Boobirt Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Ed This is one of the most intelligent animations that I have ever seen. It is amazing that it is still relevant and futuristic 20 years later. The level of detail in the animation is exceptional. I will have to watch it a few times to appreciate all of the cinematography. The depth of the blurring between human thought, genetics, Cyber enhancement, computers, networking, AI, and the germ of being is still relevant today.

MaximumMadness Oh boy... I know I'm gonna get a lot of flak for this one."Ghost in the Shell" is without doubt an incredible achievement in animation, and stands as a classic of its genre. An adaptation of a beloved Manga source material, director Mamoru Oshii's 1995 film is often a powerhouse of keen visual design, true-to-life motion and subtle, heady themes. And it most definitely deserves to be celebrated and beloved. It's a pretty great film, with a lot to enjoy both on the aesthetic surface and in the provocative ideas below. And it also deserves special commendation for being one of the first true breakout anime hits for many Western audiences, paving the way for Anime to take the world by storm. I being blown away by it the first time I viewed it about ten years ago, and I hold it in a pretty high regard.I just don't think it's quite as perfect as it's oft made out to be.Please! Put down the torches and pitchforks and hear me out, because I know that statement is going to anger a lot of people who hold this film high as an example of perfection. I'm not saying it's a bad film. From from it. But in the grand scheme of anime and the Science Fiction genre, I do think this type of story has been done a bit better on several occasions, and that the film does have a small handful of wonky moments that don't quite work, mainly pertaining to a few minor weaknesses in the writing and storytelling. It's a great film. Heck, I'd still call it a classic myself. But it's also a mildly flawed one.In a near future where technology has so advanced that the human body can be augmented or even replaced completely by cybernetic material, an entity known as Section 9 operates to protect key secrets and eliminate potential threats, without having to be constrained by corporate or political red-tape. At the head of it all is a cyborg known as Major Motoko Kusanagi, who serves as the leader of Section 9's assault team. When a mysterious cyber- terrorist known as the "Puppet Master" shows himself in a serious strange and bizarre incidents, Section 9 is on the case. However, probing into the matter, Major Kusanagi comes to find a treacherous web of political deceit and morally ambiguous circumstances that will leave her questioning her loyalties and just what it means to be alive...One of the greatest things about the film is also the source of one of its more noticeable weaknesses... that being the story. It's a very well thought out and generally solidly structure tale that lends itself well to analysis and deeper pondering. With complex and very rich themes of sexuality, gender identity and the concept of what constitutes "life", the film has many great talking points, and there's also plenty of fascinating twists and turns along the way to supply entertainment for those who are looking more for a traditional film. That being said, I can't help but feel the movie is fundamentally trying to do too much, too quickly and that it's pacing and handling of key dialog can be suspect from time to time. It's strange... the film often alternates between two key issues that I have with complex story lines... those being that it often holds the audiences hands a bit too much with blatant exposition dumps, while also being needlessly vague at other times. In a way, I'd compare it to the original entry in the "Matrix" franchise for that same reason. It wants to be a cryptic and masterful philosophical exploration piece... but every couple scenes it grinds to a halt so they can dump about five minutes of expository dialog that comes out and states what we should be thinking about instead of just letting us think it. But it doesn't do this consistently, and sometimes the ideas at play are vague to the point of being almost completely lost without frequently repeated viewings. It's a good story with great ideas... it's just a bit too... uneven to rise to the level of perfection.But beyond the story, the rest of the production is pretty much a top-notch affair all around. Characters are well-established, generally quite likable and lend a lot to the story being presented. I could just watch 90 minutes of Major and her friend/Section 9 accomplice Batou shoot the breeze, they have such a good dynamic. The visual design of the film is absolutely spellbinding and holds up incredibly well. It's beautifully conceived and expertly realized. The action, though limited, is very well-choreographed and very much leaves you on the edge of your seat. The bizarrely (and bizarrely good) experimental musical score will stay with you long after you turn the film off. And the animation is absolutely gorgeous. It's smooth. Fluid. Nails the right balance between realism and stylization. And has left its mark in the worlds of both Science Fiction and anime."Ghost in the Shell" is a phenomenal film that's held just shy of perfection, and it's OK to it that. itting its minor flaws does nothing to tarnish its outstanding legacy or its generally exceedingly high quality. It's influence is still felt to this day and it remains one of the most widely beloved works of its genre. And you can't deny that.I give it a fantastic 9 out of 10.

