Review of Ghost in the Shell (2017) by Fidel A — 16 May 2017

I was afraid I wouldn't enjoy this movie for a few reasons: I wasn't excited about Scarlett as the lead character, I wasn't thrilled to see that a Japanese Manga to live-action film would be filled with caucasian actors (an argument I could continue at a later time), and I was afraid that they would simply go with a Departed style scene for scene copying of the animated version.

Sadly, I was right on all counts. Even though we know Scarlett can hold her own in action films, she was, in my opinion, not at all correct for this role...she simply didn't fit, neither emotionally or visually.

Although the actors chosen to fill the other roles in the film were decent, it was just strange to see a Japanese creation not filled with Japanese actors. I don't understand why Hollywood has such a problem finding people who can successfully portray the characters intended by the original creators of various projects.

..but like I said, I'll go into that another time. The worst thing about this film, for me, is the fact that they pretty much just copied the Manga storyline and scenes. I basically watched a live action movie of an animated movie I've seen dozens of times in the last 22 years.

If you're going to go all out with $110 million you should at least give me something new. With all THAT said, for someone who has never read the manga or watched the anime, it might be a slightly more enjoyable experience.

The storyline, although simple, has a few rewarding twists. The action sequences, although standard, are done well.