The film has had a lot of controversy thrown at it in the United States since its reveal, from accusations of racism to the usual fears that have come from previous anime films such as 2007's 'Dragonball Evolution'. The so called 'whitewashing' the film has been accused of does not seem to have much weight other than here in the states, which is ironic when considering the manga/anime's country of origin Japan has very little issues with the film's casting. In the end, you must judge the movie based upon the script and what you see on the screen, and I just felt I needed to get this little tidbit out the way before we deep dive in.
The film tells the story of 'The Major', a cybernetically enhanced soldier who's past are a mystery to her. When a cyber terrorist nicknamed 'Kuze' begins to target members of the HANKA corporation, Major must learn the secrets behind the attacks and of her mysterious origins. The 1995 anime dealt with very deep and thought provoking themes about the human soul and what exactly makes one human among other subjects. 'GITS 2017' does retain much of those themes, although it suffers from Hollywood watering them down to a certain degree. I understand that this film is meant to be a mainstream blockbuster, however those discussions are the heart and soul of the franchise and its a shame to lose some aspects of that.
The film is without a doubt absolutely beautiful to gaze upon, with its 'Blade Runner' style billboards and neon lights its sure to please you with eye candy alone. The film's special effects in general are very well put together. Normally, I dislike extreme use of CGI in films as of late, however with this one it all blends really well and includes several practical effects to give the film more a more realistic and grounded feel. The folks at WETA workshop did some great work here. The score is also worth mentioning with its strong techno vibes along with the classic theme I only wish there was more of it throughout the film, rather than at special intervals.
The performances here are what really surprised me the most. While not being the biggest fan of Scarlett Johannson, I got to give it to her she does a good job here. She personifies the curiosity and frustration of Major in more ways than I thought they would even explore. Her ethnicity notwithstanding, I go with the performance and that was good. Her co-stars work well too, with Pilou Asbæk as Batou playing him to a T. Michael Pitt's Kuze could have been given some better aspects, such as character or even more screen time. However, he's kind of relegated to the background with the real villains being the stereotypical big company HANKA executives. It's an all too familiar bash on big business Hollywood likes to use too often and its just tired.
One more mention of the racism controversy. The film has a reveal towards the end that many have found disturbing and concrete proof of their fears that they don't cast Asian leads on purpose. While we will not spoil it for you here, I must address this quickly as this is a film site, not a political one. The bottom line is, would this film have been the exact same script and visuals if it did or did not have ScarJo or the others? Highly likely and because of this I have to be honest and say in this instance, I don't see this film as 'racist'. If anything the believe that those of certain genders, ethnicities etc. can not enjoy a film without others of their own kind in it I feel is racist in of itself. Again, just needed to discuss this quickly.
Overall, how is 'Ghost in the Shell 2017'? It's a very visually oriented film with decent performances and I think it did the anime and manga series justice. Whether or not the controversy bothers you enough to skip, I have no control over that and you are entitled to that opinion. As a film however, I recommend it and can't wait to see it again soon.
GHOST IN THE SHELL (2017):
( A )
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