Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Aedonerre I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Mehdi Hoffman There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

overdarklord Ghost in the shell tries to show a realistic depiction of the future where humans are able to modify their brains and connect them in a huge network, pretty much like the internet, and like the internet nowadays it becomes mandatory for everyone living in this world to be able to connect to each other. The world around GitS is very complex and interesting, and will fascinate you in its own way, showing you not only the bright ideas of this future, but also its dirty sides, the hacking of another mind, the deleting of someone's memory, things connected to hacking-problems people face today and exactly that makes this movie so relatable even over 20 years of its release. And besides presenting you this futuristic world in this movie many fundamental questions appear, which go deeper into the thematic of what is life itself, since it is possible to create artificial intelligence. The movie also has a lot of well-made action scenes. They are not really the main focus of the movie but succeed in creating tension. The soundtrack of this movie is as well phenomenal, with a combination of traditional Japanese instruments and voices, the music in this movie is so unique and gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. The Art style of Ghost in the Shell impresses its audience with one of the most detailed backgrounds with very beautiful drawn skyscrapers, technical detail of the machines, weapons and especially the robots are amazing. The artstyle was influenced very much but movies like "Blade Runner" and "Akira", which both look gorgeous as well. So in conclusion GitS gives you a whole package of a very dark and mature futuristic world and its ideas. Its based on a combination of very deep and meaningful conversations, dark and very beautiful art style and entertaining combat, doing a great job in all of these.

ryanfarnin If you haven't seen it - it's a must.Probably not everyone's cup of tea but a VERY important Sci-Fi that has inspired countless of clones, Anime-wise or Big Screen.9 out of 10 for its importance.

Mark Turner There are a number of films making their way to the big screen these days that are either remakes or sequels to other popular films. Most become franchise films, movies that can turn into a series of films based on consumers being familiar with the title and thus ensuring that there are people ready to line up and buy tickets. Some view this as a good thing, others hate it. It all depends on how familiar you are with the original and how much it means to you.Such will be the case when GHOST IN THE SHELL starring Scarlett Johansson comes out soon. Some will be drawn to it seeing the visuals on display in the trailer and some will come because they are fans of Johansson. But a certain number of those patrons will be there because they are fans of anime and the original telling of this story that was released in 1995. If you are unfamiliar with it then now is the time to pick up the original as Anchor Bay is releasing the original film with special packaging this week.For those unfamiliar with the term anime it is a Japanese animated motion picture that is geared towards adults more so than children, often based on manga or Japanese comics, again aimed at adults. GHOST IN THE SHELL was one of the most popular at one time and ranks highly among the fans of the genre.The story revolves around a counter-cyberterrorist group known as Public Security Section 9 and its best agent, Major Motoko Kusanagi. Major is not an ordinary agent though. She is a cyborg, mostly machine but part human as well. The term ghost refers to this as it refers to what others would call her soul, the human part of her that has been integrated into this body she now uses, enhanced with biomechanics.This first story revolves around Section 9 trying to track down and capture someone known only at the Puppet Master. The Puppet Master essentially hacks into various people who have been cybernetically enhanced and then using them to commit various crimes, most often connected with stealing information and secrets from the government. Once he finishes with them he drops his connection leaving behind someone with no clue what is and isn't real in their minds any longer.As Major and Section 9 track down the Puppet Master they think they've caught their man, sort of. What they have is the remnants of a cyborg that he has transferred his ghost into. But before they can discover just what is really going on another section moves in to retrieve the cyborg. Even then things change as the Puppet Master finds a way to avoid capture and reach out the Major at the same time. Whether she will reach out to find what is really going on or not isn't revealed until the last portion of the film.The movie is a visual feast for the eyes with so much to look at that you'll never want to take your eyes off the screen. Displays of the world of the future mingle with non-stop action sequences that make you wonder how the live-action film will be able to repeat what you see here (though clips so far look like they may have it down). The closest I can come to describing it is to suggest the film BLADE RUNNER and the cityscapes found in that film.While watching the film you find yourself so caught up in the story that you'll soon forget the fact that this is an animated feature. It draws you into the story that well and holds you there, rooting for the good guys, trying to figure out just who the real bad guys are and wondering when it comes to robots down the line will they possess a soul or not? Since they are created by man, can that be a possibility? This is one of the best science fiction films in years because it isn't just about the technology on hand but what lies beneath as well.As I said it is geared towards adults to expect nudity and extreme violence to be found. Nothing lewd but it is there. For this reason I wouldn't recommend it for children. But for adults this is a movie worth seeking out and for science fiction fans one worth adding to your collection.

swilliky The future is strange with robots and brain-hacking in the animated Ghost in the Shell. The film that sparked a life action update over twenty years later begins with Motoko Kusanagi jumping from a building to assassinate a diplomat. She put on a mission to hunt down a hacker known as the Puppet Master. She finds that this hacker is using garbage and other criminals through trickery and mind-hacking to do his bidding. Motoko also copes with her identity as a robot while still trying to do human things like scuba dive. The action of the chases seems pretty cool and I can only imagine what a live action adaption will look like.The artwork in the animation is stunning capturing the look of a manga comic. The English dubbed version I purchased did have some weak voice-acting and an odd look common in these adaptations, which is why I usually try to see these things with subtitles. Questions of humanity and existence are brought up as the Puppet Master claims to be a sentient being with rights despite not having a sole body. Even Major Motoko isn't sure if she is a human with a body bought from a tech company and brain cells input into it. Check out more of this review and others at swilliky.com