Jul 24 2008
Ghost in the Shell (movie)
I feel it is time to reveal myself as mysterious tech person and grammar nazi here at starlight breaker! I am taking time out of my busy schedule of breaking things (4 computers in 3 days) to write about some of the anime I am watching currently.
The first of these (although not chronologically) is Ghost in the Shell. Now, for those of you more in the know, you will realise that this is an old film (circa 2001 I believe) but, I am fairly new to the anime scene, so I am primarily occupied in watching the classics that I missed…
Right then, Ghost in the Shell is billed as a cyberpunk thriller, set in the future and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. After a very brief introduction which hints at some of the character development yet to come, we are thrown straight into the action, with a female cyborg assassinating someone who is assisting a rogue programmer to defect.
At this point, I feel duty bound to mention “Ghost in the Shell”’s attitude to nakedness. Essentially, there’s a fair amount of nudity in it. While one could argue that, the lack of inhibitions shown by the female protagonist is authentic to her cyborg character, it still means that there’s a naked woman onscreen for a fair amount of the time, and while I would like to believe that this is done merely for artistic purposes, I suspect there is a fanservice element to it. As such, this reviewer has taken pains to ensure that none of the screenshots contain such nudity.
Overall, I found the film to be fast-paced an action-packed, never slowing down for very long, and certainly rapid enough to prevent viewers from getting bored. Similarly, the plot twists and turns, and I found it impossible to predict where it would go next, keeping you on the edge of your seat, and creating more than a few surprises.
The art style is detailed, and though slightly dated now, still sucks the viewer into the centre of the action. This renders the depiction of the ‘cyber-world’ captivating, and yet still makes the real world environment realistic and believable.
The musical score to the movie is also intruiging, as it is in the style of traditional tribal music, and provides a wonderful audio backdrop to the film, and though it may sound like the contrast between the two different themes would be too great, but it has been beautifully integrated to great effect.
Not wanting to spoil the whole plot, but merely wishing to capture its essence, I will simply give a brief plot overview. Essentially, the mysterious government agency known only as “Section 9″ is pitted against the legendary and elusive master hacker “The Puppet Master”. However, when they track down the perpetrator behind the latest series of attacks, events take a turn for the unexpected…
Well, all I can say is that if that doesn’t make you want to watch it, then nothing will!
Stay tuned! More reviews on the way!
Edit: Just as an aside, washing light bulbs is a bad idea… seriously…
Well said.