They tried to copy a few other scenes as well - for example, the first "briefing" where they were all in the room with the holographic display was essentially ripped from Arise, where Kusanagi would "host" people in her lobby and go over the briefings there. Also little nods with the outfits she wore at various times - some were from the original movie, some were from Stand Alone Complex, some were from Arise (i.e. the red leather outfit she wore when she went into the club,) etc.
I also don't think most of the plot points are on the cutting room floor - I think they honestly, legitimately missed the point of some of them.
Ghost in the Shell (Live Action)
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Re: Ghost in the Shell (Live Action)
Oh my, the last time someone posted a comment here was about four months ago! So, why am I posting my own review here?
Because I want to. S-Shut up, you.
But hey, seriously, in all honesty, it's because I said some stuff here, finally got a chance to see it, and now I can tell you what I thought about it. I tried to keep an open mind about it back in the beginning, when people were talking about how awful it was going to be back before the film even properly came out. And while it is a little late to do a comprehensive review, I figure...what the heck. I have nothing to lose but my chains. And possibly your respect.
So, in the name of taking a novel approach to something, I've decided to review it as a fan of GitS, a fan of movies, and as a technosexual. So, let's get on with this novel(length) review!
As a Ghost in the Shell Fan
So of course, stepping into this as a fan of the films and the series, as well as having read most of the Shirow manga, I came into this with guarded expectations. I didn't really expect anything great, but at the same time, I wasn't ready to dismiss it outright. In fact, if anything, when I saw what ScarJo was wearing as Motoko, I was relieved to see that they were taking cues from Arise and the first film, as opposed to Stand Alone Complex's Motoko. And yes, I know she isn't called Motoko in the film, but we all know that's who she is as "the Major". But that leads us to our first major issue with the film as far as it's appreciation of the fandom.
This movie is loaded with little nods to the GitS canon. Everything from the diving scene in the first film, to the robot-pathologist in Innocence to Motoko's Arise-inspired decor when she's visiting the Yakuza club. But the problem with these references is that they take up most of the film. Almost everything else in the film is lifted from some other part of the canon, and it starts to go from "respectful nod to the fans" to "desperate fan pandering". At times, it feels less like a proper film, and more like a strung-together series of nods to GitS' canon, briefly interrupted by bits of a thoroughly uninteresting, derivative story. And plenty of times, these are done at the expense of the plot. For instance, why is not-Motoko called "the Major" if she's the end result of a corporate project? The Major's nickname is a reference to her service for the Japanese Self-Defense Force, which is one of the few constants between her character. Why, then, is she called that here? It's never explained, other than as an example of one of the film's forced references. As different as the various depictions of the GitS universe can be, they at least try to be unique, as opposed to empty imitations of earlier works.
So, what's the biggest problem with the film, in terms of its service (or disservice) to the fans of the franchise? Well, it isn't the fact that it changes the story or the characters. Honestly, I'm fine with that. What a few people tend to forget is that GitS has no less than four separate canons. The Shirow mangas, the first film and Innocence, Stand Alone Complex and its film, Solid State Society and the Arise mini-series. So, changes and alterations to the characters aren't that big of a deal, or shouldn't be, to fans of the canon.
The biggest problem, as I see it, is the way that the film handles Section 9. For fans of the series, they know that for the most part, Section 9 is integral to the plot. Almost every awesome thing that Motoko does is in some way aided by members of her team. Ishikawa hacking the enemy's systems, Togusa getting information from his police contacts, Saito providing sniper support, Batou being Motoko's ever-present backup and Chief Aramaki tying the team together, giving them orders and protecting the team politically. But here, they're just...there. Batou is present, but he's hardly effective backup. If anything, he's a hindrance. When he's not doing anything effective, he fails to provide the Major any kind of backup. Most blatantly when the Major is being tortured in the back of the Yakuza bar and Batou does damn near nothing to help, even after it's obvious something's wrong. Togusa, Ishikawa? Just guys in the background holding guns. Perhaps the worst offender, however, is Aramaki. All credit to his actor, the legendary Takeshi "Beat" Kitano, who has a record of playing understated badasses, but Aramaki's presence here is effectively a living prop for the first two thirds of the movie. And when he does do something, it seems strikingly out of character. Section 9 does not feel like the well-oiled team it was in Stand Alone Complex, Arise or even the first animated film, they're just extras for the most part.
