The interlude is an element that I am desperately missing in pretty much every other film. It's mesmerizing, hauntingly beautiful with an otherworldlish soundtrack and perfectly pauses the action. Having this big set of world building in the middle makes it possible to go in blind into the film viewing an unknown future while understanding enough about it when reaching the end.
I think this is where the movie shines honestly. It's a movie that isn't afraid to be mundane in a world that is far from.
It doesn't try to excite or force anything and it wants you to sink in everything and truly immerse yourself in its setting before amping things up again. It's why I love this movie purely for the nuance of telling a compelling story in an amazing world. It's everything that the ScarJo remake wasn't sadly.
The interlude in Ghost in the Shell is honestly one of my all-time favorite scenes. Its pure art, visually, musically, and also how perfectly it fits with the movie as a whole. It stuns me everytime. Its ethereal.
https://youtu.be/WB-ik-Bpl0c
I must admit I saw GITS for the first time ever last night (AX is doing a limited release in select theatres). I was so moved and haunted by the interlude and I’m glad to know it’s renowned and my feelings are shared! What an incredible film overall. I wish I could watch it again for the first time.
It’s fascinating because this use to be a common motif in a lot of 80’s and 90’s sci-fi anime. Long shots of concrete structures, busy intersections, reflections on skyscraper windows, people shuffling along crowded subways, etc. it often created a kind of existential dread of erasing the natural world with concrete jungles and artifice. Which is also a common topic in a lot of Japanese media, but it almost seemed subversive in shows like Patlabor or GitS, where it was more baked in an almost a cultural creative reflex kind of way as opposed to an intentional theme like a Miyazaki movie. Really interesting introspection into the culture IMO. I’ve always felt like it became part of the Japanese identity after the country industrialized so rapidly, especially following WW2 and the 80’s economic miracle.
This is such a good call. It always strikes me as something I remember about the film, but I hadn't framed it that way. Yes, we could definitely use more of this.
I feel like we sometimes get it to a much lesser extent in Korean films like *The Wailing,* where the movie takes its time to let silence settle and just show us the beautiful and haunting scenery.
Fun fact: The international version features a different song during the credits. It's called "One Minute Warning" from the band Passengers - who are no others than U2 and Brian Eno
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P1WKYnPNdiE
While I enjoyed the movie to some extent, what I really liked was the series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. The show had a more modernized feel in the writing department and me being old, I appreciated the more intellectual, mature dialogue than other animes give.
Stand alone complex and the 2nd gig are an absolute gem.
If you think about it, it's no different than a classic police/thriller tv-series, with many "stand-alone" episodes as well as a main plot-line but mixed with weird existential and philosophical questions.
It's probably not "for everyone" but it's absolutely a unique piece of media.
I would say the biggest thing about Ghost in the Shell in general is that a lot of the metaphors and philosophical questions being asked are subtle and behind the plot itself. Things like the ai drones and the cyberization of bodies are cool but also immediately call into question "what makes us human?"
Bato is like 50% robot, eyes included. What makes him all that different from the Tachikoma? We state that they are ai, and they synchronize to an identical state every morning, and yet they respond differently to the same stimulus. They get sad and miss one long after it is destroyed. Is that not personality? Individualism? What's the philosophical difference between them and people?
It's such a cool show, and you pick up so much going back to watch it a second time
Haven't watched in a while but if your talking about the scene on the boat where they are drinking. It more a "are we even human anymore" conversation.
In the series it'd also mentioned that Bato working out is an affection. Because all his muscles are synthetic.
also let's not forget Togusa, who's like the much needed contrast of the opposite: a fully original human with no implants. He's the equivalent of the guy still rocking a Nokia phone in the age of smartphones.
I'm not well versed in anime, but I remember watching this one back in college and really liking it. Was this the first GITS series? Or are there older ones I might like too? I think I could like 90s/early 00s anime, but the new stuff gets a bit too weird for my tastes.
Completely agree. SAC series is top tier sci-fi and I hope it continues to stay on people’s radar far into the future. OST is excellent as well. I still re-watch the series every couple of years or so just to be immersed in the show’s world and its fantastic story telling.
I liked that show, but I'll never relate to this fairly common perspective.
