Written by Jamie Moss, William Wheeler, Ehren Kruger
Producers Avi Arad, Ari Arad, Steven Paul, Michael Costigan
Starring Scarlett Johansson, Tkeshi Kitano, Michael Pitt, Pilou Asbæk, Chin Han, Juliette Binoche
Music Clint Mansell, Lorne Balfe
Cinematography Jess Hall
Based on Masamune Shirow’s manga franchise, 2017’s Ghost in the Shell is the first live-action film adaptation. Directed by Rupert Sanders, it draws heavily from the manga and Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 anime film but falls short in a few areas. It swaps the original’s characterization and depth for an action-heavy picture that may please the average moviegoer but disappoint anyone hoping for a more complex story.
Set in the future, the film follows the Major (Scarlett Johansson), a cyborg soldier with Section 9, as she tries to learn about her past while battling a mysterious cyberterrorist named Kuze (Michael Pitt). The plot borrows a lot from the original film but makes some big changes, mainly to the Major’s arc. It’s admirable that this isn’t a shot-for-shot remake, but some of those changes throw out terrific parts of the source material.
Johansson is adequate as Major Mira Killian, but not much more, probably because of how thin the character is in the screenplay. She’s shown she’s a capable actress in movies such as The Avengers and Her (with just her voice, no less), but the choppy writing holds her back. There are moments where her talent shines through, but there are too few of them to save this bland protagonist.
The supporting cast is big, but only two characters really stand out: the Major’s second-in-command, Batou (Pilou Asbæk), and Section 9 Chief Daisuke Aramaki (Takeshi Kitano). Even that’s mostly because they get more screen time than everyone else. The villain is occasionally interesting, but he’s used too sparingly.
The movie can be boring, but it’s not a complete disaster. Clint Mansell and Lorne Balfe’s score is magnificent, and it pays homage to the original film’s music by Kenji Kawai. The visuals are impressive too and help it stand out among recent releases. Together they give the film an interesting tone and make up for some of the mediocrity elsewhere.
The manga and anime were so memorable because of the ethical questions that grew out of the Major’s own “ghost,” and this adaptation clearly chose flash over substance. The main thing it offers beyond great music and nice visuals is a desire to go back and watch the original. All in all, Ghost in the Shell is better than some anime adaptations and certainly watchable, but it never comes close to the depth of its source material.
