Review of Ghost in the Shell (2017) by Pipec — 07 Jun 2017

Eyes Wide Open, Deaf Ears.

"Ghost in the Shell" has live-action adaptation thanks to American feature film production and distribution studio, Paramount Pictures. The feature film is the second work by director Rupert Sanders, and the third Johansson's performance as the heroine, after her brilliant job in "Lucy" and vigorous saga Marvel's "Avengers".

At a glance, everyone infers which aspect takes all the praises. Visual effects and production design carry out fully what they were proposing, arousing a thorough immersion in that futuristic city of a reality that is not too far away, which drinks respectfully from sci-fi masterpieces as Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" and Steven Spielberg's "Minority Report". Transferring the majority of wonders of the cyberpunk book to live action was a total insanity, considering that they should overcome two major hindrances: The first one is the difficulty that surrounds manufacture of every notion of the world on which it is based, work elaborated with mastery by artistic directors, who spent whole months handcrafting many of the elements which are seen on screen, improving their meritorious work; and the second one is to free itself from American mania about maximizing even the dullest feature, losing the basic elements of the main culture. If a cinematographic production was to be regarded a masterpiece by the glory of its pictures, Paramount's work would obtain the award without delay; it's a delectation to be carried away by the gorgeous skill of the filmmaker: the visual section.

Considering that the story has the signatures of three dissonant writers, clearly, the plot, based on the comic of Masamune Shirow, was going to be saturated with a complex of different proposals and looks, with resolutions don't maintain a common term. Although screenwriters trio were very respectful by extracting the vital skeleton of the manga and the films, they palliate metaphysical burden, perhaps it wasn't decided lightly, since they had to exhibit in a flexible, congenial and seductive way a work, which is the mother for many of the existential audiovisual productions of today ("Ex Machina" "Her" or "Westworld"), in other words, what's adapt an original idea? Modernize or preserve the name of an ontological sci- fi classic? This implies that the film doesn't get the same emotional and reflective blow as 1995 movie, opting to present minimal background in the prologue, thoughtful instants where Johansson possibly broods what and/or who is and that's the whole ideological implanted environment, one more incident in which Hollywood replaces depth narrative by weapons and flagrant impressions pleasing the eye , but not to the mind, of course, a less emphatic case, but in the end, one more case, and I don't blame them, because the real guilty of that awful trend is audience, who believe that cinema is a temporary amusement, something "entertaining", something transitory.

As one of the contemporary films with more remuneration repercussions by controversial "whitewashing", we can determine (again) it's completely an unfounded affirmation. Perhaps the most vehement fans want the adaptation to be coupled with their demands and fantasies, but with the American film monster in the boss role, it was to be expected that a superstar plays the leading role. An interesting performance made by "Under the Skin" actress as Major, she's who allows the audience to follow the story, but to a certain extent, since Johansson's charming performance as a cyborg-woman doesn't get to break the chains of well-known resolutions.

"Ghost in the Shell" is wounded by nostalgia for the original movie, despite this, rating it as an independent product, is a worthy adaptation; it rebuilds some things around here, replicates identically another thing over there, however, absurdly, is another feature film that Hollywood makes fairly well. This story of origins would be the direct access to the profitable and vigorous franchise that Scarlett Johansson has been looking for and that Marvel has been unwilling to give her, but based on the grossing of the last few days, sadly, it's concluded that the American audience, one of the most fervent film consumers, has literally turned its back on it, and that isn't a good thing. The sexual burden is quietly watered down and the inherently philosophical ghost is quietly destroyed, Rupert Sanders executes a blockbuster that feels a little hollow, which concentrates on presenting magnificently to Major, establishing an enemy with moral grudges and an open ending. However, performances and technical production are high; they manage to introduce in our minds a message: the need for more "Ghost in the Shell". It's unlikely, but if they reconstruct the narrative flaws present in this one in an uncertain sequel, it would clearly be a masterpiece, but at the moment, at least in the visual thing, is already taking enlarge steps to it.