• Home
  • Classic Reviews
  • 2015 Reviews
  • 2016 Reviews
  • 2017 Reviews
  • 2018 Reviews
  • 2019 Reviews
  • 2020 Reviews
  • 2021 Reviews
  • 2022 Reviews
  • 2023 Reviews
  • Movie Talk
  • Movieman Productions
    • Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Ultimate Ed-Chronicles >
      • The 'Beginnings' Saga >
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Rise of Maleficent >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Rise of Maleficent Full Movie
        • Transformers: Legend of the Black Cauldron >
          • Transformers: Legend of the Black Cauldron Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets the Penguins of Madagascar >
          • EEEMTPOM Full Movie
        • The Eds and Iron Man: Dawn of the Blowhole >
          • The Eds and Iron Man Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Fast and the Furious >
          • EEE: The Fast and the Furious Full Movie
        • The Eds and Kung Fu Panda: Battle for China >
          • The Eds and Kung Fu Panda Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy and the Lion King: The Full Circle >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy and the Lion King Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets Thumbelina: Revenge of the Shredder >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets Thumbelina Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Journey to Neverland >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Journey to Neverland Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: All Tangled Up >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy: All Tangled Up Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy's Frozen Adventure >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy's Frozen Adventure Chapter One Full Movie
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy's Frozen Adventure Chapter Two Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Edventures in San Fransokyo
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Return to Neverland
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy vs The League of Evil
      • The 'Avengers' Saga >
        • The Eds and the Little Mermaid: Age of Extinction
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets the Ghostbusters
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: A Sea of Adventure
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets Anastasia
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets the Incredibles
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy and the Lion King 2: Simba's Pride
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Brand New Zootopia
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Into the Sugar Rush
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy and the Big Sea Quest
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Heroes Assemble
      • The 'Justice' Saga >
        • The Loud Ghostbusters: Man of Steel
        • The Eds and Batman: Purge Night
        • Wonder Woman meets Hercules
        • Eds V Louds: God Versus Man
        • Eds V Louds: Doomsday
    • The Loud Ghostbusters >
      • The Loud Ghostbusters: Answer the Call
      • The Loud Ghostbusters: Jump Street
    • Thor and the Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning
    • SpongeBob and Thor: Sponge Out of Water
  • Contact
  • About

Ghost in the Shell (2017)

3/31/2017

1 Comment

 
Picture
“Ghost in the Shell” stars Scarlett Johansson, Takeshi Kitano, Michael Pitt, Pilou Asbæk, Chin Han, and Juliette Binoche.  Released on March 31, 2017, the film is about a cyborg field commander who faces an enemy who’s planning on sabotaging artificial intelligence technology.

The film is directed by Rupert Sanders, who is known for directing Snow White and the Huntsman.  It is based on the Japanese manga of the same name by Masamune Shirow.  This is not the first time that the manga has been adapted into a feature film.  Back in 1995, there was an anime (Japanese animation) version of the manga, which is considered by many critics as one of the best anime films of all time.  Sadly, I have not seen the 1995 version, but I would like to get to that someday.  As a result, I will be taking a look at this adaptation as its own film without any knowledge of the source material.  

The first thing I should talk about is Johansson’s portrayal as The Major.  In case you haven’t notice, this casting choice caused a lot of people to accuse the film of whitewashing.  Just like the Ghostbusters controversy, this type of controversy is absolutely pointless and a complete waste of time.  I really like Johansson in most of her movies, especially the ones from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I was pretty excited to see her take on a role like this.  I’m happy to say that she did a very nice job in portraying a character who’s questioning not only her task force, but also herself.  The rest of the cast also put out some pretty good performances, especially Asbæk, who gives out an entertaining performance as Batou.  The visuals in this film were undeniably impressive as it showcases the film’s style, futuristic setting, and cybernetic designs with flawless results.  While those qualities were capable enough to create a sci-fi movie experience, they're not enough to fulfill my expectations.  Rupert Sanders knows how to make this entire world look pleasing and dark, but his storytelling could’ve used some more upgrades.  The story wasn’t that hard to follow, but it’s something that you got to pay attention to.  It’s mostly about the journey of self-identity, but it wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be.  I was interested all the way through, don’t get me wrong, but the overall story failed to make me feel more connected to these characters and its themes.  Heck, even the action sequences weren’t that thrilling despite the fact that they’re nice to look at.  There were also some scenes that felt a bit slow or dull.  There have been a lot of sci-fi films I’ve seen that are filled with gripping action sequences and entertaining stories.  This film, however, is best described as a well-built cybernetic being with an empty soul.

