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Ghost In The Shell (DVD/VoD Review)

30th July 2017 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt
Directed By: Rupert Sanders
Running Time: 107 mins
BBFC Certificate: 12
UK Release Date: July 31st 2017 (DVD), July 24th 2017 (VoD)

Our Score

Despite being in development for years, the live-action Hollywood movie version of Ghost In The Shell seemed to have the cards stacked against it. Some questioned whether Snow White & The Huntsman’s Rupert Sanders was the right director for the job, and many more felt that casting a white actress in a traditionally Japanese role smacked of whitewashing. Sadly, when the movie arrived, it didn’t get the sort of critical and commercial reaction that might have been able to overturn the issues surrounding it.

The movie opens in the near future with the brain of a young woman being transferred into a robot body (Johannsson) – the first of her kind. The android is named Major, and with memories of being nearly drowned by terrorists, she becomes part of a special team tasked with particularly difficult, often technological crimes.

Someone is hacking the brains of cyber-augmented humans that work for the government-funded Hanka Robotics. As Major gets deeper into the investigation, she begins to learn things about her own past, which calls into question everything she thinks she knows.

While not as bad as some cinema reviews might have led you to believe, Ghost In The Shell is a movie that feels like was on the way to being good, but never quite got there. Sanders obviously spent a lot of time trying to create the look and feel on the film’s universe, but while it results in some impressive and very pretty individual shots and sequences, the overall impression is of a low-rent Blade Runner, where looking nice is more important than logic.

It gets to the point where the script begins to feel like it’s contorting itself to get from one thing the makers thought would look cool to another, without too much thought about how it does it. There is an attempt to provide a bit of depth to what is going on as Major heads deeper into an existential crisis and meets Michael Pitt’s villain, but Ghost In The Shell seems to think is profound is essentially the first plot and most basic ideas someone would think of when provided with this set-up.

Even the way it tries to get around the whitewashing arguments (which it’s clear the makers expected due to the way it’s handled), are less well-thought out than the movie believes it is. Indeed, it might actually be even more insulting than just not bringing it into the mix at all.

There are some good things though, such as Pilou Asbæk as Batou, who’s a lot of fun as the second in command of Major’s Unit, while Takeshi Kitano brings a slice still gravitas as Chief Daisuke Aramaki. Some of the action set pieces are well put together, and Johansson herself once more shows off her impressive action chops, while putting in a creditable performance as a robot with vague memories of a previous life.

There will also be more than a few straight men who’ll appreciate the fact her outfits are designed to make her look as naked as possible while she’s actually wearing a full body suit. They may like to pretend she has to look like that due to the invisibility tech in her clothes, but the designer definitely had sexualisation more than practicality on their mind (although, to be fair, it is accurate to the anime/manga it’s based on).

Despite its problems, Ghost In The Shell is actually not too bad a watch, but like quite a lot of Hollywood films, you can’t escape the sensation that despite a gargantuan budget and thousands of people involved in its creation, the movie is constantly struggling to reach its potential. And as so often, it comes up short in ways that should have been easy to sort out. As the long-lived manga has shown, there’s a huge amount of potential in Ghost In The Shell, but this film spends so much time getting excited about individual visual moments that it never succeeds in making what goes in-between work properly.

Overall Verdict: A ghost of what it might have been in the shell of something better. It’s a watchable if problematic movie, which from beginning to end could have been a lot better.

Reviewer: Tim Isaac

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt  DIRECTORS: Rupert Sanders  FILMS: Ghost In The Shell  

New Ghost In The Shell Trailer – Scarlett Johannson takes on the classic Japanese anime

27th March 2017 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

There’s been a bit of controversy of the live-action film version of Ghost In The Shell, and whether it’s right for Scarlett Johannson to play a character who was always Japanese in the original anime the movie is based on. Whatever people’s thoughts on whitewashing, the movie is on its way, and it’s managed to gain quite a lot of hype, partly thanks to some great visuals. A new, final trailer has arrived, that once more showcases this sci-fi world.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘In the near future, Major (Scarlett Johansson) is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible crash, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world’s most dangerous criminals. When terrorism reaches a new level that includes the ability to hack into people’s minds and control them, Major is uniquely qualified to stop it. As she prepares to face a new enemy, Major discovers that she has been lied to: her life was not saved, it was stolen. She will stop at nothing to recover her past, find out who did this to her and stop them before they do it to others. Based on the internationally acclaimed Japanese Manga, “The Ghost in the Shell.”’

The movie will be in cinemas this Friday. Take a look at the final trailer below. [Read more…]

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt, Scarlett Johansson  DIRECTORS: Rupert Sanders  FILMS: Ghost In The Shell  

Ghost In The Shell Trailer – Scarlett Johannson takes on the classic Japanese anime

13th November 2016 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

ghost-in-the-shell-poster-slideThere’s been a bit of controversy of the live-action film version of Ghost In The Shell, and whether it’s right for Scarlett Johannson to play a character who was always Japanese in the original anime the movie is based on. Whatever people’s thoughts on whitewashing, the movie is on its way, and the first full trailer has arrived.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Based on the internationally-acclaimed Japanese Anime property, GHOST IN THE SHELL follows Major, a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9 devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists. Directed by Rupert Sanders. The film stars Scarlett Johansson, “Beat” Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt, Pilou Asbæk, and Kaori Momoi.’

Johansson, Kitano, and director Rupert Sanders joined fans and influencers from across the globe in Tokyo on Sunday for the film’s global launch party, with the trailer being released around the world following that. The movie will be in cinemas next Spring. [Read more…]

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Scarlett Johansson, Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt  DIRECTORS: Rupert Sanders  FILMS: Ghost In The Shell  

Michael Pitt Will Get Villainous Opposite Scarlett Johansson In Ghost in the Shell

6th February 2016 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

michael-pittA while ago it seemed that the live-action Hollywood version of Ghost In The Shell was moving full steam ahead and was poised to start shooting. However they them applied the breaks slightly, but it’s still on its way, and it’s just gotten a bump with the news, via THR, that Michael Pitt will play the villain.

It appears he’s replacing Sam Riley, who was previously attached to play the role. It’s not clear whether that means Riley is out of the film completely, or whether earlier reports about the role he was up for were incorrect. The film will follow a female special ops cyborg (Scarlett Johansson) who leads a fictional counter-cyberterrorist organization called Public Security Section 9 for Hanka Robotics. The unit is devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, led by The Laughing Man (Pitt), who will stop at nothing to destroy Hanka’s advancements in cyber technology.

Rupert Sanders (Snow While And The Huntsman) is set to direct, and hopes to start shooting in New Zealand at the end of the month. A March 2017 release is currently set.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Michael Pitt, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Riley  DIRECTORS: Rupert Sanders  FILMS: Ghost In The Shell  

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