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‘Ghost in the Shell’ visually stunning, but that is all
As it begins, Ghost in the Shell makes it obvious that its best trait is its visuals, opening with CGI that sets an impressively high standard for the rest of the movie’s duration. But that may be one of the only things it gets completely right.
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Scarlett Johansson in a new teaser of the upcoming Hollywood live-action adaptation of Masamune Shirow’s “Ghost in the Shell.”
(youtube.com/user/Paramount/File)
As it begins, Ghost in the Shell makes it obvious that its best trait is its visuals, opening with CGI that sets an impressively high standard for the rest of the movie’s duration. But that may be one of the only things it gets completely right.
The film follows Maj. Mira Killian, a human brain placed inside of a synthetic body. She suffers no pain and has been trained to be a super soldier for the government, heralded as one of their greatest weapons. She is a ghost -- or a spirit -- in a shell that is not her own.
But unlike the major, the film is all brawn and no brain and relies so heavily on its computer-generated world, rendering it soulless. The visuals and attention to detail are incredible, but it still isn’t enough to keep the film entirely afloat.
Regardless, every time the city’s exterior comes on screen, it is a joy. Crisscrossing motorways and story-high holographic advertisements make for quick and effective world-building, especially when the hi-tech city center is sharply contrasted with the crumbling “Lawless Zone”. If only there had been slightly more time dedicated to exploring a world so well-created, instead of in dark clubs or even darker tunnels.
Read also: Trailer of Stephen King’s ‘It’ remake had audiences screaming
But with how the movie is spaced out, there is no time to delve into details. Pacing is one of the movie’s biggest flaws, either speeding by so quickly that the audience barely has time to get to know a character before they’re gone, or slowing almost to a crawl before leading up to an anti-climatic final battle.
While his screen time is minimal, the film’s strongest player is Takeshi Kitano as chief Daisuke Aramaki. But with a career of over 40 years behind him, that is no surprise that he plays his character and holds authority with a natural ease, leaving audiences wanting more.
The movie’s star, though, is a disappointment. Scarlett Johansson doesn’t give a performance worth the whitewashing. Stone-faced and expressionless, it’s clear that this movie is not meant to sit on her shoulders.
The film’s messages are also skewed. Should a murderer be sympathized with, just because he has a tragic back story? Ghost in the Shell seems to think so. Not only this, but there is also the implication that in major’s previous life, she was Japanese, but now as a “beautiful” “perfect” super soldier, she’s white. A little troubling, especially in a movie that caused so much controversy about its casting.
In the end, Ghost in the Shell is no doubt a visual masterpiece, but that doesn’t mean that there is a ghost in its shell. (sul/kes)
