Ghost in the Shell has always been a philosophically heavy series. Talking about the difference between man and machine, what makes someone a human, and does sufficiently advanced AI count as life? This has been part of the appeal of the various series as well as their cyberpunk setting which has bright, flashy newness lying on top of the dark, gritty old foundations.
For this adaptation of the loved series, I would say it's generally good. The common critiques of it being absolutely visually impressive, great cinematography, sound and music, and the actors giving solid performances. The major flaws they cite are a weak, shallow story, as well as a heavy speed up of said stories near the end of the movie. All I can agree with, though individual tastes will certainly vary. The end villain is a horrible cyberpunk cliche unfortunately.
In terms of a fan, I don't dislike this movie being created and honestly think it might help pull the goalpost up of how to do good anime adaptations in the USA after some abysmal ones. The philosophical aspects of the film are certainly there but they are much more surface level with some just throwing it right at you. This film is made for American audiences and they've never been viewed as too deep thinking of an audience.
As such I think it's a good starting off point get people interested in the series. It'll allow you to start a conversation about some of the deeper aspects the others have and get friends interested in seeing them to know where you're talking from. Getting more fans for the series isn't a bad thing at all and this is the good first step to introduce them.
Good Introductory Piece
Ghost in the Shell has always been a philosophically heavy series. Talking about the difference between man and machine, what makes someone a human, and does sufficiently advanced AI count as life? This has been part of the appeal of the various series as well as their cyberpunk setting which has bright, flashy newness lying on top of the dark, gritty old foundations.
For this adaptation of the loved series, I would say it's generally good. The common critiques of it being absolutely visually impressive, great cinematography, sound and music, and the actors giving solid performances. The major flaws they cite are a weak, shallow story, as well as a heavy speed up of said stories near the end of the movie. All I can agree with, though individual tastes will certainly vary. The end villain is a horrible cyberpunk cliche unfortunately.
In terms of a fan, I don't dislike this movie being created and honestly think it might help pull the goalpost up of how to do good anime adaptations in the USA after some abysmal ones. The philosophical aspects of the film are certainly there but they are much more surface level with some just throwing it right at you. This film is made for American audiences and they've never been viewed as too deep thinking of an audience.
As such I think it's a good starting off point get people interested in the series. It'll allow you to start a conversation about some of the deeper aspects the others have and get friends interested in seeing them to know where you're talking from. Getting more fans for the series isn't a bad thing at all and this is the good first step to introduce them.