GHOST IN THE SHELL
A film review by Jeff Williamson
Copyright 1996 Jeff Williamson
I've been a backer of anime on the big screen as far back as AKIRA (1989). To me, there's an incredible difference between watching a videotape or laserdisc on a small screen in your living room and sitting in a darkened theater, staring up at a gigantic movie screen.
GHOST IN THE SHELL marks the first occasion on which I have seen anime on the big screen *first*; that is to say, before seeing it in a home video form. Is it worth it? Indeed.
Over a year ago, I had occasion to see a remarkable fan-subtitle of the PATLABOR 2 movie. It was my first conscious exposure to Mamoru Oshii's work (I still haven't seen ANGEL'S EGG), though I've since realized I have seen other Oshii films. PATLABOR 2 may be the single best anime movie I have ever seen; one which is fully deserving of a big-screen treatment in America. It is a profound political, philosophical, and psychological statement. For similar reasons, GHOST IN THE SHELL is worth seeing.
Initial reviews had me blase about seeing the film; some folk were apparently not too impressed. "Too talky," I heard. "The character designs aren't anything like Shirow's." "The story is nothing like the manga." All of these criticisms are true to one degree or another, but whether they detract from or enhance the viewing experience is up to the individual.
GITS is a very Oshii-esque film. Replete with meaningful monologues and multi-layered symbolism, it weaves subtle imagery to expound upon Darwinian evolution, religion, the nature of life and sentience, and man's role in relation to technology. Oshii has taken Shirow's heavy cyberpunk backdrop and melded it into a philosophical film which owes more than a little nod to Ridley Scott's BLADE RUNNER. Gone are most of the one-liner interplays between the characters; instead, they make intense intellectual speeches. The dense city design is combined with fascinating pieces such as the stitches from a tank's cannon ripping up a mural which represents the evolutionary hierarchy...and stopping just short of "HOMINIS" at the top of the chart.
Technically, the film is also excellent. Kenji Kawai's haunting score overlays the opening credits and an interior montage, recalling moments in AKIRA. The English voice actors deserve a great deal of credit for what is one of the five best anime dubs I've seen. The animation is nothing short of superb.
The film has its flaws. In an early scene, Kusanagi's speech to Togusa on technology seems somewhat flat, or perhaps forced. The points Oshii has his characters make act as slower bridges between the action sequences. But each are entertaining to watch in their own right.
Some notable points:
o The English voice of the Puppetmaster is amazing. It gave me chills.
o Bateau gets the best humorous lines.
o Kusanagi's voice is potentially the weakest, although I found myself wondering if the flat delivery didn't fit the cyborg character better.
This is another triumph of Japanese animated cinema.
OVERALL GRADE: A-
-- Jeff Williamson *** Lightfall Integrated Media *** Chicago, IL E-mail: docangst@mcs.com *@_@* http://www.mcs.net/~docangst/3w/ac/
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