Review of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) by Michael L — 20 Oct 2008

An incredibly clever and stylish cyperpunk noir. Visually lavish, and perhaps even requiring a second viewing to really let all of the ideas presented sink in. I'm ambivalent about the mix of traditional and CG animation, which frequently seems to draw attention to itself and how very clever it is, which is something no decent "special effect" - which should always aim for invisibility - should do.

This film is a lot slower and has fewer action sequences than its predecessor, which is odd because GitS was by no means less intelligent than this film for having them, leaving one with the nagging sense that this film might be somewhat on the pretentious side - attempting to shed its more action-oriented roots - which is completely uneccesary considering its already considerable cleverness, flair and depth.

Still, this is a treat that fans of cyberpunk fiction and all its various strengths should positively eat up.

One final note: it's a nice, subtly, geeky touch that the philosophising doctor is named "Haraway", no doubt after cyborg theorist Donna Haraway.