Eric Stevenson I am glad to say that this was the best film I have seen for Anime Month so far! The best part is probably how gorgeous the animation is. Honestly, I don't know if I've ever seen anime that looked more realistic than this. They got the facial expressions and body movements about as authentic as you can get. The colors and everything else are so beautiful in this. I saw a dubbed version, but am glad the one I saw didn't omit any Japanese writing or anything. Yeah, it's not much, but I can always appreciate versions like that. This movie tells the story of a cyborg woman on a police force.I have always been fascinated by this film if only because on the surface, it seemed to be the most adult oriented animated film ever made. It's hard not to notice the sexual overtones. I mean, the main character is in a robot body resembling a naked woman! I guess there's no reason for this, but it creates perfect atmosphere. I saw the live-action version and I'll cut it some slack because it would be impossible to make any other version on the same level as this film. We get great dialogue all the time. The film is fairly short, but the pacing is simply fantastic.My favorite part is probably when she's trying to rip the top off of the tank, but her metal tendons actually burst through her skin and even off her body. It's so powerful to see the diligence in her. I love hearing the conversations about the idea of creating a soul and what it means to be truly human. It's pretty unique for the genre and it has a really nice unexpected ending too. It certainly felt epic even with its short running time. It's still based on a manga, but feels original. ****

Mark Turner There are a number of films making their way to the big screen these days that are either remakes or sequels to other popular films. Most become franchise films, movies that can turn into a series of films based on consumers being familiar with the title and thus ensuring that there are people ready to line up and buy tickets. Some view this as a good thing, others hate it. It all depends on how familiar you are with the original and how much it means to you.Such will be the case when GHOST IN THE SHELL starring Scarlett Johansson comes out soon. Some will be drawn to it seeing the visuals on display in the trailer and some will come because they are fans of Johansson. But a certain number of those patrons will be there because they are fans of anime and the original telling of this story that was released in 1995. If you are unfamiliar with it then now is the time to pick up the original as Anchor Bay is releasing the original film with special packaging this week.For those unfamiliar with the term anime it is a Japanese animated motion picture that is geared towards adults more so than children, often based on manga or Japanese comics, again aimed at adults. GHOST IN THE SHELL was one of the most popular at one time and ranks highly among the fans of the genre.The story revolves around a counter-cyberterrorist group known as Public Security Section 9 and its best agent, Major Motoko Kusanagi. Major is not an ordinary agent though. She is a cyborg, mostly machine but part human as well. The term ghost refers to this as it refers to what others would call her soul, the human part of her that has been integrated into this body she now uses, enhanced with biomechanics.This first story revolves around Section 9 trying to track down and capture someone known only at the Puppet Master. The Puppet Master essentially hacks into various people who have been cybernetically enhanced and then using them to commit various crimes, most often connected with stealing information and secrets from the government. Once he finishes with them he drops his connection leaving behind someone with no clue what is and isn't real in their minds any longer.As Major and Section 9 track down the Puppet Master they think they've caught their man, sort of. What they have is the remnants of a cyborg that he has transferred his ghost into. But before they can discover just what is really going on another section moves in to retrieve the cyborg. Even then things change as the Puppet Master finds a way to avoid capture and reach out the Major at the same time. Whether she will reach out to find what is really going on or not isn't revealed until the last portion of the film.The movie is a visual feast for the eyes with so much to look at that you'll never want to take your eyes off the screen. Displays of the world of the future mingle with non-stop action sequences that make you wonder how the live-action film will be able to repeat what you see here (though clips so far look like they may have it down). The closest I can come to describing it is to suggest the film BLADE RUNNER and the cityscapes found in that film.While watching the film you find yourself so caught up in the story that you'll soon forget the fact that this is an animated feature. It draws you into the story that well and holds you there, rooting for the good guys, trying to figure out just who the real bad guys are and wondering when it comes to robots down the line will they possess a soul or not? Since they are created by man, can that be a possibility? This is one of the best science fiction films in years because it isn't just about the technology on hand but what lies beneath as well.As I said it is geared towards adults to expect nudity and extreme violence to be found. Nothing lewd but it is there. For this reason I wouldn't recommend it for children. But for adults this is a movie worth seeking out and for science fiction fans one worth adding to your collection.