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DVD Ghost in the Shell
The skillful blending of drawn animation and computer-generated imagery excited anime fans when this science fiction mystery was released in 1995: many enthusiasts believe Ghost suggests what the future of anime will be, at least in the short term. The film is set in the not-too-distant future, when an unnamed government uses lifelike cyborgs or "enhanced" humans for undercover work. One of the key cyborgs is The Major, Motoko Kusanagi, who resembles a cross between The Terminator and a Playboy centerfold. She finds herself caught up in a tangled web of espionage and counterespionage as she searches for the mysterious superhacker known as "The Puppet Master."
Mamoru Oshii directs with a staccato rhythm, alternating sequences of rapid-fire action (car chases, gun battles, explosions) with static dialogue scenes that allow the characters to sort out the vaguely mystical and rather convoluted plot. Kusanagi's final quote from I Corinthians suggests that electronic evolution may compliment and eventually supplant organic evolution. The minor nudity, profanity, and considerable violence would earn Ghost in the Shell at least a PG rating. --Charles Solomon
Ghost in the shell, a classic anime. Ghost in the Shell was originally released in the U.S. November 1995, and amazingly few sci-fi movies fail to live up to it's amazing populariy among fans of the genre. The film takes place in he year 2030, or roughly so, in which almost everyone in Tokyo, or the world for that matter has been equipped with some sort of cybernetic implant. Whether it be an arm, leg, or even a brain, cybernization is now a way of life for society. Anyway, the film opens with a woman named Motoko Kusanagi, who is cyberized to the point where it is only her brain cells that remain human. The movie basically centers around her. Normally I would give more of plot description, but considering I really suck at it i'm just going to get to the review.
Momoru Oshii is an excellent director, even though I'm not a big Jin-Roh fan, I still think he's fantastic. One thing that contiues to amaze me about this film is it's characters. What Oshii does here is he designs these characters in such a way in which we are able to relate to them and ponder our own views and relationships towards the evergrowing technologies and the effect it has on our own lives. So, basically what the whole movie boils down to is if one is enhanced by non-organic substances, meaning man made substances, are they really completely human? In other words once man and technology have merged has the line separating them both blured? With that being said, what then defines humanity? Well, in the end it is actually memories that define humanity. When one obtains a new memory, that memory is their's, it's only unique to them. Before cybernization it was the human spirit, or ghost, that defined our existance. However, if one's cyberbrain could create a ghost, as Kusanagi asks, then what would be the importance of being human then? Meaning that once somthing artificial could create a soul then what's the need of having a human body? You could just be completely artificial and have soul, just like a human. So, since a soul can no longer define humanity then one must turn to memories. They are what make us unique, we must now reley, not on our spirit but our memories for definition. However, in the world of Ghost in Shell there comes a catch. Even though cyberbrains do have amazing abilities, they do have one fatal flaw, like computers, they can be hacked into. So, basically someone could literally hack into your brain and make you think things that aren't true. For example, in the movie a garbage man was conviced that he was having a divorce with his wife, and that his wife was trying to gain complete custody of their daughter, when in reality it is revealed that he never had a wife and kid. He was a bachelor who apparently had never been married, all of his memories were fabrications, caused by a hacker. So basically this line sums it all up. "Man has underestimated the effects of computerization." Meaning that, man has underestimated what technology could do to humanity and what defines it as a species.
So thats basically it, well it wasn't really a review, I guess it was my analysis on the whole world of Ghost in the shell. So, heres a guide on what to and not to expect from the film.
I am going to make one thing clear, now listen carefully, this movie is not for people who just want a straight out action flick, it requires alot of thinking, and while the film has some action those expecting alot from the movie in that area may be a little dissapointed. Also, although the film does have some nudity, there is no sexual content whatsoever throughout the film. I know it may be hard to believe, but it's true. So those of you who have been avoiding the film in fear of it being a hentai, you don't have to worry. I mean I wouldn't recommend it to little kids, but I think Fourteen and up would be appropriate. The only other things to watch out for is some strong language, and some brief but graphic violence. Another thing, this is just a word of advice, but as far as the politics go in the film, your better off just going along with them rather than trying to figure out every conspicuous little detail. I'm not saying you should completely ignore it, because of course you do need a basic idea of what's going on in the film, but it's pretty heavy stuff, your better off devoting more of your attention to the philosiphy in the film rather than the politics that are involved. Also, if your one of those anime fans just looking for big eyed Bishonen/Bishoju animes filled with lots of useless fluff, then I suggest you look elsewhere. One thing about Ghost in the Shell is that it is very adultish, in other words it's very mature anime. It may not appeal to everyone, theres virturally no comedy, and takes itself prety seriously, it even shows in the art style. There are no big eyed people, everyone looks realistic, to a point anyway. Also, and most importantly there are no cute furry little animal sidekicks anywhere. So if your looking for a more mature side of anime then GITS is right for you. Another point, unlike Akira, which ran for over two hours, Ghost in te Shell is a relatively