Ghost in the Shell

With a live-action remake of “Ghost in the Shell” hitting theaters right away, I’m optimistic but wary. A number of changes will have to be done in order to translate this anime masterpiece to Hollywood’s big screens. This intensely cerebral animated film features stunning visuals, complex themes, and thrilling action. It’s also got a unique quality in that as is, the story just wouldn’t work in live-action.
In the future, cyborgs are commonplace. Major Motoko Kusanagi (voiced by Atsuko Tanaka) is a special agent on the trail of the Puppet Master, a criminal hacker so talented he can take control of people’s bodies through their cybernetic implants and infiltrate anything, anywhere. As each lead brings Kusanagi and her team closer to the Puppet Master, they uncover a complex labyrinth of political manipulation and cover-ups.

If you come into the film slightly drowsy or with your cellphone on, don't even bother. The film has multiple layers on the character level and in the plot itself. There’s hardly any exposition, even when it comes to the complex concepts. Despite being set in a world of science-fiction, the film is incredibly realistic with its police procedural and political intrigue sequences. It’s never as simple as shooting someone in the head; it’s about finding a way to pin something down on a person in order to move on to the one that’s behind them; the real culprit. Your eyes scurry across the screen, hoping to catch that crucial clue before the characters do.

Kusanagi is a cyborg, but a different one than most. Her human brain resides in a flawless mechanical construction that punches harder, runs faster and endures more than any fleshy vessel could. Additionally, her skin is able to become invisible. She spends many scenes nude, and that draws your attention to the fact that she has no reproductive organs. As the story progresses, Kusanagi’s inner crisis comes to the foreground. Is she even a woman anymore? She looks the part, but there’s more to being female, to being human than what’s on the outside. When superhuman feats become routine and death seems impossible, your humanity begins to slip away.

That idea of being human, but also being artificial is perfect for animation. In live-action, you would be distracted by the frequent shots of Kusanagi in the nude, but the stellar animation creates a barrier. Simultaneously, you recognize what she is and are drawn to her, but what are you drawn to? That's not a woman on screen, it's a drawing of a woman, one able to perform action sequences like no stunt person could.

Between the screamingly-good action sequences, take-your-breath-away animation and complex characters, “Ghost in the Shell” is thoughtful and melancholic. You’ll need to see it more than once to catch everything, but you won’t mind. (2.0 version with English Subtitles on Blu-ray, March 11, 2017)