(Movie) Ghost in the Shell

Last week we went to the cinema to see Ghost in the Shell. We saw a trailer few months ago and none of us liked it. Our expectations were very low and that was maybe a good thing. (We weren't fans of Scarlett Johansson). When I was leaving the cinema I felt like I saw a movie that could be considered a breakthrough in cinematography. It certainly felt unique in the sense of 'I've never seen anything like this' but since this is an adaptation of a anime adaptation of a manga from late 80s I can't decide if using 'unique' is the right word. If I were to rate this movie I'd give it 6.5/10 (it would be 3/5 on my scale).

Not knowing that the movie tries to follow Oshii's film I wasn't surprised by what is to come. There were scenes I did not really look forward to and there were scenes I looked forward to. This probably meant that I looked at the movie with different eyes than others. One of the scenes I was looking forward to was the first scene. Also I somehow expected chorus singing. I missed it in the scene. Also the 'tempo' of the scene was different and that is something that troubled me in the whole movie. The scenes often felt rushed for me and there wasn't enough momentum for me in this adaptation. But western cinematography is different than anime and today's people also want something different - action. The movie was more of an action movie for me but it was done with moderation which I appreciated.

As for the soundtrack. The music might be good (I will have to listen to it) but the way it was used in the movie felt wrong for me. But that also has something to do with the fact that I'm used to something different. If you watch an anime scene after a big build-up there is usual silence but in western movies it is also the music that graduates. I find this wrong in other movies but here it felt more wrong because I obviously had some expectations even though I thought I had none.

The storyline was altered which shouldn't surprise anyone. The story changes and dialogues aren't that great. The changes in the storyline are understandable if someone tries to create a main stream movie, something that is easily understandable. It comes with few surprises which makes it different from Oshii's GitS and breathes some life to Sanders's version. This though stripped the whole film of all the existential questions, ponderings a politics. The depth of the anime movie was lost. Some of the scenes are just reproduced, others new. Scenes that recreate the original scene have a different feel. There are scenes in GitS that left in me very strong emotion or a very uneasy feeling but the scenes in the movie for some reason did not. While the anime adaptation itself is thought provoking, this movie does not seem to have that effect much. We just look at something and we don't really know what that something is. Even when staring at Major in the anime it always sent my thoughts in all directions. Because it reminded me of everything that was discussed in the anime. Staring at Scarlett Johansson in this movie did not have the same effect. She seemed too human and full of expression and that is something the director should not have wanted. Major Kusanagi was totally cold with emotion showing from time to time or at least that is what I remember and that is what I expected as well. Major Scuba diving (being a very dangerous thing to do if you are a very heavy cyborg) is also something that can help understand how she feels and what she is trying to figure out. Scarlett Johansson as Major was acting strange for me (it wasn't naturally cold) but I can't say she was bad for this role. It didn't fit the story I remember and sometimes I just wondered what other people think about her strange acting because the way how Kusanagi behaved wasn't explained (if I skip the part about cyborg body and human brain). In general the cast was good though in my opinion. Pilou Asbæk did a great job portraying Batou.

In general dumbing down the storyline is something I wouldn't mind but it was twisted in a way to make it more 'American' and the whole meaning of Project 2051 was gone. The meaning of 'Ghost' in the shell was totally lost from the movie and it was more of a fight of good vs evil centered around Major Kusanagi, finding her past and possibly love. This is a pity from my point of view and I don't understand the need for things like that. Why not just concentrate on wondering if a cyborg can have a soul? Or if a program can become sentient in the digital world and 'propagate'? The Puppet Master is something/someone that was what probably tied me to Ghost in the Shell in the first place. I wasn't really a fan of what Sanders did in this movie but I wouldn't reflect this in the movie's rating. I think that Ghost in the Shell 2017 is a good movie and that it can open some of the people's eyes and be thought provoking. It lacks all the depth of Oshii's Ghost in the Shell though but still people can watch that later if they choose too, or read the manga which is even more complex. I wouldn't say that this movie deserves the name Ghost in the Shell since it has a story based on something else.

The atmosphere of the movie was good and I liked the visuals in general. In general I like Cyberpunk and I wondered if anyone today would produce a Cyperpunk movie. This is the reason why I was looking forward to seeing GitS because this can mean that there will be more movies like this in the future. The portrayal of futuristic Hong Kong was nice. I liked that even though I wasn't really fan of all the commercials and I wondered if companies like KONAMI and Adidas actually paid for being shown in the movie. As for other CGI I'm not entirely sure what to say. The quality was changing quite a lot throughout the whole movie. While many seemed to enjoy the action scenes I didn't. They even perturbed me. Something was off but I couldn't really tell what (of course when it is CGI). It perturbed me more than the dull dialogues, no character development and Puppet Master plot not being present. I think if they tried to recreate the original Puppet Master idea it could have been a total failure but this way it isn't. I'm glad they did not utterly destroy or undermine Ghost in the Shell. In that sense I consider it a 'success'.

What I was very disappointed about was the end (tank scene). When the scene was starting I realized that I forgot about the end of Oshii's movie. I recalled it with ease within milliseconds but it all came to my mind hitting me hard with emotions I felt when I saw the anime. Suddenly I didn't want to see Kusanagi's body destroyed. When the scene went rogue and what I expected didn't happen I was too surprised. I think the drastic end is something that would provoke way more thought (merging with project 2051) and would be more fitting than reuniting Motoko with her mother. I understand this since the whole movie's perspective shifted but than why call it 'Ghost in the Shell?'.

It was a good movie though and I would recommend watching it. You may not like it, but it is worth watching. Imdb shows a rating of 6.9 and I actually think that this is a higher rating it deserves but I wouldn't give it a bad rating because the movie was different or that it disappointed me in many ways. Unfortunately as someone who read the manga and saw the anime my point of view on the movie can be skewed. We are people with different tastes and ways how to rate a film.
Rating: 3/5