So. It strikes out on the canon nod aspect. How about as a film?
As a Film Fan
...Hoo boy.
So, let's talk about the elephant in the room. Accusations of "whitewashing" followed this movie since it was first announced that Scarlet Johansson was announced to play the Major, there were accusations of all kinds that it was another example of Hollywood race-lifting and whitewashing characters. And to be honest with you, it's difficult to tell, because the vast majority of characters are written flatly. Ghost in the Shell is an effects film. It's a prop film. It's about CGI spider-tanks, it's about giant hologaphic adverts ripped straight from Blade Runner and it's about the Major's cyborg parts. There's nothing wrong with a good effects film, but when it is tied to a series that blends action with high-minded philosophy and strong characterization, we aren't off to a good start. And especially so with the accusations of bias flying around. Yes, make no mistake. The white characters do get the strongest characterization here, but in this film, it hardly matters, because everyone is watered down and nondescript. Especially when it comes to characters original to the film.
Take, for instance, the villain. Imaginatively named "Cutter", he's the head of Hanka Robotics, the generic evil corporation that's silhouette labeled number "1" in your standard "Paint By Numbers: Cyberpunk Story" package. At no point at all did I feel invested with him. Kuze, the supposed bad guy, who we all know as an underground hacker (becoming a blend of the anime Kuze and the best "villain" in any of the adaptations, The Laughing Man) will turn out to be the good guy after all, takes most of the attention, and Cutter as a consequence just becomes a guy in a black suit, with black hair, who does evil things because he wants to make the Major a weapon, whose only standout feature is cybernetic heterochromia, which isn't that much of a stand-out feature when you sit back and realize it's the cyberpunk version of wearing an eyepatch. I didn't cheer when he died, because it felt like someone shooting a cardboard cutout.
As far as the plot goes? The 40% or so that isn't a reference to one of the other, superior films is an unabashed knock-off of Robocop. An amoral corporation creates a cybernetic law-enforcer who they intend to use as a piece of equipment, but starts to retain her humanity and eventually discovers the truth of what they did to him/her, fighting back against said amoral corporation. That's it. There's no real nuance here, nothing you don't see coming a mile away.
So, what about those effects? At times, they're spectacular. Other times, they're a visual irritant. Future Non-Descript-City is so loaded with giant, distracting holographic adverts, it's a wonder half the city hasn't died in flaming car wrecks by the time we start the film. The major's optical camo looks great, and the geisha-bots are probably one of the film's stand-out examples of blending CGI and practical effects. But, unfortunately, that's all we really get. The scene where Motoko looks through a building to find her targets is an obvious...let's be generous and call it a pastiche, of the echolocation scene in The Dark Knight. The hacking scene is generic. The film's spider tank is...underwhelming. The effects are hit-and-miss in an effects film. That's pretty bad.
As A Technosexual
It's great, if you're just looking for sexy robot bits. ScarJo's Motoko starts off with an awesome shot of her cybernetic body getting made and there are plenty of scenes of damage, disassembly and repair. She malfunctions a little when hit by a taser, but it's just twitches and what not. And there's an awesome scene where Kuze casually disconnects part of her face to show the underlying mechanisms.
...So yeah, good job there, film.
In Summation:
The live action Ghost in the Shell is worse than a bad movie. It's a generic movie. It's an effects movie with effects ranging from great to ho-hum, a plot that ranges from ho-hum to bad, and glaring issues integrating canon to the plot. Worst of all for us GitS fans, this will assuredly kill any chance we have of seeing a good, Western adaptation of the series'. Which wasn't exactly critical, but it would have been nice to allow us Westerners to show our appreciation for one of the most influential science fiction franchises. As someone else put it, it's "all flash and no substance."
Or, as I might put it "it's a shell without a ghost."
...Hehe...see what I did there?
Because I want to. S-Shut up, you.
But hey, seriously, in all honesty, it's because I said some stuff here, finally got a chance to see it, and now I can tell you what I thought about it. I tried to keep an open mind about it back in the beginning, when people were talking about how awful it was going to be back before the film even properly came out. And while it is a little late to do a comprehensive review, I figure...what the heck. I have nothing to lose but my chains. And possibly your respect.
