Power Rangers was fun, but let's get down to business, after another cinema binge I'd sat through Kong: Skull Island for a fifth time, yes, fifth, and two showings of Ghost in the Shell, a film that I've been buzzing to see since I saw the anime last week, and that obviously has a huge controversy around it that, being politically minded, I'll get to in this review, let's go.
Ghost in the Shell sets itself up a bit differently to the anime, with the awesome roof dive scene coming after the shelling sequence, which is nearly identical to the anime, but done with stunning CGI, and it is beautiful, again. That roof dive scene is also beautiful, and is a great and exciting intro to the film, that sets up both the cop element, and philosophical elements that the film has partially pulled from its inspiration. Straight away we'll get to something I think this film does better than the anime, that being the Major; the questions the film asks about what makes humanity have been somewhat simplified, but the general idea is still there, as the Major contemplates whether or not she's human. The question of sexuality is far less present here, but it too is still there, and is nicely weaved into the bigger themes, with a great scene where the Major tries to learn the ticks and intricacies of a human face, people looking for naked Scarlett Johansson should look elsewhere, as in this film she wears a skin tight thermoptic camo suit, which actually makes sense. What actually makes this Major more emotionally compelling is the mystery, as the film slowly reveals that things she's been told about her past aren't entirely true, and she sometimes has memory flashes that her makers tell her are just glitches. This mystery actually goes to a really dark place that I loved, but I can't say more than that, lest I spoil something important. Something on par with the Anime is the film's villain, Kuze, really saying anything about him is spoiler territory, but the questions about what counts as human posed in the anime with the Puppet Master have been ditched here, which would be bad if they didn't make Kuze so sympathetic, he was a great villain. Batou is in this movie, and I actually like him more here than in the anime, there's a great emotional dynamic with him and homeless dogs, and it's really sweet, while he's still as caring for the Major, being there for her whenever she needs him, and never breaking her trust. Aramaki, the director of Section 9 in this film is also way more badass than before, while Ouelet and Cutter are a great presence as the struggle between humanity and love in Ouelet and corporate inhumanity and evil in Cutter. Bear in mind. this is an adaptation, not a remake, in that the film has several sequences and ideas pulled from the 1995 film, but isn't entirely beat for beat, it's pretty impressive that they've taken so much liberty with the story, and created something that is still very much in the spirit of the original. Like I expected, the film is more action heavy, the spider tank fight is pretty awesome here, and the roof dive scene, far from having Major shoot a guy through a window, has her bursting through the window and laying waste to a few terrorists, which was rad. The diplomacy is gone, thankfully, and the moral quandaries are replaced by more emphasis on morality and corporate evil, this is undoubtedly a bit of a dumbing down, but it's understandable, since focusing on philosophy more than action would bore a majority of a modern cinema audience.
From a visual standpoint, Ghost in the Shell is an absolute marvel, the city the film takes place in is beautiful to look at, exploding with vibrant colours and detailed intricacies, the skyline and streets are alive with three dimensional billboards, and the alleys are bustling with market stalls and underground Yakuza clubs. The element of cyber augmentation is also very well done, as one of the members of Section 9 has no enhancements, and is playfully mocked for it, back street goons try to sell enhancements to passer-bys, seeing this world where the majority of people have cyber enhancements was fascinating, even if the film doesn't dwell on it, and it's all got a very Jurassic Park, resurrecting Dinosaurs vibe; quietly debating with itself if the fact that it's possible is enough to justify it, and if it poses a threat to individuality and the human soul. Again pulling from the anime, the blurring on the line between reality and fantasy is something the film plays with, adapting the story of the garbage man from the anime, and taking it to a place that, while not as thought provoking, is certainly more morbid. That gets us onto free will, which is another moral quandary the film plays with, and the idea that just because they own Major's body doesn't mean they own her mind is an interesting thing to see play out, and to see Cutter and the Hanka Corporation seek to manipulate her mind in order to control her. Enough Philosophy though, let's talk action, because hell yes, this film's action scenes are fun. The opening action scene with the roof dive is awesome, but there's a brilliant scene in a Yakuza club that's awesome, where Major kicks a few arses while handcuffed to a stripper's pole, and the climactic fight with the spider tank is really entertaining, and has some hefty emotional weight. In all honesty, I actually prefer this to the anime, since while the anime was good at being philosophical, this film is more evenly split between that and just flat out entertaining action, and again, it's impressive that they haven't really altered what worked in the anime that much, while making a film that's more engaging to an action hungry audience. Being longer than the anime, there is more room to play, and the film makes good use of it, the slower scenes from the anime that are in this film are less slow, and the action scenes are more evenly spaced in the film, and the scene I mentioned earlier where Major studies someone's face is a great scene for this film, that plays with its philosophical ideas, while bringing some more feels for the Major. And then there's of course the music, which is seriously great, the familiar Ghost in the Shell chorus from the anime is here, now in the credits rather than the shelling scene, and it's great, but the film just has good music overall, consistently getting the job done throughout the film.
Like the anime, Ghost in the Shell is a film that makes you ask some heavy questions, but while doing that, it's a film that tries its hardest to be entertaining, and it gets that right too. It has a fantastic lead in Major, great side characters in Batou, Ouelet and Aramaki, and a solid villain in Kuze. The film is visually stunning, brimming with detail and creativity, with top notch visual effects to bring it all to life, and tells an interesting and entertaining story that's different to the anime, while keeping what made that anime so good, and, in my opinion, having better characters. Ghost in the Shell is a film I actually enjoyed more than the anime, and it's definitely worth watching.
*Political rambling incoming, take cover.
And now, something less fun, politics. It's pretty much impossible to know about this film and not know about all the accusations of whitewashing that came its way when Scarlet Johansson was cast as the Major. And as usual, I have an opinion on the matter. Let's get right into the meat of this nonsense, Scarlet Johansson, a white actress, was cast in the role of Motoko Kusanagi, who, if you couldn't tell from the name, is Japanese, and this is an issue for some people. Ghost in the Shell is a film coming from Dreamworks and Paramount, two American film companies, and like I said in my review of The Great Wall, another film accused of whitewashing, that means American money. That money has to come from somewhere, and the people it comes from tend to want a return on that money, which is something the studio also wants, so they can secure the funds for future projects. And despite what anyone says to the contrary, big movie names can and do sell tickets, it's the reason Matt Damon, a famous American actor, was in The Great Wall, and Scarlett Johansson, a famous American actress, and an Avenger, bear in mind, is in Ghost in the Shell. There's even more justification for this however, since this isn't a Japanese film; would you also argue that Godzilla was whitewashed, actually, you probably would. Godzilla and Ghost in the Shell and even going back to The Ring are not Japanese films, they are merely adaptations, and liberties are bound to be taken to make them more appealing to western audiences, therefore hopefully getting a return for the investors. The best bit about Ghost in the Shell is, if you watch the film, the so called 'whitewashing' actually makes complete sense in the context of the story, which makes this bullshit even more null. It's an effort motivated not by a love of films, but a need to get a foot in the door, a need to force ideological conformity in media. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy digging into politics and identity politics, but I enjoy films more, and I don't want progressive crap ruining them anymore, Ghost in the Shell is a very enjoyable film, can't it just stay that way? can't it not be dragged into this Social Justice bollocks? So to wrap up, the issue isn't that Ghost in the Shell is whitewashed, the issue is that whitewashing is bullshit, and it always will be, so let's get back to enjoying films, shall we.
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