Movie Review: Ghost In The Shell

I have always been doubtful of western adaptations of anime franchises (remember "Dragon Ball Evolution"?  - gags.) So I really wasn't jumping off the fence with excitement when I first heard of that the 1995 groundbreaking "Ghost In The Shell" was going to get the big screen Hollywood treatment.

But when the first teaser trailers were released my faith in project was restored and I started looking forward seeing the film. That robot geisha walking in the well lit hall gave me goosebumps.

I'm glad to say that right after seeing the movie I found myself actually liking it more than I thought I would. I was overcome with emotions-yes! Feelings! Which is something that I was not expecting from a sci-fi, cyberpunk anime adaptation.

Rupert Sanders' homage to the original source material did not disappoint.

It is a stunning visual treat that can only be fully experienced on wide screen format.

The audience is transported to the distant future where the line between human and machine is lost. Where the human brain can be enclosed in the most advanced machinery, becoming the ultimate weapon. Humans can get "upgrades" by enhancing different parts of their bodies. Like, say getting your liver upgraded so that 'it's last call at the bar every night' and you don't need to suffer the effects of alcohol in an otherwise 'real' liver and Hanka Robotics is the world's leading developer in augmentative technology. The company works on developing a secret project of creating a "shell" or a mechanical body, where they can integrate a human brain "ghost" instead of using an AI. Mira Killian, the survivor of a terrorist attack is chosen. She is then placed in Section 9, an anti-terrorist group.

Scarlett Johansson transforms as Major Mira Killian, she becomes the Ghost in the shell.  You would think that this role is very similar to her Black Widow character but she's really different and you can sympathize with her as she struggles to find her humanity in  a world dependent on technology and machinery.

Things heat up when a rogue mechanical geisha kills a Hanka executive and Mira and her fellow Team 9 operative Batou, set out to find the hacker responsible for the attack. What follows is an unexpected look into Mira's strange past as she tries to come into terms with her own 'ghosts'. Little does she know that her current mission will get her to the answers that she seeks.

Praise should be given to the stunning visuals which make up the film.

Every scene is an urban masterpiece, a vivid picture of what the future might be, moving images the size of buildings, each demanding of your time and attention.

The city, to which Mira and the characters live in is reminiscent of Hong Kong, yet a Hong Kong many years from now. The city becomes alive in such a way that you can almost "smell" the sidewalk or the knee-length stagnant water, which becomes the scenes for a straight from the anime duel.

The plot is simple enough with a few curve balls (that made me cry!) which I believe is justified given the many things happening in the background, and just so you can enjoy the images on screen. There are a few talking points in there, questions on each of our existence, what makes us unique and even the battle against terrorists. Does the end really justify  the means? 

My only nitpick is a slow first act, which you just have to get over to get to the juicy part. If you are not used to the genre or are not familiar with the source material, you may have a hard time.

If you are willing to dig in and think about it but if you are in the movie for the mecha action then you won't be disappointed either. Props to the team who brought antagonist Kuze to life, his impressive character design (like he came out of a Final Fantasy game) had me staring every time he was on screen, I am also commending the performance of Micheal Pitt, completing the recipe for the villain.

8/10, despite casting controversies (seriously guys, just enjoy the movie) which is also cleverly integrated into the plot.  I would say that the film is the best western anime adaptation to date. It is really a homage to the source material and the music in the end credits just brought back so much nostalgia.

Ghost in the Shell is now showing.

Movies: “Ghost In The Shell” Film Villain Kuze A Composite Of Manga Characters

American actor Michael Carmen Pitt (HBO's Boadwalk Empire, TV's Hannibal) oozes not just menace and rage, but also vulnerability, in Paramount Pictures' Ghost in the Shell, the live-action adaptation of the internally acclaimed Japanese manga.

In the film, Kuze is the mastermind behind a bold attack on a high-ranking Hanka Corporation executive. A brilliant hacker out for revenge against the people he believes have wronged him, Kuze is willing to sacrifice anyone who gets in his way.

“Michael Carmen Pitt is a true artist,” says director Rupert Sanders. “I’ve known him for many years as a friend. He’s very independent minded and exists solely in that artist’s world.”

Pitt says he appreciated the ambitious nature of the project and the enduring relevance of the source material. “The manga has been extremely influential in Hollywood movies, graphic art, tattooing and industrial music,” says Pitt. “I saw the first animated film on VHS when I was maybe 14 or 15 years old. I had never seen anything like it. While I was preparing, I re-watched the original film and was really surprised by how current it still is. The world is complicated, scary, extremely exciting and full of evil and full of good — like the world we live in.”

Kuze is a composite character drawn from several elements of the Ghost in the Shell universe that served as a jumping off point for an intriguing, challenging antagonist for Major. “Is he truly a villain?” asks Pitt. “I don’t know. That’s one of the unique and interesting things about the script. I worked a lot on how he would speak and made some rules for myself about the way he could move. I wrote pages and pages and pages of backstory. He is such a strange character that I just didn’t know any other way to do it.”

Pitt arrived on set fully immersed in the physicality and violence of the character, according to Sanders. “By the time he started filming, he’d been eating raw food for months. He was doing boxing and Pilates every day. Not only was he whippet thin and ripped, he had developed a very in-depth character. He built himself a little house in a shipping container on the back lot, where he had a punching bag and an ashtray. He filled notebooks with painting after painting after painting about Kuze. It’s a master class watching him.”

Audiences may be startled by Pitt’s transformation, warns producer Jeffrey Silver. “Michael brings a phenomenal depth to Kuze. You’re not quite sure what he is. He alters the pitch of his voice, his eyes, his hair – everything about him is on the edge.”