So, in the name of taking a novel approach to something, I've decided to review it as a fan of GitS, a fan of movies, and as a technosexual. So, let's get on with this novel(length) review!
As a Ghost in the Shell Fan
So of course, stepping into this as a fan of the films and the series, as well as having read most of the Shirow manga, I came into this with guarded expectations. I didn't really expect anything great, but at the same time, I wasn't ready to dismiss it outright. In fact, if anything, when I saw what ScarJo was wearing as Motoko, I was relieved to see that they were taking cues from Arise and the first film, as opposed to Stand Alone Complex's Motoko. And yes, I know she isn't called Motoko in the film, but we all know that's who she is as "the Major". But that leads us to our first major issue with the film as far as it's appreciation of the fandom.
This movie is loaded with little nods to the GitS canon. Everything from the diving scene in the first film, to the robot-pathologist in Innocence to Motoko's Arise-inspired decor when she's visiting the Yakuza club. But the problem with these references is that they take up most of the film. Almost everything else in the film is lifted from some other part of the canon, and it starts to go from "respectful nod to the fans" to "desperate fan pandering". At times, it feels less like a proper film, and more like a strung-together series of nods to GitS' canon, briefly interrupted by bits of a thoroughly uninteresting, derivative story. And plenty of times, these are done at the expense of the plot. For instance, why is not-Motoko called "the Major" if she's the end result of a corporate project? The Major's nickname is a reference to her service for the Japanese Self-Defense Force, which is one of the few constants between her character. Why, then, is she called that here? It's never explained, other than as an example of one of the film's forced references. As different as the various depictions of the GitS universe can be, they at least try to be unique, as opposed to empty imitations of earlier works.
So, what's the biggest problem with the film, in terms of its service (or disservice) to the fans of the franchise? Well, it isn't the fact that it changes the story or the characters. Honestly, I'm fine with that. What a few people tend to forget is that GitS has no less than four separate canons. The Shirow mangas, the first film and Innocence, Stand Alone Complex and its film, Solid State Society and the Arise mini-series. So, changes and alterations to the characters aren't that big of a deal, or shouldn't be, to fans of the canon.
The biggest problem, as I see it, is the way that the film handles Section 9. For fans of the series, they know that for the most part, Section 9 is integral to the plot. Almost every awesome thing that Motoko does is in some way aided by members of her team. Ishikawa hacking the enemy's systems, Togusa getting information from his police contacts, Saito providing sniper support, Batou being Motoko's ever-present backup and Chief Aramaki tying the team together, giving them orders and protecting the team politically. But here, they're just...there. Batou is present, but he's hardly effective backup. If anything, he's a hindrance. When he's not doing anything effective, he fails to provide the Major any kind of backup. Most blatantly when the Major is being tortured in the back of the Yakuza bar and Batou does damn near nothing to help, even after it's obvious something's wrong. Togusa, Ishikawa? Just guys in the background holding guns. Perhaps the worst offender, however, is Aramaki. All credit to his actor, the legendary Takeshi "Beat" Kitano, who has a record of playing understated badasses, but Aramaki's presence here is effectively a living prop for the first two thirds of the movie. And when he does do something, it seems strikingly out of character. Section 9 does not feel like the well-oiled team it was in Stand Alone Complex, Arise or even the first animated film, they're just extras for the most part.
So. It strikes out on the canon nod aspect. How about as a film?
As a Film Fan
...Hoo boy.
So, let's talk about the elephant in the room. Accusations of "whitewashing" followed this movie since it was first announced that Scarlet Johansson was announced to play the Major, there were accusations of all kinds that it was another example of Hollywood race-lifting and whitewashing characters. And to be honest with you, it's difficult to tell, because the vast majority of characters are written flatly. Ghost in the Shell is an effects film. It's a prop film. It's about CGI spider-tanks, it's about giant hologaphic adverts ripped straight from Blade Runner and it's about the Major's cyborg parts. There's nothing wrong with a good effects film, but when it is tied to a series that blends action with high-minded philosophy and strong characterization, we aren't off to a good start. And especially so with the accusations of bias flying around. Yes, make no mistake. The white characters do get the strongest characterization here, but in this film, it hardly matters, because everyone is watered down and nondescript. Especially when it comes to characters original to the film.
