Directed by Rupert Sanders (Snow White And The Huntsman), Ghost In The Shell is a live-action version of the seminal 1995 anime based on the manga by Masamune Shirow.
In the near future, cyberisation is now widespread. Criminals are becoming more sophisticated and, as such, a new way must be found to deal with the threat. So Section 9 was set up- a small group of police with various levels of cyberisation to help combat crime. The Major (Scarlett Johansson) is one of the operatives on the team. She has a full cyborg body and a human brain, and is the first of her kind. But whilst working a case, the Major becomes more and more aware that things might not be quite as she imagined...
Despite the furore over her casting and the subsequent accusations of white-washing, Scarlett Johansson was inspired casting as the Major. Johansson imbues the Major with some personality and doesn't just play her as a cipher. Because the script is so focused on the Major and her origins (something which is only mentioned very briefly in the anime), it needed someone with acting chops in the main role- and Johansson has that in spades. There's also a reason given in the story why a Japanese or Asian actress wasn't cast in the role, but to discuss that will take us into spoiler territory.
Generally speaking, the rest of the cast are strong. Pilou Asbaek provides strong support as the Major's partner Batou; 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano is particularly good as Section 9's boss Aramaki- who has an expanded role in this film compared to the anime- and who only speaks Japanese (although the other characters all answer him in English), There are several other characters in Section 9 but none of them have any discernible personality and there are a few too many.
Michael Pitt gives a chilling yet oddly sympathetic turn as Kuze, the nominal villain but (unsurprisingly) there's more to it than that. Doctor Who alumni Peter Ferdinando and Anamarina Marinca are strong as shady businessman Cutter and cyberised Dr Dahlin respectively. Finally, Juliette Binoche lends an air of gravitas to her role of Dr. Ouelet, the Major's de facto 'mother' who is hiding more than a few secrets of her own. I was quite surprised to see Binoche's name come up in the credits, and I did find myself thinking 'what's she doing in a film like this?'
There are a lot- and I mean, a lot- of nods to the original anime and its expanded universe that will give Ghost In The Shell fans a thrill (although some moments do tip over into quite blatant fanservice at times). Jess Hall's cinematography and the visual effects team's work are both superb, The fight choreography is also really strong throughout, especially the fight in the nightclub when the Major and Batou go in search of the mysterious hacker.but it's a shame that the final fight- between the Major and a spider-tank- is obscured by shoddy lighting.
Another problem is that the screenplay- by Jamie Moss, William Wheeler, and Ehren Kruger- completely eschews the subtlety and nuance of the anime, instead relying on clunky and obvious comparisons (even at one point spelling out what the title of the film means). Give your audience a bit of credit, for the love of God! We don't need everything spelled out for us!
All said, it's visually stunning with good performances and decent action. As a cyberpunk thriller, it's a decent enough film. But as an adaptation of Ghost In The Shell, it's lacking that spark that made the original so good.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Tez
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