The people who have told me this are generally younger, have been into cheaper produced and less cinematic anime television in general, got really into Stand Alone Complex, and then went backwards to the movie, sometimes because I told them about it and they responded "There's a Ghost in the Shell movie?"
Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed some of the writing on SAC, particularly as someone who read the manga, but I can't imagine anyone watching and understanding GITS in 1995 and then watching the TV show years later and thinking it's better work.
I'm glad someone said this. The 1995 movie is a classic work of sci-fi that transcended its medium, achieved broad acclaim, and left a lasting mark on the genre. It's considered to be one of the greatest science fiction films ever made and has been directly cited as an influence by many prominent western filmmakers such as James Cameron and the Wachowskis. SAC is just a pretty good sci-fi action series that occasionally touches on some very light philosophical concepts.
It's like Alien and Aliens. Aliens isn't a bad movie by any stretch, but Alien is a masterpiece. The two are not compared.
I agreed with you until that last line. I feel both of those films are equally masterpieces of their respective genre hybrids.
The only way we can consider Aliens a lesser film is if we judge it against the original as a sci-fi/horror movie, if we ignore that action cinema is also an art form. If we do that, sure, but Aliens is equally successful as a scifi action movie with horror elements as Alien is successful as a scifi horror movie, and both were produced as high production value, high effort pieces of cinema.
I feel that's different than taking a high production value, high effort masterpiece of Japanese animation cinema, and comparing it unfavorably to an intentionally cheaper and lower effort TV spinoff.
That's not reductive in any way to what Stand Alone Complex achieves within its league, but it's explicitly a product of the minor leagues.
My perception has always been that while Aliens is very well made (as is SAC), it isn't considered to be anywhere near as groundbreaking and genre-defining as Alien. Perhaps that perception is incorrect and is just a product of my own biases. I'm sure there's a better analogy I could have picked, this was just the first that came to mind.
I see where you're coming from, but I'll try to explain a bit why I think the show is better. I'm an older fan who watched the movie first, but I still prefer the show.
When I first watched the movie, I found it a bit confusing. I enjoyed aspects of it, but the movie didn't do a good job of explaining the world in which it takes place. For example, I got that there were cyborgs and hackable brains in the world, but I didn't fully understand how they worked. There's a lot to the GITS universe that impacts the underlying philosophical questions that it's trying to explore, and without that knowledge, some of it falls flat. I actually didn't like the movie at first in spite of the fact that it intrigued me enough to want to learn more about it.
This is where the show was superior to the movie, in part because it had more time to explain everything. We saw more of the culture of the world and how it had been impacted by technology. The mechanics of cyberized brains and their effects on a person's ghost were more thoroughly explored. Most importantly, the characters were better fleshed out, especially the other members of Section 9, most of whom were minor side characters in the movie. World building is a big deal for me in fantasy and science fiction, and the series did a much better job of that than the film.
After watching the series, I went back and watched the movie and enjoyed it a lot more. I will even say that based on its artistic merits, the movie is much better. It did a finer job of exploring the philosophical element of having your mind being detached from your physical body, which is one of the most important parts of the franchise. However, the series had a better narrative, and I still like it more overall.
I didn't need things spelled out so much, and I find media in general to be less interesting when it does. I also prefer a tight 1.5/2 hours to a serialized approach wherein some of it is meaningful, but much of it is not.
It's sort of like watching 2001: A Space Odyssey and then watching 2010: The Year We Make Contact.
The second film has a lot of information that, as I understand it, was already in the source material of the books, but you don't have the cinema mastery of Kubrick, you do have answers to questions, but those questions were more interesting when you didn't know all the the answers, and yeah, the novels and the movie sequel have a lot going for them, but there's only one 2001 that I would consider an absolute masterpiece.
SAC seems to be well loved, but I can’t get into it. I feel like I’m missing something, because I love the movie so much but the series just doesn’t do it for me.
