Ghost in the Shell (2017) is an action/sci-fi movie adaptation of the 1995 anime film of the same name, starring famous actress Scarlett Johansson (known for her role as Black Widow in the Avengers movie series) as main character Motoko Kusanagi. The film tells the story of Motoko and her team at Section 9 uncovering the truth of a mysterious hacker and a suspicious company CEO, who might want to use Kusanagi for his own ulterior motives…
Since it was an adaptation of a 1995 anime film, I expected them to redo the exact same story, but in live-action form. However, I was surprised to see that elements from the other Ghost in the Shell series (Stand Alone Complex, Innocence etc.) were included. The number of these were few and far between, but they made for some nice Easter eggs for fans of the franchise to see. Other than that, many scenes and most of the plot structure were the same as the original. However, since this is Hollywood, they had to make the movie in a way that it made sense and had a resolution (unlike, well, the entire franchise, since everything is open-ended), which led to some strange degrades. In my opinion, it was very obvious as to where the story was going after the 30-minute mark, and, in a way, it followed the typical “revenge plot”.
As for the characterization, it was fine for an adaptation. While the original 1995 Kusanagi is a bit of an emotionless woman, this adaptation has her look a bit more uncertain of her surroundings and a bit feisty – a strange contrast to 1995 Kusanagi, who seemed to know everything and did as she was told. Despite the hate that Johansson got for this, she did a good job with the script she was given. Although not a main character, Batou was certainly a well-rounded character, and if they ever decide to make an adaptation of Innocence, I’d like to see that actor doing the role again. Aside from those two, none of the other supporting characters got much screen time, although it was funny to see Beat Takeshi (well-known for his role as the hilarious psycho teacher Kitano in Battle Royale) as the calm & collected leader of Section 9, Aramaki Daisuke.
Cinematography-wise, there were plenty of interesting shots and camera angles. However, the world in which the story took place in was a lot more Blade Runner inspired than anything, with plenty of CGI and holograms to boot. As for the music, it’s your typical sci-fi flick background noise, which is why I was surprised to hear the original film’s theme “Making of a Cyborg”, during the end credits. It felt quite nostalgic.
Overall, Ghost in the Shell 2017 is not a bad movie. It definitely isn’t as bad as Dragon Ball Evolution (another anime adaptation film), but it isn’t as good as the original either. However, I commend the team on at least trying to make it work out the way it did.
Final rating: 7/10
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