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The 1995 hand-drawn anime version of Ghost in the Shell was, arguably, the high water mark for Eastern animation and was widely watched in grainy NTSC or PAL VHS; along with a few other favorites, such as Akira, Bubblegum Crisis and Dominion Tank Police. From the trailer, the Mar 2017 film, Ghost in the Shell, exceeds the animation while also being more Blade Runner than Blade Runner.
A remake could easily fall into the category of a shallow money-grab, like Dune, The Italian Job, Alfie or The Day the Earth Stood Still. Furthermore, the choice of Scarlett Johansson as Major Motoko Kusanagi has been described as cultural appropriation. I'm just disappointed that a lead actress was cast who, to me, looks like a less attractive, less successful sister of a celebrity. Admittedly, she does some of her own stunts but, heh, it overshadows casting of the character Batou, who, like Gogol from Cyber City Oedo 808, has cybernetic eyes and a determined certainty when his gun is drawn.
The trailer indicates that some of the best scenes have been matched or improved and it will be complete eye-candy in IMAX 3D. Compare jumping from a building versus jumping from a building. Or a fight in shallow water versus a fight in shallow water. The trailer's inclusion of a remix of Enjoy The Silence by Depeche Mode adds greatly to the dystopian mood. "Words like violence / Break the silence." However, "All I ever wanted / All I ever needed / Is here in my arms." jars against Major Motoko Kusanagi's untrusting dependence upon an evil corporation.
Where the rebirth sequence differs from the animation it more closely resembles the failed remake of Robocop. (And both have hints of the 2012 Judge Dredd film. For example, OCP's building looks like the Justice Department building.) The Ghost in the Shell film appears to have some lesbianism. Does this follow the manga or is this more befitting of Tromeo and Juliet? I don't know. Unfortunately, the Ghost in the Shell film also seems to have strand of emo angsty existentialism; much like the deeply unsatisfying Jason Bourne films.
Despite the poor casting and thin plot elements, Ghost in the Shell will be the kinda dumb effects extravaganza that I enjoy. Furthermore, it is likely to be hugely culturally influential. For example, the creepy mannequins in the circular frames from the Westworld television series are equally indebted to Ghost in the Shell and the Proportions of Man.
(Score: 2) by Zz9zZ on Saturday December 17 2016, @09:45PM
Hollywood doesn't have to go out of its way, there are plenty of quality actresses that would be a better match. Whatever author you're referring to could have a point, I don't know how much hollywood tries to whitewash. However, its more likely they are just using a big name to try and cash in big time for the remake.
There are plenty of white actors that work in other countries, and plenty of all races in Los Angeles.
~Tilting at windmills~
(Score: 2) by Arik on Saturday December 17 2016, @10:58PM
Author of said link unironically and without shame *assumes* that casting a non-white-males in roles written for white males is good and praiseworthy, but giving a white person a role originally written as Asian is blameworthy or problematic.
Assumes. Doesn't even feel any need to argue the point, just assumes that this is obviously correct and proceeds from there.
I'll give you my take on it. "Good" adaptions don't stick slavishly to the format of the original but they try not to change things that don't have to be changed, especially things that have some importance to the story. Was Scarlett Johansson really the only actress available qualified to play the role? I guess it depends on what you mean by 'qualified.' Not in any sense that I would care about, but perhaps in the minds of the Hollywood folks that actually get to decide the main qualification here is name recognition, and there aren't any Asian actresses whose name they could remember?
Just reminds me that Hollywood is trash. So to that point, in a way, I actually kind of agree with this line of thought.
But then I hit this;
"In flipping both race and gender to cast Swinton as a character who in the original comics is a Tibetan-born man, Marvel admirably went out of the box to correct one aspect of underrepresentation in its cinematic universe, but did so at the expense of another. "
So, they cast a European woman in a role originally written for an Asian man, and these authors are confused about how to feel, cause they think it should have been rewritten as an Asian woman and feel this change is half right?
I want to say they should at least try to show some consistency, but in a way, they are. They're consistently racist and sexist, and consistently unashamed of the fact.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?