Review of Ghost in the Shell (1995) by Dylan D — 31 Mar 2015

Films like Ghost in the Shell do indeed represent the pinnacle of the Anime genre. Like any other genre or style, there are ups, downs, and everything in between, but Ghost in the Shell -- while it doesn't necessarily have a more mainstream counterpart that's easily-identifiable as a film close in tone, meaning, or spirit -- is akin to some of Hollywood's more profound outings that dare to explore the deepest realms of the human psyche rather than simply knocking on the surface for yet another superficial and meaningless moviegoing experience.

Ghost in the Shell -- and other examples of intelligent cinema -- offer much more to those audiences that choose to explore the darker yet more rewarding side of both the human mind and filmed entertainment, and it is for those viewers that Ghost in the Shell comes recommended as either an introduction to the world of Japanese animation or as a film that merely broadens the horizons and, more importantly, challenges the mind.