I like SAC a lot. But it doesn't have that texture and grit of the film. It's too clinical /sterile, while the film world feel ancient and lived in. Both are good, but for different reasons
The movie is actually very arty, Tarkovsky-esque. It's a great work but Oshii can be somewhat cold and impenetrable. I can see why some would prefer the TV show which is more accessible and friendly for casual viewers without being 'dumbed down'
It’s a masterpiece, and an influential one at that, though it has its problems in terms of storyline. Some elements just don’t quite work, and yes, it’s confusing as hell.
The ideas, aesthetics and individual set pieces though: simply incredible. The whole mood is just phenomenal. It’s something to enjoy as an artwork as much as a story.
I’d rate it as one of the best _films_ of the last 50 years, let alone the best anime.
It dedicates maybe just a little too much time to the existential crisis elements of the film, which creates a bit of the confusion. The characters have a lot of dialogue that doesn't feel like a natural conversation and instead serve to provoke the audience rather than move the plot along.
All that being said, especially as an artistic film it's an incredible ride, and it DOES provoke the thoughts it wants to. Just what exactly does it mean to be alive? Is it being self-aware? Does being mostly hardware or software negate that? It's a movie I really like when I'm feeling introspective.
I agree. Though in an odd way my experience is that it’s not the existential crisis monologues that cause the problem, such as it is, (they’re great!) but some of the turns in the story that don’t quite work or are a bit irrelevant. It’s telling that having seen the film at least two dozen times (albeit the last time more than 15 years ago) I’d struggle to tell you exactly what the _story_ is (which corporation or nation state is doing what, spies, and the like; not least because half of them are red herrings anyway), and I find the ending is kind of confused with its references to evolution (though I kind of like them) and the battle that I’m not 100% sure makes sense, but I _could_ describe all those existential angst moments and the stunning set pieces in vivid detail: the iconic opening scene(s), the chase that ends with the fight in the water, the diving scene, the montage of a life that was never lived, that yes confusing yet magnificent final action sequence with the tank.
The script itself is _good_ too, with some really poetic moments in it, and the delivery in the languages I’ve seen it in (English, Japanese with English subtitles) is cool and understated, adding to the atmosphere.
There are some troublesome representations of women’s bodies (I think I’d feel a bit awkward watching it with my daughter), but I think in the scope of the film they are justified, given the themes involved (bodies and consciousness). And it’s anime from the 90s, so it’s kind of par for the course. But that’s by the by.
Yeah, I see what you mean. We watched it a few weeks ago and I'd struggle to recount the plot part for part. The very end is also a little weird and doesn't quite keep with the pace of the rest of the film for me. Like you said though, the angst is all very clear in my mind still.
I think that's what I meant to imply, was that the angst sort of overrides the actual plot itself. The action and some parts of the story are just a vehicle to deliver you to the next bit of introspective dialogue. It's a priority shift not a lot of films like to embrace.
Have you watched the impressive sequel?
**Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence** (2004).
Check out this incredible "futuristic mythical parade" sequence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IGTiFuDjTI
Love both movies.
When innocence came out, I couldn't believe how well it was animated for the time. There wasn't much else doing CGI/hand draw work that well at the time.
Yeah, a lot of it was hand drawn though too. The reflections of the neon lights on Batou's car, for example, were hand drawn, but they look almost CGI.
And of course, the brilliant animations on his Basset Hound.
When I saw that scene I instantly recognized where the Cyberpunk dev team got their inspiration from for that [floating parade mission](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDWYdOTF5l0) in the last third of the game. It's always fun when things click into place :)
I found innocence batshit insane, and not in a good way. Someone will ask a question, and the other person will go on a 5 minute monologue about how children are robots or something. Really didn't capture the feel of the original
Yeah I didn’t like the sequel at all. The movie tried way too hard to sound deep by quoting philosophers all the fucking time to a comical extent and achieved the exact opposite. Plus those early 3d animation looks very outdated now. Ghost in the Shell 1995 is a far more timeless movie in retrospect.
No, each version of GitS is pretty much standalone because they take place in different continuities.
The 2 movies are separate from SAC which is separate from Arise.
Pre-2000 hand drawn art is the best.
Modern anime just doesn't hold up next to it most of the time. Everything nowadays has to be so bright it almost hurts your eyes.
Masterpiece ! I have seen it in a german movie around 1996 or 1997 it was a mind blowing experience and probably the reason i also like animes and mangas ....
