I’m not really a big fan of Ghost in the Shell. I didn’t watch the anime series, but I did
watch the anime films and really enjoyed them.
Among these, the most notable is the 1995 movie, as it’s both considered
an anime and a science fiction classic.
It’s also a groundbreaking cinematic triumph and had inspired filmmakers
like the Wachowskis, the creators of The
Matrix. However, when I watched it
for the first time as a kid, I liked it but it didn’t quite resonate to me as
it should.
And the fault, I believe, lies on
Armitage III, which has some
similarities with Ghost in the Shell. It’s because I watched both of them around
the same time – during the early formative days of my anime fandom – and Armitage III sort of absorbed most of my
available fondness for an anime about a kickass cybernetic heroine (that’s
likely why Armitage III’s Naomi Armitage had already managed to get into one of my fictional character lists but Ghost in the Shell’s Motoko “The Major”
Kusanagi still hasn’t). I re-watched both
movies recently, and Ghost in the Shell
is definitely superior, both in narrative and animation. However, back then, Armitage III somehow made more of an impression on me than Ghost in the Shell.
Nonetheless, I was definitely
looking forward to the Ghost in the Shell
live-action movie. Half of me was
excited because it’s one of the top three anime properties that I believe can
translate well as an “Americanized” or “Westernized” big-budget movie (for the
record, the other two are Cowboy Bebop
and Fullmetal Alchemist). But the other half of me was anxious because
the last time Hollywood adapted an anime, the atrocious Dragonball Evolution was the result, and thus, the possibility of
Hollywood screwing up another revered anime is a legitimate fear.
Thankfully, Ghost in the Shell turned out being terrific! It’s the best live-action film adaptation of
an anime I’ve ever seen next to the Rurouni
Kenshin trilogy. It doesn’t have the
rich philosophical and aesthetic rewards of the 1995 anime film, but it’s
absolutely gorgeous and thought-provoking.
It has fantastic visuals, a magnificent soundtrack, and a wholly interesting storyline.
Moreover, it faithfully captures
the tone, themes, characterizations, and world of its source material. In fact, some scenes are direct recreations of
iconic scenes from the anime, and they don’t feel cheap servicing but
delightfully organic. Kudos to director Rupert
Sander, who made an apparent effort to understand the source material and
handled its conversion to live-action with the respect it deserves.
Though the anime is generally
superior, one thing that the live-action somewhat does better is fleshing out
the character of Major. In addition to
this, Scarlett Johansson delivered a homerun performance. Unfortunately, it’s probably not enough to
silence her critics, as her casting was met with disapproval (fiercest of all were
the whiny, political correctness-obsessed social justice warriors) since many felt
a Japanese or Asian actress should have been cast for the role. I also personally preferred an Asian actress,
but only because it was revealed that it was going to be set in Japan, as was the
anime. If the setting was reimagined to
an American city, ScarJo would easily make sense to me. Nonetheless, this was just a personal
preference, and her casting wasn’t a very big problem to me. And now, after watching the movie, I think
the fact that ScarJo isn’t Japanese actually improved the impact of a certain
reveal about the Major’s backstory.
One minor thing I disliked about
the movie was its depiction of the “spider-tank.” It was kind of crude and sluggish. I may be wrong, but I think the anime’s
“spider-tank” was more refined and mobile.
Also, I wish Section 9 was shown using some “think thanks” of their own,
like in other editions of Ghost in the
Shell. Still, this is just a petty
disappointment in my part.
In the end, Ghost in the Shell is awesome in my book. Sure, it has some pacing pitfalls and a few
moments that it fails in its attempts to be intellectually satisfying. But, overall, I was happy of how it turned
out because it’s arguably Hollywood’s first triumph in adapting an anime
property (by the way, I enjoyed Speed
Racer, but it’s an “acquired taste” rather than an outright great
adaptation).
Now I would be a bit more
confident if Hollywood ever decided to adapt Cowboy Bebop (Please???!!!).
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