or nods to camera which is a plus for me.

[Pijlie]

I have watched the anime but not in many years.

I saw the movie in IMAX which makes even terrible films a fairly fun expereince, But i honestly came away really impressed with the whole thing. The bits of the anime i remember where all in there, and i never felt like i was obviously missing any big references or nods to camera which is a plus for me.

Then if I were you, I would read the comic. You will not find anything familiar there, except the cast and a few scenes. But there's a whole new story awaiting you 

[Malebolgia]

@Daeothar: excellent writeup and 100% how I feel about the movie.