Take, for instance, the villain. Imaginatively named "Cutter", he's the head of Hanka Robotics, the generic evil corporation that's silhouette labeled number "1" in your standard "Paint By Numbers: Cyberpunk Story" package. At no point at all did I feel invested with him. Kuze, the supposed bad guy, who we all know as an underground hacker (becoming a blend of the anime Kuze and the best "villain" in any of the adaptations, The Laughing Man) will turn out to be the good guy after all, takes most of the attention, and Cutter as a consequence just becomes a guy in a black suit, with black hair, who does evil things because he wants to make the Major a weapon, whose only standout feature is cybernetic heterochromia, which isn't that much of a stand-out feature when you sit back and realize it's the cyberpunk version of wearing an eyepatch. I didn't cheer when he died, because it felt like someone shooting a cardboard cutout.
As far as the plot goes? The 40% or so that isn't a reference to one of the other, superior films is an unabashed knock-off of Robocop. An amoral corporation creates a cybernetic law-enforcer who they intend to use as a piece of equipment, but starts to retain her humanity and eventually discovers the truth of what they did to him/her, fighting back against said amoral corporation. That's it. There's no real nuance here, nothing you don't see coming a mile away.
So, what about those effects? At times, they're spectacular. Other times, they're a visual irritant. Future Non-Descript-City is so loaded with giant, distracting holographic adverts, it's a wonder half the city hasn't died in flaming car wrecks by the time we start the film. The major's optical camo looks great, and the geisha-bots are probably one of the film's stand-out examples of blending CGI and practical effects. But, unfortunately, that's all we really get. The scene where Motoko looks through a building to find her targets is an obvious...let's be generous and call it a pastiche, of the echolocation scene in The Dark Knight. The hacking scene is generic. The film's spider tank is...underwhelming. The effects are hit-and-miss in an effects film. That's pretty bad.
As A Technosexual
It's great, if you're just looking for sexy robot bits. ScarJo's Motoko starts off with an awesome shot of her cybernetic body getting made and there are plenty of scenes of damage, disassembly and repair. She malfunctions a little when hit by a taser, but it's just twitches and what not. And there's an awesome scene where Kuze casually disconnects part of her face to show the underlying mechanisms.
...So yeah, good job there, film.
In Summation:
The live action Ghost in the Shell is worse than a bad movie. It's a generic movie. It's an effects movie with effects ranging from great to ho-hum, a plot that ranges from ho-hum to bad, and glaring issues integrating canon to the plot. Worst of all for us GitS fans, this will assuredly kill any chance we have of seeing a good, Western adaptation of the series'. Which wasn't exactly critical, but it would have been nice to allow us Westerners to show our appreciation for one of the most influential science fiction franchises. As someone else put it, it's "all flash and no substance."
Or, as I might put it "it's a shell without a ghost."
...Hehe...see what I did there?
"If the time should ever come when what is now called science, thus familiarized to men, shall be ready to put on, as it were, a form of flesh and blood, the Poet will lend his divine spirit to aid the transfiguration, and will welcome the Being thus produced, as a dear and genuine inmate of the household of man."
- William Wordsworth
- William Wordsworth
Re: Ghost in the Shell (Live Action)
Saya's GITS Movie review
sweet review by the by
(goes back to procrastinating )
Sorry, I couldn't help myself~Saya wrote: As a Ghost in the Shell Fan
As a Film Fan
As A Technosexual
In Summation:
sweet review by the by
(goes back to procrastinating )
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Re: Ghost in the Shell (Live Action)
<3 You summed it up better than I did!--Battery-- wrote:Saya's GITS Movie reviewSorry, I couldn't help myself~Saya wrote: As a Ghost in the Shell Fan
As a Film Fan
As A Technosexual
In Summation:
sweet review by the by
(goes back to procrastinating )
Thanks, Robotman! I pride myself on my ability to review things : D
But in all seriousness, to those who want to see the original film, you can check it and Stand Alone Complex out on Hulu.
"If the time should ever come when what is now called science, thus familiarized to men, shall be ready to put on, as it were, a form of flesh and blood, the Poet will lend his divine spirit to aid the transfiguration, and will welcome the Being thus produced, as a dear and genuine inmate of the household of man."
- William Wordsworth
- William Wordsworth
-
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Re: Ghost in the Shell (Live Action)
Nailed it
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