I have to admit upfront to not being the biggest Ghost in the Shell fan. I’ve seen it and liked it (Particularly Stand Alone Complex, the anime series), but it’s also something that never really connected with me, so I can’t dig through this retelling with a fine comb comparing it to previous incarnations. I’m really just judging this as a movie on its own and on those ground I think it’s perfectly fine, good even. It also don’t have anything in it that super connects with me, nothing about this version pops or makes it particularly impressive. It is what it is.
The movie is well cast, and everything about how the movie looks feels authentic to the Ghost in the Shell aesthetic to me. This movie clips along at a pretty good pace, close to something like Stand Alone Complexthan the original movie. The action is pretty good, although occasionally a little too dark and grey, particularly during the final climax.
It’s also much more focused on the Major and her past. This is a Hollywood movie, they cannot allow that stuff to lie in mystery, they resolve the shit out of her history. So y’know be aware, if a Hollywood version of this story isn’t what you want probably don’t bother.
My bigger issue is that I want more from a cyberpunk story, I want something that pushes farther and gets crazier and this feels pretty level one. But I wasn’t expecting that, I was just hoping for a solid blockbuster and I feel like that’s what I got. Honestly if this were a pilot for a Stand Alone Complex style TV show with this cast I’d be down. This isn’t a movie that’s gonna change anyone’s life, but it was a fine time at the movies.