Overall, The 2017 live-action adaptation of “Ghost in the Shell” is a nice visual treat that’s filled with some unavoidable glitches, including its underwhelming storytelling.  On the bright side, it does get me more interested in seeing the 1995 anime version.  It’s just a matter of when and how.  It’s definitely worth seeing for the film’s visual effects and Johansson’s performance as The Major.  However, it would be hard for me to recommend it to those who are familiar with the source material and those who are not.  It was disappointing in some cases, but it does have some features that made it watchable.
Picture

C

1 Comment
Livia Peterson link
3/31/2017 10:49:11 pm

I immensely enjoyed this film despite having no prior knowledge of the source material as well. Yep, the whitewashing controversy is dumb, but Scarlett Johansson gave it her all here. I gave this film a B, a lot better than the other wide release the Boss Baby this weekend, imo. Nice review, btw.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Home of the most friendly movie reviews on the planet.
    Movieman Productions
    Contact

    Categories

    All
    2015 Reviews
    2016 Reviews
    2017 Reviews
    2018 Reviews
    2019 Reviews
    2020 Reviews
    2021 Reviews
    2022 Reviews
    2023 Reviews
    Classic Reviews
    Movie Talk
    The Oscars

    Follow Me

Copyright © 2015
  • Home
  • Classic Reviews
  • 2015 Reviews
  • 2016 Reviews
  • 2017 Reviews
  • 2018 Reviews
  • 2019 Reviews
  • 2020 Reviews
  • 2021 Reviews
  • 2022 Reviews
  • 2023 Reviews
  • Movie Talk
  • Movieman Productions
    • Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Ultimate Ed-Chronicles >
      • The 'Beginnings' Saga >
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Rise of Maleficent >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Rise of Maleficent Full Movie
        • Transformers: Legend of the Black Cauldron >
          • Transformers: Legend of the Black Cauldron Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets the Penguins of Madagascar >
          • EEEMTPOM Full Movie
        • The Eds and Iron Man: Dawn of the Blowhole >
          • The Eds and Iron Man Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Fast and the Furious >
          • EEE: The Fast and the Furious Full Movie
        • The Eds and Kung Fu Panda: Battle for China >
          • The Eds and Kung Fu Panda Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy and the Lion King: The Full Circle >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy and the Lion King Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets Thumbelina: Revenge of the Shredder >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets Thumbelina Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Journey to Neverland >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Journey to Neverland Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: All Tangled Up >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy: All Tangled Up Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy's Frozen Adventure >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy's Frozen Adventure Chapter One Full Movie
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy's Frozen Adventure Chapter Two Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Edventures in San Fransokyo
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Return to Neverland
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy vs The League of Evil
      • The 'Avengers' Saga >
        • The Eds and the Little Mermaid: Age of Extinction
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets the Ghostbusters
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: A Sea of Adventure
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets Anastasia
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets the Incredibles
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy and the Lion King 2: Simba's Pride
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Brand New Zootopia
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Into the Sugar Rush
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy and the Big Sea Quest
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Heroes Assemble
      • The 'Justice' Saga >
        • The Loud Ghostbusters: Man of Steel
        • The Eds and Batman: Purge Night
        • Wonder Woman meets Hercules
        • Eds V Louds: God Versus Man
        • Eds V Louds: Doomsday
    • The Loud Ghostbusters >
      • The Loud Ghostbusters: Answer the Call
      • The Loud Ghostbusters: Jump Street
    • Thor and the Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning
    • SpongeBob and Thor: Sponge Out of Water
  • Contact
  • About