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Title    2017 Film: Ghost In The Shell
Date    Saturday December 17 2016, @09:03AM
Author    janrinok
Topic   
from the one-to-watch dept.
https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=16/12/16/1854222

cafebabe writes:

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.


Original Submission

Links

  1. "cafebabe" - https://soylentnews.org/~cafebabe/
  2. "From the trailer" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUtG93BebJ4#t=17s
  3. "has been described" - https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/15/scarlett-johanssons-role-in-ghost-in-the-shell-ignites-twitter-storm
  4. "as cultural appropriation" - http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/why-did-doctor-strange-ghost-884385
  5. "she does some of her own stunts" - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2596583/
  6. "Cyber City Oedo 808" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_City_Oedo_808
  7. "jumping from a building" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOV_mpwkU8Y#t=2m19s
  8. "jumping from a building" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUtG93BebJ4#t=36s
  9. "fight in shallow water" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2mXrndt1ZI#t=4m46s
  10. "fight in shallow water" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUtG93BebJ4#t=1m30s
  11. "remix of Enjoy The Silence" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_I_Ever_Wanted_(Basshunter_song)
  12. "evil corporation" - http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MegaCorp
  13. "rebirth sequence" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5amv-vqUFo
  14. "differs from the animation" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsiepGvjjTM
  15. "failed remake of Robocop" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuVphAuRo7Q
  16. "2012 Judge Dredd film" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-eI5oLlIeY
  17. "OCP's building" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuVphAuRo7Q#t=1m37s
  18. "Justice Department building" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-eI5oLlIeY#t=1m7.5s
  19. "deeply unsatisfying Jason Bourne" - http://www.returnofkings.com/92071
  20. "creepy mannequins in the circular frames from the Westworld television series" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JctIuZfSsa4#t=53s
  21. "Proportions of Man" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvian_Man
  22. "Original Submission" - https://soylentnews.org/submit.pl?op=viewsub&subid=17492

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