GHOST IN THE SHELL REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Based on the cult-classic 1995 anime of the same name, Ghost In The Shell is a live-action remake filled with plenty of thrilling action, stunning visuals and a solid leading performance from Scarlett Johansson as the lead character, Major Motoko Kusanagi. 

In the near future, Major (Johansson) is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible crash, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world's most dangerous criminals. When terrorism reaches a new level that includes the ability to hack into people's minds and control them, Major is uniquely qualified to stop it. As she prepares to face a new enemy, Major discovers that she has been lied to: her life was not saved, it was stolen. She will stop at nothing to recover her past, find out who did this to her and stop them before they do it to others.

It's hard to say whether fans of the original will be impressed with this remake. From what I've seen of the original, I think this remake remains true to its original source in terms of the characters, narrative and overall tone of the film. This version of Ghost In The Shell manages to capture the beauty of Japan through visually stunning cinematography which is directed by Jess Hall. In the original, the unique style of animation was what stood out the most so it's understandable that the visuals are the most impressive aspect of the remake. Hall captures certain shots from the original including Major standing on top of a building. Ghost In The Shell also features an eye-popping cityscape of bright neon, complete with holographic figures that stand as tall as the skyscrapers, who impose their marketing messages on a population who have access to telepathic communications. 

Because the main character is Japanese, there was a lot of controversy when it was announced that Johannson would be portraying her. However, with her blonde tresses dyed black and with a deadpan expression throughout the film, Johansson gives an effective performance as Major and, with most of her roles, captures her bravery and determination. She is best known for portraying Black Widow in the Avengers films and her role here is similar to the performance she gave in 2013 drama, Under The Skin, as an alien in a human body that seduces men. It's because of roles like this why Johannson is the go-to choice for portraying strong leading female characters. 

The rest of the cast is diverse with the cast ranging from Denmark (Pilou Asbæk) to France (Juliette Binoche). However, the majority of the actors range from Japan including Takeshi Kitano as Aramanki and Chin Han as Togusa. The performances are all solid and there's not a bad performance to be found.

Despite the original receiving a 15 rating in the UK (R in the US), director Rupert Sanders, who previously directed Snow White and the Huntsman, has toned down the heavy violence and explicit nudity. Because of this, Ghost In The Shell is a 12A (PG-13 in the US). I can't understand why Sanders opted to go down this route as I think that the strong violence is what made the original memorable. While there are plenty of thrilling action, impressive stunts, shoot-outs and car chases. I don't think it compares to the original. Moderate portrayals of violence with some details, are depicted, albeit justified by context. Said portrayals of violence also include some infliction of pain and injury but they are not detailed, intense or prolonged. I do think that if there was more violence featured, it would've been more effective. 
Because I hadn't seen the original Ghost In The Shell before viewing the remake, I had no idea what to expect. However, I was pleasantly surprised and I enjoyed all the action that featured in the film. From what I've seen of the original through clips and trailers, I can understand why it's become a classic and is one of the best anime films ever created. Despite this, I think that anime films are incredibly underrated, due to more popular animated films produced by Disney and Pixar. Before this remake was even announced, I wouldn't have thought of watching Ghost In The Shell, however, because I enjoyed watching this live-action version, I'm now considering giving it a watch to see why it's so popular. For those who don't see the point in remakes and/or see them as a way to earn more money at the box office, I'd like to disagree and say that it's a way of honouring the original while having enough differences to make it worth a watch. If it wasn't for the release of the remake, I probably wouldn't have thought twice about the original.
Ghost In The Shell may not be one of the best films released this year but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad film. Far from it, actually. It's a thoughtful piece of science-fiction that has an uncomfortable relevance to today's society. No, this remake isn't without its flaws but, honestly, I'm yet to see a film that doesn't have any minor flaws. However, Ghost In The Shell works as an action filled science fiction that is sure to entertain those who appreciate those genres. Fans of Johannson won't be disappointed with her performance here as she gives another portrayal of a strong and brave leading female protagonist. The visuals are stunning and capture the beauty of Japan, through established shots. This remake isn't as good as the original but that was never the intention. The intention was to create a thrilling action feature film that is appealing to fans and also create interest in people who are unfamiliar with the original 1995 anime. And with that, I think that Ghost In The Shell has succeeded.
7/10