Ghost In The Shell - movie review
Ghost In The Shell
Plot: In the near future, Major is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible crash, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world's most dangerous criminals.
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, Takeshi Kitano
Director: Rupert Sanders
Certificate: 12A (moderate violence, threat)
Runtime: 1hr 47 mins
Release Date: Friday 31st March 2017
Anime has always been tough nut for me to crack. It's not that I've never appreciated it but apart from the supreme visual stylings, it's a genre that's never taken my fancy. Their films have either been too dull for my liking or incredibly bizarre meaning that I couldn't get into it. To this day, I really do not get the hype behind Attack On Titan. However, one of the only animes that really impressed me (watched very recently) was the 1995 Ghost In The Shell. It was thought provoking, visually gorgeous and posed some challenging themes and beliefs for any film to deal with let alone an animation. Twelve years later, the obligatory Hollywood adaptation has come to fruition and if any anime fans are reading this, you need not be worried. This is a fine version of the beloved anime and manga series but fine is all that it achieves.
Controversial is quite an understatement on the topic of Scarlett Johansson's casting as Major. For those that are unaware, Major is a Japanese character and many believed that, with Hollywood casting a popular white actress instead of a talented Japanese actress (of which there are many), it was yet another case of whitewashing. In all honesty, I did think that too. Major is a beloved character by many and quite a recognisable one so despite having no qualms about Johansson doing a good job, she just didn't look like a suitable fit. Amusingly enough, it only seems that the UK and USA were the only nations offended by this. The Japanese didn't really seem to care all that much. So, taking all of this pressure on Johansson into consideration, I thought she did an admirable job. The biggest thing to mention is that this isn't the same Major as the one that the anime and mangas present. She has a different interpretation to her character and also a vastly dissimilar history to the Major. In part, I assume this alteration is due to Sanders and his group of writers hoping to put their stamp on the franchise but largely, the pessimistic side of me believes it's to do with Johansson's casting. The Major's history plays a large part to the whole proceedings of this film and controversially, changes have been made to her origin and past. I would hazard a guess to say that this was solely to accommodate the casting of Johansson to seem less risque as they cover their tracks (so to speak). Johansson does a terrific job in the role and certainly proves herself as one of the top action stars out there today in fact, she actually improves upon the performance from the original anime. Personally, I never felt any emotion towards the 1995 anime but, in a roundabout way, I think that was the purpose of the film; to experience rather than emote. With Johansson stepping into the role and this extensive look into her past, I felt for the Major this time round. I cared about her and that was necessary as the plot developed.
As Batou, a friend and fellow agent with Major, is Pilou Asbæk. Firstly, it can't just be me that thinks if this guy had a little more clout and a more recognisable name in the industry, he'd make a great Cable for Deadpool 2. He has the look, personality and badassery to carry it off. Secondly, Batou was a character who needn't have this complex and tragic backstory to make him who he is. From my experience with the anime alone, Batou is a straightforward dude who gets the job done and looks cool doing it. Asbæk fulfills that criteria for Batou and actually turns in a good performance along with it too. Both him and Johansson share some palpable chemistry but in a respectful rather than loving manner. Where Ghost In The Shell begins to crumble is when we begin to discuss the villains. Yes. Villains. Plural. The first antagonist we are introduced to is Michael Pitt playing Kuze, who bares quite a few similarities to the Puppet Master not just in name nor plan. However, his methods are practically identical. Pitt makes for a very intriguing villain because all is not what meets the eye when it comes to him and it was with Kuze where I thought the deep philosophical aspect of the film would arrive. Alas, his character doesn't get as much screentime due to the typical and generic reveal of a second villain who has been behind it all. I'll keep this person's identity a secret but this revelation comes so late into the film that there isn't a chance to have any interest into their motives all culminating in a dull and useless final act.
FACT: For the Japanese dub of the film, the voice actors from Ghost in the Shell - Atsuko Tanaka (the Major), Akio Ôtsuka (Batou) and Kôichi Yamadera (Togusa) - reprise their roles.
The two biggest praiseworthy areas that Rupert Sanders' adaptation has to offer are the visual effects and specific recreations of well known shots from the anime. Visually, this film is nearly flawless. The citywide landscapes full of holographic projections and detailed futuristic transportations are expertly realised and there is an incredibly faithful depiction of that world as it was shown in the 1995 anime. Considering that I'm not the biggest fan of 3D, I highly recommend paying that little bit extra because I found it to enhance to entire experience. Ranging from scenes like a 'dive' to action sequences, all of them look beautiful. The other aspect that will surely bring joy to hardcore anime fans is the shot for shot accuracy that Sanders has been able to accomplish. Moments like Major free falling from a building, a boat scene and even the inclusion of a Spider-tank all gave the impression that a lot of effort was put into this film in the hope of it being good rather than cashing in on a possibly bankable franchise. Unfortunately, the buck stops there. Pace is this new Ghost In The Shell's biggest fault. It's extremely inconsistent. Opening with a blistering raid/shootout and then teasing the audience with the villain and plot, the second act grinds to a gigantic halt. I hate checking the time during a film because it means that my attention is easily shifting somewhere else but I gave up counting after checking my watch for the fifth time. The tension reaches a standstill, the story drags its feet and the movie never seems like it's going anywhere. Then, by the time we reach the final act with the horrendous secondary antagonist, the pace continuously drifted in and out of excitement and dullness. Another considerable gripe I have about Ghost In The Shell is the message it provides. There's an importance to it and it is well thought out however, by turning their focus onto consent regarding scientific experimentation, they've lost the incredible dilemma of if a technologically made being can ever be considered human. To give an example in a real life scenario, it would be like having cheesy garlic bread only for it to be taken away and replaced with regular garlic bread. I'm still going to eat this regular, plain garlic bread but I'm also disappointed that the cheesy type has been removed.
Stunning visuals, solid performances and a distinct faithfulness to its origin can only do so much to mask its inability to craft a coherent and evenly paced story. On the upside, it does prove that anime adaptations can work in a Hollywood setting just not as well as some may have hoped. It's good but doesn't come close to its anime predecessor.
My Verdict: 6.5/10
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