short film. It clocks in at around 83 minutes, so if you see the movie in the video store and it costs thirty dollars, then look elsewhere to buy it. Maybe it's just me but I would feel a little cheated if I bought a movie for thirty dollars and found out that it was only an hour and twenty minutes long. But that's just me. Now this is a warning concerning the movie's music. If your like me you will think it's awesome, however I have spoken to some and not everyone shares my opinion. Some find it very annoying and it's plays throughout alot of the film, so it's just a warning but you may not like the music, and it may effect your overall viewing experience. Besides all that though, I do have some very good news for those of you who hate subtitles. The dub on this film is well done. So if you have a problem with subtitles but at the same time are hesitant to try the dub based on bad experiences, you don't have to worry, I don't think you will have too much of a problem with GITS. The DVD on te film is also very good. It comes in five different languages, English, Japanese, German, Italian, French and Spanish, so if you don't speak english or Japanese you might have some luck with the other languages available. The video and Audio on the disk is also very well done. Now theres one thing viewers must understand about Ghost in the Shell regarding it's reltionship to the T.V. series and the other movie. If you are confused here's how everyting is related: the T.V. series, "Stand Alone Complex" takes place in an alternate reality in which the whole ending of the first movie didn't take place. As far as the Second movie is concerned, it is merely a sequel to the first movie continuing two years after the first movie left off. This actually may sound kind of stange but here's what I suggest you do. If you understand what I said about the T.V. series being an alternate reality in which the whole ending of te first movie didn't take place, and you have seen the series but not the movies then I suggest you watch Innocence first (the sequel) then watch the first movie. That's how I did it and I got more out of it. The thing is that the sequel definitely isn't as good as the first movie was, visually it's much better, but as far as story is concerned it is inferior. So upon watching the first film you may be dissapointed with the results of he second film, but this way you won't be dissapointed at all. Another word of advice, if you have already bought the original GITS DVD then I suggest you don't double dip with the new special edition. It really isn't worth it, the extras are pretty much the same, so if you have the first version that came out, just stick with that one. However if you wan't a remastered edition of the movie then maybe it would be in your intrest to pick it up.
This is truly an excellent film to behold. It highly recommed it to anime and non-anime fans alike. But before I end the review I would like you to think of somthing. Ghost in the shell: Sciece Fiction or Science Prophecy?
What does it mean to be human?
Ghost in the Shell is a visually stunning animated masterpiece. Japanese animation has always been in a class of its own, so I won't even attempt to describe the incredible attention to detail and beautiful imagery in this movie. In this case the animation is merely icing for what is one of the most important works of science fiction in recent years.
Every generation has had books and movies that have contributed to our collective understanding of reality. Prior to World War II this included books like Yevgeny Zamyatin's "We" and Huxley's "Brave New World", and later Orwell's "1984". Today most warnings about the future fall into the category of science fiction. Science fiction began to fill this role when Arthur C. Clarke's "2001" warned us of the potential for humanity to create intelligent, even sentient computers that could murder their human creators. "2001" envisioned computer intelligence imprisoned in the physical body of a computer. Where "2001" left off, Ghost in the Shell begins.
Ghost in the Shell tells the story of a future in which a computer program, Project 2501, becomes self-aware and begins a quest to fill basic needs it feels are qualifiers of being alive by controlling computers and people to achieve its ultimate goals. Whereas the HAL-9000 computer was relatively harmless, owing to its confinement in the Odyssey space ship, Project 2501 is a recognition that the global internet could have dire consequences for all of us. By comparison, this new villain is virtually invincible. But is Project 2501 a villain?
Most people who have told me that they didn't like this move said that they didn't understand it. Indeed, the story and concepts are very complicated. I have watched it several times and still get new things out of it every time. Roger Ebert called Ghost in the Shell, "Unusually intelligent and challenging science fiction, aimed at smart audiences".
Ghost in the Shell is full of fascinating dialog, such as this diatribe about the cycle of life and death by Project 2501. "A copy is just an identical image. There is the possibility that a single virus could destroy an entire set of systems, and copies do not give rise to variety and originality. Life perpetuates itself through diversity, and this includes the ability to sacrifice itself when necessary. Cells repeat the process of degeneration and regeneration until one day they die, obliterating an entire set of memory and information. Only genes remain. Why continually repeat this cycle? Simply to survive by avoiding the weaknesses of an unchanging system."
Thus Ghost in the Shell goes beyond simply a prediction or warning for the future: it attempts to contribute to our understanding of reality by breaking existence down into biological terms and making us question, along with the characters in the movie, whether or not any of us has a soul. The characters in Ghost in the Shell are unusually deep and are a refreshing change from the one-dimensional stereotypes we've become numbed by in modern media. Ghost in the Shell would be required reading in many high school and university courses if it weren't for the fortuitous fact that it can be enjoyed in this beautifully animated feature film. This is one of the few movies ever made that everyone should watch at least once.