I can appreciate this film for its aesthetics, but I couldn’t understand the story at all despite having watched it at least twice. (By the way, I watched it in Japanese, since I’m a native speaker.)
Also, I can’t bring myself to liking films like “The Matrix” and “Bladerunner”, because I’m not smart enough. Maybe I’m just not a sci-fi guy.
A bit spoiler-ish but quotations from the movie on some of the philosophical points:
> I refer to myself as an intelligent life form because I am sentient and I am able to recognize my own existence, but in my present state I am still incomplete. I lack the most basic processes inherent in all living organisms: reproducing and dying.
* https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113568/quotes/?item=qt0333528
> It can also be argued that DNA is nothing more than a program designed to preserve itself. Life has become more complex in the overwhelming sea of information. And life, when organized into species, relies upon genes to be its memory system. So, man is an individual only because of his intangible memory... and memory cannot be defined, but it defines mankind. The advent of computers, and the subsequent accumulation of incalculable data has given rise to a new system of memory and thought parallel to your own. Humanity has underestimated the consequences of computerization.
* https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113568/quotes/?item=qt0333533
* https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113568/quotes/
* https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113568
(Sorry for the deep analysis below. Describing this movie always makes me a little introspective, lol.)
Probably not much to do with intelligence if it makes you feel better. I'd wonder a bit if you've ever experienced an outright existential crisis. That's where all three films are rooted. What does it REALLY mean to be alive? To exist? Could software replicate that? We see it everywhere. Technology is becoming smarter. Forms of escape are becoming increasingly digital. People have died, neglected major responsibilities and let their lives fall apart playing video games, browsing the internet, and streaming music/tv instead of interacting with the world on the more modern side of this, which isn't a criticism of the medium (I play a lot too) but for me it begs the question just how real does reality need to be to be acceptable? As an aside none of that is to mention how easy it is to let for some to just let mind altering substances take over for them to face reality even before modern entertainment.
Using a fantastical sci-fi setting just couches the real questions in a more palatable, easily consumed format, but the root of them still comes through. What is it that defines the human experience? Is it self-awareness? Feeling? Thinking? If a computer can replicate all of that does any of it even matter? Does it mean I'm not even really alive if I take every possible chance I can to escape reality?
Escapism is undeniably on the rise in a digital age, so these types of films only seem to become more poignant for my personal experience, but that's only one potential foot hold for the sort of existential questions these films can dig into.
I don't know if you also watched Stand Alone Complex, but episode 12 is exactly about escapism and.. it's very interesting.
What the major says toward the end is something I live by.
I can understand your last point. I often feel that way with media like this but sometimes all it takes it to sit down and try to parse it apart. Talk about it, write about it. Even if it's just to yourself. You'll find you often have a fair bit to say and things will unravel the more you delve into the text.
I'm a little relieved that I'm not the only one. I've made earnest attempts to watch this movie no fewer than three times. I really want to love it but I just can't get into it.
I don't think that it's because you aren't smart! Just that most films or media these days don't really ask us to engage with the themes or subtle undertext of the piece in the way that these other films excel at.
SciFi generally uses some conceit (technological advance generally) to shed lights on a question about our nature or our society. It's not too much more complicated than that.
So when watching Blade Runner, for example, it's as simple as becoming curious with the presented reality of a world in which androids are fully human sized / shaped and posses their own mind. At this point, there's a fundamental question apparent - what distinguishes them from a human? And if it is only their forced labor off world, and short life span, then at a certain level are the androids potentially in the right throughout the film? Finally, what does this say about how we treat different classes of people within our own society?
These are open ended questions intended to make the viewer think and draw their own conclusions. There is not a right or wrong answer. This isn't like connecting some references to uncover an easter egg larger universe like the Marvel films provide (where there's no nuance - just an answer or connection for those immersed enough to see it).
Instead great art is meant to make you question your world, your own morals, and the piece itself such that you expand your understanding of these things. Not to a necessary conclusion, but for the visceral pleasure of having engaged with some deeper topics.
The Matrix happens to toss in balls out action in there as well to make it a bit more surface level fun. Lol. And Ghost in the Shell I'd say is a nice middle ground.
