| Rating: **** |
| Review by Jim |
| Plot: In the future, almost every human has some type of cybernetic augmentation done to their bodies. This new technology has bred a new type of hacker--one that can hack into a person's mind (or "ghost") to manipulate them however they please. A notorious hacker known only as "The Puppet Master" crosses the path of Major Kusanagi, an agent of an organization that polices these hackers called Section 9. While embroiled in an intense political situation, Kusanagi begins to question what defines herself as a being human. Review: If I had to tell you what I considered to be my favorite anime movie, I'd have to say hands-down Ghost in the Shell. It brings up many valid questions about identity, rebirth, and many other philosophical points while not getting crushed beneath the weight of its sermon as opposed to other movies that bring up the subject of man and machine such as Matrix: Reloaded. I gotta say, Ghost in the Shell seems like a precursor for all the philosophical hoopla said in Matrix: Reloaded, and to be honest, Ghost in the Shell makes its points much better. But if I continue any further with my comparisons between the two (and start putting down Reloaded) then I'm just going to be opening a whole new can of worms and before you know it there'll be riots in the streets with people shouting "Reloaded wasn't bad! You people are just missing the deep social implications the movie conveys!" while tipping over a bus. However, that's beside the point. Ghost in the Shell holds up well in just about every category even though it's running on the home stretch of being a decade old. The animation in my opinion is easily among the most fluid, stylized, and realistic ever to be made. The settings and characters look as if they could've been real people and not just drawn by hand. The entire film is given a very somber look with low-key colors and a setting to make anyone's spirit sink. Ghost in the Shell's world is a cyber-punk, gritty, and dark city where man and technology are one in the same, and we feel that in waves. Just like in Akira, the setting itself is also a character. The city is sprawling and gritty enough to make anyone depressed. My hat's off to the animators, to make the audience feel the setting is quite a feat. The characters have also been given enough work as well. At first glance they seem robotic and at times just angsty for no reason, but later on in the film they start to grow on you. And while the characters are in some aspect very distant and even cold, they still feel like real people with very real problems. A word of advice, don't go into Ghost in the Shell expecting to see Masamune Shirow's manga onscreen because you'll be disappointed. The film takes the core aspects of the manga and nothing more. The artwork is drastically different with a much darker tone and realistic characters. The humor that popped up during the manga is also completely gone. So if you're not die-hard about the manga, then you should enjoy the movie immensely. But the main meat of the film are the themes of identities and memories. In this world, some teenage nerd could hack into your cybernetic head and erase everything you've ever known. They could simulate memories and create intricate situations that you could swear you were in. If they felt like it, they could even force you to do things for them that you thought was your own will. It's identity theft to the ten power, and in the future could become a real concern. Kusanagi is hit the hardest by these themes since the only real memory she has is that of her shell being made in a factory. How does she really know she's a person? And how does she really know she's not just some robot? It's really about Kusanagi's journey to be a unique person and finding out just what type of person she really is resulting in a climax that leaves her shell destroyed and her mind merged with another. So now she finally is a unique person, but she's not really Kusanagi. Confusing, isn't it? So here's the only two complaints I have with the film. The first is that during some of the philosophical chats I began to lose interest when they dragged on too long. There were a few times when I wished they'd just shut up, but those times were rare. Secondly, there'd be times when too much was going on and I'd be "Huh? Where'd the story go?" which is probably going to be the biggest problem for the viewer, but a second viewing will clear that up. Ghost in the Shell is an involving tale of identity that no anime fan should miss. There were times the film did lag, but in the end you'll walk away feeling satisfied with the movie. Ghost in the Shell is a top-notch anime and, yes, even a classic. Yeah, the plot was at times murky, but nothing a little thinking can't fix. The movie will be over the heads of most mainstream viewers, but I say everyone else see this anime as soon as possible. |
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