Review of Ghost in the Shell (2017) by Htgamer — 09 Sep 2017

I never knew of the Ghost in the Shell anime until the movie was announced, so my review is from the point of view of a non-fan.

This movie had generated controversy even before it screened thanks to SJW-style accusations in the US media of a white actress (Scarlett Johansson) portraying an Asian character, at a time when actual japanese people didn't even mind that and weren't offended. That says it all about the SJW BS.

Scarlett Johansson (having gained action movie experience from Marvel's MCU as The Black Widow) does her best as the Major and the action sequences are actually great, as well as the overall visuals. But ultimately the movie features a pretty barebones story with a confusing and uninteresting plot, whereas characters don't develop at all. Worst of all, the film just hints at the original anime's deeper themes and philosophies (human augmentation, robotics, cyborgs, ethics, human soul, etc.), but never takes the chance to fully explore them. A missed opportunity, then. Maybe a sequel would have done exactly that, but since the film flopped, this won't happen, because the possibility of a Ghost in the Shell sequel is close to zero.

As a stand-alone film, Ghost in the Shell is not bad, but it is forgettable. As an anime adaptation it also disappoints.