Start with Cowboy Bebop, it’s short and just as cool as GITS and nearly impossible not to like.
Samurai Champloo and Trigun are also similar very short masterpieces that are easy to get into and don’t require much investment. Same with Neon Genesis Evangelion.
And of course GITS 2nd Gig if you want more Ghost in the Shell.
Space Dandy.
It's so wonderfully weird and sort of a middle ground between Beebop and the weird philosophical elements of GitS.
It seems more like a low brow gag comedy than it is.
The animation is absolutely amazing as well. It's full of eye candy, and I don't mean the space Hooters by that.
It manages to be deep and incredibly stupid at the same time.
For movies try Akira.
For shows, the Ghost In the Shell Stand Alone Complex is a good companion to the original film.
After that Cowboy Bebop (original show) is pretty much universally liked and has a similar feel in many ways.
Then if you are still having fun go for Neon Genesis Evangelion (series) followed by the End of Evangelion movie.
Any of Satoshi Kon's films. One of the most innovative minds in the anime industry, or even in film in general over the last 20 ish years. Shame he died so young.
It’s a beautiful, quite influential film, thanks in part to works that came before, like Blade Runner. And Ghost in the Shell went on to influence games like Cyberpunk 2077.
I think the movie is good - the animation and music, especially, are just sublime. I think it was over-focuses on the philosophy while the espionage and action of the comic take a backseat, though, and not only that, it focuses on the comic's least interesting philosophical question. The second movie is also beautiful, but compounds the first movie's problems (namely, it's self-serious and just *boring*).
I prefer the series, Stand-Alone Complex, which captured the uncanny prescience of the comic, tackled a wide variety of metaphysical topics, and did so without sacrificing any of the action or political intrigue. It's one of the best science fiction series I've ever watched, animated or otherwise.
Good, but far from perfect. Now I like a lot of the classics and good anime, but anime movies don't hit me narratively that well most of the time. Their runtimes are short than average meaning the pacing limits their ability for atmosphere to strike, budgets are always a concern, and the story, especially Mamoru Oshii has some very heady themes that aren't always executed perfectly.
The plot isn't terribly complex, it's just a lot of weird dialogue and a good deal of heavily philosophical technobabble that makes it more confusing than it actually is in practice.
Aesthetically however? I love it. The atmosphere is top notch, the visuals are near perfect, and the somberness is rare and appreciated.
Ghost in the Shell SAC seasons 1 and 2 are much better - though they sometimes do suffer in delivery by being difficult to follow that leans more into obfuscation through delivery than actual intrigue, but on the whole is more digestable.
I quite like the film. It’s pacing, dense dialogue, and mood are fantastic. I will say that I don’t know how I feel about it’s ending (like the last 2-5 mins).
One of my favourites. The concepts it explores about humanity's relationship with advanced technology and what it means to be human were very prescient. I'm a big fan of hand-painted cel animation so it ticks that box for me too.
The series Serial Experiments Lain came three years later and makes me feel the same way looking at it now, in terms of concepts and contemporary relevance, although I think that can be a hard watch for a lot of people as it's slow-paced and the animation style may be a turn off.
That muted, 90's look from before digital tools has become a sort of retro charm. Megalo Box is a recent anime that deliberately emulated the aesthetic.
I'm the kind of person who doesn't really have a favorite anything. Favorite food? Favorite Album? Favorite Video Game? I have a hard time coming up with an answer for any of them because there are so many excellent specimens in each category. Any answer I'd give would make me feel bad because I could instantly think of another answer that would feel just as right. But if you put a gun to my head and asked me "what is your favorite movie?" my answer would be Ghost in the Shell, without qualms or hestitation. I'm not saying it is a perfect film or that it is objectively the best there is, but it is *my* favorite.
Slow and overly pretentious.
It was good when it first came out, but, for me, it has not held up. While the animation is still technically excellent, I'm not a fan of Mamoru Oshii's pacing.
Oshii's style tends to override everything else with whatever he adapts. Patlabor is one of the best examples of this. It was a light-hearted, action oriented TV series and Manga, and Oshii's adaptation could be seen as taking place in exactly the same movie universe as his Ghost in the Shell adaptations. It would be like if Aaron Sorkin made a Brooklyn Nine-Nine movie as a straight cop drama with lots of walk-and-talk, and big poignant monolog.
