The Major makes an entrance
Ghost in the Shell (2017)
Directed by Rupert Sanders
Starring Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbaek, Juliette Binoche
We welcome back Jordan for this review!
“Everyone around me, they feel connected to something. Connected to something, I’m not.”
While I’m commonly far from measured when reacting to remakes of treasured classics, I understand that there is a particular approach needed when assessing Rupert Sanders’ Remake of Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell.
From Oshii’s masterwork, to the encapsulation Miyazaki’s flourishing imagination and Satoshi Kon’s nightmares (and dreams), Japanese animation stands unequivocally, critically successful because it presents worlds and stories not able to be realised in any other style. Rapid increased in film technology however now presents further ability to bring the fantastical and the futuristic into live-action, and this is where, using a rationale perhaps shunned by most fans, there is an element of logic in presenting an obviously shallow, visually spectacular Ghost in the Shell for 2017.
Scarlett Johansson stars as The Major in what should be viewed as a peripheral to the original; a stylistic accompanying piece light on philosophy and a thesis on what it means to be human in a push for a robotic environment, but satisfying in its intent to offer remarkable action scenes in a storied franchise. From the very first scene, it’s clear the direction the screenplay has taken, with a liquid sequence of a “shell” being positioned and it’s “ghost” inserted, followed by exposition-only dialogue turning the symbolic into the derivative. Suffice to say, this is not an issue that the original dealt with.
The greater story focusses on the cyber-enhanced soldier’s mission to bring down a terrorist hacker, who utilises an ability to control the minds of those whose bodies have been self-improved and is targeting particular executives at Hanka Robotics, a company closely linked to the Government and purveyors in bodily enhancement. After deep-diving into the memories of a corrupted geisha, The Major becomes infected with a computer virus, and the mysterious glitches she sometimes suffers become more and more vivid.
With the majority of the subtext stepped around, what remains really is a familiar tale of a loyal soldier questioning her allegiances to a company she once fully trusted, but that is now cracking under the immense weight of its own corruption. This is a form employed by many series released in recent years, especially those that are female-driven, and its undoubtable that Ghost in the Shell is only going to appeal to those willing to embrace a movie dominated by two-dimensional happenings in a far-more interesting, multi-dimensional landscape it never fully explores. There is always an urge watching this to understand more about the political machinations; the poverty and social upheaval caused by the ushering in of this new, quite terrifying reality. This is not the movie for this, though.
When viewed as an extension of one of the finest animes of all time, and not a replacement, Ghost in the Shell provides an exciting diversion from self-justifying cinema that is well cast, well scored and, well, actually pretty good.
3 replacement eyes out of 5
I seriously can’t wait to finally watch it! So excited!
Enjoy it! Just guilty pleasure fun.
Jordan
I’m not sure why this is not doing better at the box office. High expectations have generated a lot of negative reviews, though. I assume international distribution will eventually allow the film to recoup its productions costs.
True, but reviews aren’t always linked to return. I am surprised myself!
Jordan
This is the first positive review I’ve read. I heard ScarJo couldn’t even pronounce Motoko correctly. I read a pretty good critique of how the only thing they used Rila Fukushima for was to cast her face on the old geisha-bots that were mangled. Not going to watch it just because I can’t give money to a studio with a $110 million budget that obviously doesn’t care enough to hire a single language coach
Ha, well stated.
These things can be very frustrating… and if you read my comment piece on the upcoming suspiria remake you’ll see that I’m not willing to embrace certain films either. I’m a sucker for techno action flicks so im glad I gave this a go.
Jordan
Yes, finally another positive review. I was starting to feel that I was the only person on WordPress who posted a positive one lol 😂 Seriously though I also loved this movie. I am a huge fan of the entire Ghost in the Shell series (from the original movie, to the stand alone complex series), so I was really looking forward to this. I think the movie simply was not given a fair chance because of the negative buzz surrounding it (the whitewashing affair being one of those things). Sure the movie did not go as deep as the anime, but it contained enough of the spirit of the original, to really give it that Ghost in the Shell vibe. Glad you enjoyed it too. Great review! 😀
Ha we’re definitely in the minority!
I’m really surprised more people haven’t given it a chance.. I can understand not supporting all remakes but this is far less serious than people are assuming.
Jordan
Great review! Really enjoyed the original so definitely going to check this out.
Hope you like it!
I’m living in Asia at the moment, and I’ll be curious to see how it’s received here. I imagine that it won’t be marketed based on the original nomenclature, at least in Korea, but likely a phonetic translation of the English title. Koreans consume a lot of Japanese animation, so marketing it as a remake would likely come off as an insult. If they take the action-technology POV, they might do well at the box office.
Hard to say either way, though.
They really should take the latter approach then.. it needs to make money somewhere!
Jordan
It beautiful eye-candy and easily enjoyable if you’re taking the movie as it is. I described to a friend as “the ghost of RoboCop in the shell of the GitS anime”. She thought it was pretty apt.
my thoughts are here; http://bck1402.wordpress.com/2017/04/01/gits2017/
Enjoyed the read!
I’m glad our thoughts are not too dissimilar.
Jordan
This is legit the only positive review I’ve read for this film so far, so I appreciate the honestly you’ve put into it.
Yeah I did get some mixed feedback for enjoying it, but I’m glad I did!
Jordan
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