Well, I must appreciate a film that goes all in on a premise. Ghosts in the Shell is a remake of a 1995 animated film by the same name, a film that has inspired multiple sequels and even a TV show since its release. And, while I do appreciate a film going all in on a premise and doing a great job with “immersion,” this film, featuring Major (Johansson, a cyber-enhanced human devoted to stopping the world’s most dangerous criminals), does it so well (minus the fact that there’s no people in this giant, sprawling city) that it will likely turn off most mainstream American audiences.
There were many points throughout the film where I had to ask myself “what just happened?” and before I had time to figure it out we were onto the next thing. So, eventually I just turned my brain off and enjoyed the visuals of this film.
No doubt the strongest part of this film, the visuals here are breathtaking. Whether it be skyscraper-tall advertisements, or an invisible Scarlett Johansson taking on a bad guy in water, this film excelled at looking absolutely gorgeous. Sadly, though, great visuals do not equate to a great film, and the second you try and figure out just what the heck is going on in this story . . . you’ll be lost.
I went with some friends who are super-into this franchise and they seemed to mostly enjoy it, so if you’re a fan of the originals you’ll probably like this one. If you like sci-fi and want to look at something pretty, check it out; if not, consider seeing Life instead to get your sci-fi on.
