Review of Ghost in the Shell (2017) by Evan J — 21 Jul 2017

It's no Speed Racer. But let's be real, there will never be an animation that is adapted to live action as great as Speed Racer.

There's a lot to like with Ghost in the Shell. First and foremost the visuals and aesthetics. From a technical standpoint GitS is ground breaking. Rupert Sanders and his team created this world that I didn't want to stop looking at. I loved this world and I wish I could spend a day just walking around in it and admiring everything. I also liked Scarlett Johansson as the Major. She was fairly wooden, but isn't that the point? She's a robot, so she's supposed the seem distant. She has a human brain, but she's constantly being injected with all kinds of serum that is taking a toll on her. She is essentially given medication to suppress her memory, wouldn't that make you pretty emotionless too? Given the circumstances, I think ScarJo nailed it. Clint Mansell gives us a very memorable score. The action is cool.

My biggest issue with GitS is that the story could have been told better. As for the story itself, it's definitely good. I think they made some solid choices that differ from the original. While I liked the new ideas, I wasn't a fan of how the story was told. There was just something about it that kept me from being compelled.

I'm not a die hard fan of the original Ghost in the Shell anime and in my opinion this was right on par with that. Both are solid movies.