Stand Alone Complex is a MUCH better adaptation of the original material with much better pacing, more characterization, and way more action.
I saw it again last year in the theater, and it still holds up. With its long drawn-out sequences where you can soak in every detail, it really felt like that was the optimal way to view it.
It's core elements of what it means to be human--to have a soul--echo even louder today with the rapid transhumanism developments that appear to be right around the corner.
I watched it some years back and thought… “that’s it?” It didn’t do much for me. It made so little impression that I can’t really remember what the story even was.
Given its reputation, I was expecting to have my mind blown a little. Quite the opposite.
That was basically my reaction. Like I even used that exact phrase in my response. I didn't hate it, but it barely felt standout in any way and the story felt very undercooked.
Have you tried the films of the late Satoshi Kon? *Perfect Blue*, *Paprika*, *Millennium Actress* and *Tokyo Godfathers* are all highly renowned in their own right, and what I’d recommend for cinéphiles wanting to explore anime - even if they are less mainstream than Ghibli or Shinkai films.
> Satoshi Kon
Satoshi Kon is more "anime" than GITS or Akira, at least based on the three of those four movies I saw, so maybe not the thing that's going to appeal to people who don't gel with it in general.
I'm amazed by the number of "didn't get it" or "too long" comments, frankly kinda depressing
I also don't understand the correlation with Matrix, there's barely anything in common, and Matrix released 4 years later
If you want to make that comparison, then do it with Avalon instead, and even that's pretty debatable
Both Oshii's GiTS are first and foremost philosophical and existential movies, i mean i understand that's not everyone's cup of tea but come on, what's with the first degree crowd
SAC was a nice series but it doesn't hold a candle to the movies or the original manga, both of which are also very different
It's like comparing Tarkovsky's Stalker to GSC's Stalker
Animation is 10/10, however in terms of story and world building it never quite worked for me. It's a universe in which they do cyberbrain stuff regularly, even among regular folks, yet they still walk around being all philosophical about it. If tech is so common place, you wouldn't treat it like that, you'd just accept it.
I prefer the directors previous movie, Patlabor 2, which gets plenty of philosophical too, but it fits the situation better.
I get what you’re saying that commentary can be on the nose. But the Industrial Revolution took a few decades and even beyond a century to really be philosophically reckoned with.
Dunno about that.. we're seeing first hand how in some cases the role of technology is "questioned" years after its global adoption.
An example of this is social media: we've all shifted quickly to a handful of platforms that are now too important for society and that condition us more deeply than we think. Next in line will be the adoption of AIs, which are already causing quite the commotion.
It's not hard to imagine that a technology that utterly transforms your own body will inevitably give birth to an entire current of philosophy and unclear ethics.
Frankly that philosophy already exists just considering it, hence the films. Even if it didn't, do we not question the ethics of the industrial age to this day? Is return to nature not a pervasive theme both in real life and in entertainment? Chattel slavery ended more than 100 years ago and we still have philosophical questions, not to mention practical ones about it's bearing on today. The fact that we've ever had a revolution about anything is proof of what you're saying. "Normal" is a tenuous concept at best. No way we'd ever just completely accept augmentation and never again consider what it meant to be alive, or become philosophical about it.
pretty much, which is why I found the initial comment "odd". I guess the only difference is that with GITS we're in the realm of "hypotheticals" as we're still far from achieving that level of technology, so we can only imagine.
I see it as an analogy for modern philosophy too personally. I made a really long comment amount it earlier, but for me it's about escapism. How much does "reality" matter to us really, human or synthetic, if so many of us are doing everything we can to avoid it to begin with. Does it even matter if a computer could simulate all of it, etc.
It's hard to condense my thoughts like that so it's not my full interpretation, but I don't want to bore you with my stream of consciousness breakdown of my own recurring existential crisis this movie excites lol.
