Much of the criticism of the live-action Ghost in the Shell has concerned the whitewashing, which is unfortunate, because that is a minor and subjective issue when there are much bigger problems with the movie. Complaints have also been raised about changing her orientation from bi to hetero, but the closest we ever get to romantce or sexuality from the Major is when she touches a biological human; if anything, she comes across as ace. Honestly, this is one thing I approve of - a female-led action movie with no romantic subplot.
It's just too bad the movie as a whole simply doesn't work. The first half of the movie does show some promise with ubiquitous transhumanism and the use of holograms and digital displays for even minor signage, which is a nice touch. The actors all give solid performances, though it's weird that the chief only speaks Japanese while the rest of Section 9 speaks entirely in English; was Takeshi Kitano really more important than coherence?
The tone is dour through and through; it's not as bad as Man of Steel, but it still makes this movie about cyborg antiterrorist cops a chore to watch. The effects are decent, until they get downplayed at the halfway point and almost entirely dropped in the final third. The plot is about a vague corporate conspiracy and is nothing special. There is an attempt an philosophical examination of human nature, but it's just a generic "Our minds make us human, regardless of our bodies" that we've all seen before. Plus, characters keep using the words ghost and shell to beat us over the head with the theme, as if we were too stupid to get the metaphor.
Also, like the 1993 Judge Dredd movie, it takes a relatively straightforward origin story and makes it some devastating secret conspiracy. Filmmakers, please don't do that.
Seriously, don't bother with this movie. The animated movies are much better; plus, they assume that our minds make us human, assume from the start the audience gets that, and explores human nature from that premise.
Disappointing
Much of the criticism of the live-action Ghost in the Shell has concerned the whitewashing, which is unfortunate, because that is a minor and subjective issue when there are much bigger problems with the movie. Complaints have also been raised about changing her orientation from bi to hetero, but the closest we ever get to romantce or sexuality from the Major is when she touches a biological human; if anything, she comes across as ace. Honestly, this is one thing I approve of - a female-led action movie with no romantic subplot.
It's just too bad the movie as a whole simply doesn't work. The first half of the movie does show some promise with ubiquitous transhumanism and the use of holograms and digital displays for even minor signage, which is a nice touch. The actors all give solid performances, though it's weird that the chief only speaks Japanese while the rest of Section 9 speaks entirely in English; was Takeshi Kitano really more important than coherence?
The tone is dour through and through; it's not as bad as Man of Steel, but it still makes this movie about cyborg antiterrorist cops a chore to watch. The effects are decent, until they get downplayed at the halfway point and almost entirely dropped in the final third. The plot is about a vague corporate conspiracy and is nothing special. There is an attempt an philosophical examination of human nature, but it's just a generic "Our minds make us human, regardless of our bodies" that we've all seen before. Plus, characters keep using the words ghost and shell to beat us over the head with the theme, as if we were too stupid to get the metaphor.
Also, like the 1993 Judge Dredd movie, it takes a relatively straightforward origin story and makes it some devastating secret conspiracy. Filmmakers, please don't do that.
Seriously, don't bother with this movie. The animated movies are much better; plus, they assume that our minds make us human, assume from the start the audience gets that, and explores human nature from that premise.