My favorite motion picture
Ghost in the Shell is set in a future not that far from today, and some think that it is an accurate portrayal of the world that will come about in that time-frame. It focuses on the idea of what will happen when technology becomes so powerful that humanity will fuse with it almost entirely. The Internet is the technology used in Ghost in the Shell to show this in the best way. When the Internet achieves such power, people start getting cybernetic brain implants to link their minds to it - thinking that it will make their life easier. However, people always fail to realize that the more complex something becomes, the higher the chances that disorders will start to arise. The Puppet Master - the so-called villain - is depicted as a type of disorder that arises from the vast sea of information created by the Internet. Being aware of it's own existence, the Puppet Master can be called conscious or even alive, a valid point that it tries to make in this film. And since it is the child born from the Internet, its goanna have access to everything linked to the Internet - meaning that it could hack into the minds of anyone who is connected. A certain hack occurs that leaves a person with fake implanted memories. But is it better to live a depressing reality or a happy and meaningful illusion?
Ghost in the Shell's two major protagonists are Kusanagi and Batou - both from an organization called Section 9, which deals with public security. A film that is quite heavy in philosophy and somewhat mediocre in action, mixed with artificial intelligence and that dark, gloomy feeling - creating the perfect recipe and making it not only my favorite anime, but also my favorite motion picture.
Mamoru Oshii's landmark Ghost in the Shell (1995) largely defined the cyberpunk genre and influenced the Matrix films in the U.S. The long-awaited sequel continues the adventures of Batou, Major Kusanagi's former assistant, who was left behind when she disappeared into the cyber-realm of the Net. With his new human partner, Togusa, Batou investigates a series of bloody murders involving gynoids, robots with sexual functions. The case leads them to the headquarters of the Locus Solus company, where Batou uncovers the evil secret behind the creation of the gynoids. Innocence includes some staggeringly beautiful CG images, especially a parade depicting characters from Chinese mythology. Oshii contrasts this glittering beauty with a Blade... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Akio Ôtsuka - Atsuko Tanaka - Tamio Ôki Director(s): Mamoru Oshii DVD Release Date: Released the 28 December 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Artist-writer Katsuhiro Ôtomo began telling the story of Akira as a comic book series in 1982 but took a break from 1986 to 1988 to write, direct, supervise, and design this animated film version. Set in 2019, the film richly imagines the new metropolis of Neo-Tokyo, which is designed from huge buildings down to the smallest details of passing vehicles or police uniforms. Two disaffected orphan teenagers--slight, resentful Tetsuo and confident, breezy Kanada--run with a biker gang, but trouble grows when Tetsuo start to resent the way Kanada always has to rescue him. Meanwhile, a group of scientists, military men, and politicians wonder what to do with a collection of withered children who possess enormous psychic powers, especially the mysterious, rarely seen Akira, whose awakening... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Mitsuo Iwata - Nozomu Sasaki - Mami Koyama Director(s): Katsuhiro Ôtomo DVD Release Date: Released the 24 July 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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A peak achievement of Japanese anime, Ninja Scroll is a propulsive mix of samurai action adventure and supernatural fantasy from writer-director Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Supernatural Best City). This is defiantly animation for grown-ups, complete with fountains of blood, plenty of naked flesh, and (in both the subtitled and dubbed versions) some decidedly strong language. (Students of Japanese language could pick up some useful expressions.) The plot sounds like a 16th century variation on the X-Files: An entire village has been wiped out by a mysterious plague and an anti-government conspiracy of invulnerable demons seems to be responsible. A wandering ninja, Jubei, and his female counterpart, Kagero, team up to defeat the plotters. Jubei is a classic reluctant hero,... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Kevin Seymour - Yoshiaki Kawajiri DVD Release Date: Released the 19 May 1998 Usually ships in 24 hours
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As the broadcast series based on Mamoru Oshii's landmark feature Ghost in the Shell continues, questions concerning the case of the mysterious Laughing Man surface once again. In "Portraitz," a possible lead takes Togusa into an institution for children suffering from "Cyberbrain Closed Shell Syndrome," a sort of computerized autism. Nothing is resolved, and the audience, like the case, is left hanging. The Laughing Man is also the subject of "Chat! Chat! Chat!"--a cheat of an episode that consists of little more than footage of chat-room denizens wrangling over the character's true identity. "Jungle Cruise" provides some rare clues to Batou's past. But after the grisly images of a war criminal from the "American Empire" who skins his victims alive, the high-pitched voices and cute... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Kenji Kamiyama DVD Release Date: Released the 23 November 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The search for the mysterious cyber-villain the Laughing Man falls by the wayside in this collection. Mamoru Oshii's original feature focused on Major Motoko Kusanagi; in the broadcast series, Batou emerges as a more complex and compelling character: Episode 16 hints at the complicated past that forged the human-cyborg fusion he ultimately became. In "Machines Desirantes," the Tachikomas, crab-like robots used by Public Security Section 9, appear to be developing individual personalities and a sense of their existence. Not surprisingly, they fear Kusanagi, but like Batou. The Tachikomas also seem to recognize some of the implications of their growing consciousness, and look to Flowers for Algernon and I, Robot for inspiration. However, their cute, childish voices--modeled... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Kenji Kamiyama DVD Release Date: Released the 25 January 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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