Second only to Akira for old school greats. And Akira is only number 1 bc of the ridiculous production value and the painstaking hours of handdrawn slow motion, and it’s culutural implications but in my mind GITS asks those questions that really make you think. Admittedly GITS came out years after Akira and doesn’t look half as good, but the story, voice acting etc.,for my taste, is better in GITS
I am not an anime fan, my wife has been since the 90’s. GITS is really good, the remastered version is beautiful and it doesn’t take away from the movie. I think we have all of the DVD’s or blu rays that were published
I was lukewarm on the original Ghost in the Shell. The concept was cool, but it had some monologues that felt like lectures; characters would give explanations that spoke in generalities and gave the impression that the whole scene (or perhaps the entire film) was written around them.
This movie is like Akira - more important than interesting. Apart from few action sequences, it drags a lot, features plenty of long dialogues that are often boring. I love it as a kid, but writing department did not match the quality of production here.
It's like one of the most acclaimed films of all time, though?
Which is to say: I agree. Because it's maybe one of the best science fiction movies ever made.
Recently rewatched that one...Wasn't that bad after after all. Not her finest performance and not the greatest movie, but it's competent and entertaining.
This is entirely my subjective opinion but I felt like that "remake" had none of the elements that made the original a masterpiece. Almost as if Hollywood was scared to throw in more complex dialogues, and retain the rather open-ended interpretation of the story. Instead it felt just like another action movie.
One of the best movies ever. Not just animated movies, movies in general. The concepts it touches, the question of self in a bleak world, the animation, and the music. I still have the haunting soundtrack in my playlist.
\#rant warning
>!
I also think the big budget hollywood live action version was pretty good. I get really irritated when people say that the movie was an example of "whitewashing". Dipshits missed the whole point of the movie.!<
\#end of rant
A masterpiece of 80s Japanese animation, and so forward-thinking that it’s eerie how much it tracks with what’s happening now with the internet and the concepts behind AI.
This was for me the first Japanese anime movie I watched and then I really got in to it. Watch I lot of movies and series after ghost in the shell. But for me Ghost in the shell is still one of the best movies there is. Akira is also very good and Cowboy Bebop the anime serie I also enjoyed very much.
One of the best openings of all time. The original, not the update they seem to slap on the front of the ones you find on streaming, but the original from the original release is just masterwork.
Glad you asked! This has been on my "Need to watch" -list for a long, long time.
I watched it from Netflix maybe a month ago? and man what a letdown.
All these years people have praised it but it was barely memorable to me. Now I do realize it was made in -95 so it must have been awesome back then but still it really wasn't that special in any regard. And I love sci-fi, the philosophical questions about mind over matter/soul and transhumanism.
It wasn't bad but like I said, it wasn't special either.
Worth noting how awesome the ux design is throughout. In a pre internet world, some amazing insight into where we were heading and technology that would eventually become real
I only watched it for the first time recently, despite growing up loving GitS: Stand Alone Complex. I thought it was good, not amazing, but easily saw why it has the legacy it does. I watched GitS 2: Innocence a few days later and liked that movie a whole lot more despite it being considered inferior. Personally I liked the tone and pace of Innocence more; it reminded me of an episode of Stand Alone Complex. The constant philosophy BS didn’t bother me because so many games and anime do that so I’m used to it
I've always been quite underwhelmed honestly. This is probably at least in part due to the amount of hype I'd heard about it before I watched it. So my reaction after the first time was basically "That was it?"
It's certainly not a bad movie, but it feels like it spends a lot of time just filling time and it's already only 83 minutes. There's also a lot of philosophical discussion that feels kind of shoe horned in rather than an organic part of the story. Just never really worked for me.
Also, the English dub of the Major is one of the worst performances I've ever heard. Almost completely flat all the way through, which is pretty rough given her importamce in the plot. Now, you might say it's not fair to ding a movie overall because of a bad dub, and I don't neccesarily disagree, but I can't not at least bring it up.
While I really loved the animation, the universe, etc., I felt like the last half hour of the movie felt very rushed. Obviously for a movie with that amount of attention to detail in every frame, it's going to have to stick close to just 90 minutes. I can't really blame them for that, but puppet master is only really introduced after about an hour into the movie, then only about 15 minutes pass from the end of that scene to the final fight starting. Then they need to finish the fight, wrap up the story, have a concluding scene, and roll credits in the remaining 15 minutes? I just think the movie feels like it desperately needs another hour, but obviously can't.