Pitt’s hope for the film is that it will be an entertaining and exciting movie that also touches the audience. “It has the potential to move people because it’s about someone who is figuring out who she is, what it means to be human, and then ultimately deciding to fight for that humanity.”

Opening across the Philippines on March 29, Ghost in the Shell is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

Movies: Members Of Section 9 In “Ghost In The Shell” Revealed

In the future of Paramount Pictures' cyberpunk thriller Ghost in the Shell, criminals can not only get into your bank account, they can access your memories and control your behavior. Policing these cyber-terrorists requires a new kind of law enforcement. The elite Section 9 anti-terrorism squad is comprised of some of the world’s most technologically enhanced people, including Major (Scarlett Johansson).

(Watch the Section 9 featurette at http://youtu.be/dost604rDXU.)

“In a world where information is king, the key to survival is protecting privacy,” explains producer Michael Costigan. “That’s where Section 9 comes in.”

The equivalent of an elite SEAL team that deals in urban cyber terror, members of Section 9 have been chosen for their unique skill sets and specific enhancements. “We put together a phenomenal group to play this rough-and-tumble, ragtag team,” says producer Jeffrey Silver. “They each bring incredible energy. They’re internationally based and very exciting to watch in action.”

Movies: Scarlett Johansson, A Cyber-Enhanced Perfect Soldier In “Ghost In The Shell”

Tony and BAFTA winner and four-time Golden Globe nominee Scarlett Johansson leads the highly diverse cast of Paramount Pictures' Ghost in the Shell, the live-action adaptation of the internally acclaimed Japanese manga.

In the near future, Major (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.

Johansson brings the central character an inner life that director Rupert Sanders felt was largely absent in her animated incarnation. “In the anime, the Major is quite distant and that’s beguiling and mysterious,” he says. “But with this film, we need to understand what she’s going through. Our story brings the audience into what is happening with her internally and allows the character to grow.

Movies: Marvel Studios Founder Avi Arad Produces “Ghost In The Shell”

As the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and founder of Marvel Studios, Avi Arad has been a driving force behind bringing many of Marvel’s most famous comic book characters to the screen, with a track record that has been nothing short of spectacular, including a string of No. 1 box office openings.

As a producer or executive producer, his credits include Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, The Amazing Spider-Man (Columbia Pictures); X-Men, X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand (Twentieth Century Fox) and Iron Man (Paramount Pictures).

Now, Arad produces the much anticipated big-screen adaptation of the popular manga, Ghost in the Shell starring Scarlett Johansson.

MOVIES: POPULAR MANGA “GHOST IN THE SHELL” TRANSFORMS INTO BIG SCREEN THRILLER

From Rupert Sanders, director of Snow White and the Huntsman comes Ghost in the Shell, based on the famous Kodansha Comics manga series written and illustrated by Shirow Masamune.

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.

Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers, Lucy) heads up an international cast that also features Pilou Asbæk (Ben-Hur), “Beat” Takeshi Kitano (Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, Battle Royale series), Juliette Binoche (The English Patient), Michael Carmen Pitt (TV's Hannibal), Chin Han (Independence Day: Resurgence), Danusia Samal (TV's Tyrant), Lasarus Ratuere (TV's Terra Nova), Yutaka Izumihara (Unbroken) and Tawanda Manyimo (The Rover), as well as Daniel Henshall (AMC’s series TURN: Washington’s Spies) and Kaori Momoi (Memoirs Of A Geisha).

MOVIES: NEW “GHOST IN THE SHELL” BANNERS EXUDE FUTURISTIC VIBE

Paramount Pictures has just unveiled two banners for its upcoming action-thriller Ghost in the Shell that sell the futuristic tone of the film, while showcasing Scarlett Johansson's kick-ass physique.

Directed by Rupert Sanders, the film also stars “Beat” Takeshi Kitano, Michael Carmen Pitt, Pilou Asbaek, Chin Han and Juliette Binoche.

Check out the posters below and watch Ghost in the Shell in Philippine cinemas starting March 29, 2017.

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.

The film is based on the internationally acclaimed Japanese Manga, “The Ghost in the Shell.”

Ghost in the Shell is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

MOVIES: NEW “GHOST IN THE SHELL” TRAILER REVEALS STUNNING VISUALS

Paramount Pictures has revealed the visually stunning new trailer of its upcoming action-thriller Ghost in the Shell from director Rupert Sanders and starring Scarlett Johansson.

The live-action adaptation brings to life the classic manga written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow, and takes inspiration from the animated movies and series that followed the original 1995 anime.

Check out the trailer at URL at http://youtu.be/Radlbj0GxRc and watch Ghost in the Shell in Philippine cinemas starting March 29, 2017.

Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, Ghost in the Shell follows the 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, Section 9 is faced with an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic’s advancements in cyber technology.

The film stars Scarlett Johansson, “Beat” Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt, Pilou Asbæk, and Kaori Momoi.

Ghost in the Shell is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

MovieNews: SCARLETT JOHANSSON-LED “GHOST IN THE SHELL” LAUNCHES FIRSTTRAILER

I'll admit I had my doubts but after seeing the trailer I am officially stoked! 

Following a grand launch party in Tokyo in which stars Scarlett Johansson, “Beat” Takeshi Kitano, and director Rupert Sanders joined fans and influencers from across the globe, the first trailer of Paramount Pictures' Ghost in the Shell is now online and may be viewed at https://youtu.be/RXisBZsdxvM.

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.

Opening across the Philippines on March 29, 2017, Ghost in the Shell is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.