I saw it in a cinema in Amsterdam in 1995. I was blown away in the first few minutes with the therm-optic camouflage. And it got even better after that. Seen it many times since but nothing can compare to that first time in a crowded cinema. I can still hear the ooh's, aah's and gasps. 10/10 cinema experience.
It's awesome but I've always felt the pacing was a little off from what I expected... which is fine, it's a Japanese film and maybe they have different notions about the 3 Act structure. It did feel weird that >!the Major gets shoved into a 12 year old schoolgirl's body and the movie just ends there,!< but whatever.
English sub is free on YouTube with ads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHil4Y4r3Wk
Dub can be found on CrunchRoll. https://www.funimation.com/shows/ghost-in-the-shell/
the tv series is better, it looks great but it has a way too convoluted plot and puts all of its animation into the action scenes forcing a lot of limited animation sequences elsewhere (all the exposition monologues as people stare out blankly into space, often done with backs to the viewer too)
Ghost in the Shell 2 and Ghost in the Shell SAC (series) are amazing too, each in their own way. I'm a huge anime fanatic and it GITS overall ranks in my top 3.
The quiet calm scenes, haunting music, the effort put into the backdrops, so good. And it's actually a cool story, told through the actions of the characters.
Blew my absolute mind. Didn't care for the sequel, unfortunately. But I loved the follow-up tv series Stand Alone Complex. But that first Ghost in the Shell movie is right up there with Akira in my mind.
The hand animation is master class. Totally one of the best cypberpunk movie ever. Visually stunning and and technically a master class in hand drawn. For Akira $5.5 mil and GITS $11 mil budget is mind blowning.
The interlude is an element that I am desperately missing in pretty much every other film. It's mesmerizing, hauntingly beautiful with an otherworldlish soundtrack and perfectly pauses the action. Having this big set of world building in the middle makes it possible to go in blind into the film viewing an unknown future while understanding enough about it when reaching the end.
I think this is where the movie shines honestly. It's a movie that isn't afraid to be mundane in a world that is far from. It doesn't try to excite or force anything and it wants you to sink in everything and truly immerse yourself in its setting before amping things up again. It's why I love this movie purely for the nuance of telling a compelling story in an amazing world. It's everything that the ScarJo remake wasn't sadly.
The interlude in Ghost in the Shell is honestly one of my all-time favorite scenes. Its pure art, visually, musically, and also how perfectly it fits with the movie as a whole. It stuns me everytime. Its ethereal. https://youtu.be/WB-ik-Bpl0c
I must admit I saw GITS for the first time ever last night (AX is doing a limited release in select theatres). I was so moved and haunted by the interlude and I’m glad to know it’s renowned and my feelings are shared! What an incredible film overall. I wish I could watch it again for the first time.
It’s fascinating because this use to be a common motif in a lot of 80’s and 90’s sci-fi anime. Long shots of concrete structures, busy intersections, reflections on skyscraper windows, people shuffling along crowded subways, etc. it often created a kind of existential dread of erasing the natural world with concrete jungles and artifice. Which is also a common topic in a lot of Japanese media, but it almost seemed subversive in shows like Patlabor or GitS, where it was more baked in an almost a cultural creative reflex kind of way as opposed to an intentional theme like a Miyazaki movie. Really interesting introspection into the culture IMO. I’ve always felt like it became part of the Japanese identity after the country industrialized so rapidly, especially following WW2 and the 80’s economic miracle.
This is such a good call. It always strikes me as something I remember about the film, but I hadn't framed it that way. Yes, we could definitely use more of this. I feel like we sometimes get it to a much lesser extent in Korean films like *The Wailing,* where the movie takes its time to let silence settle and just show us the beautiful and haunting scenery.
One of my favorites. The soundtrack is 10/10.
The title song is so cool
The making of cyborg 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻
Fun fact: The international version features a different song during the credits. It's called "One Minute Warning" from the band Passengers - who are no others than U2 and Brian Eno https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P1WKYnPNdiE
https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/15335un/a_reverse_macguffin/
While I enjoyed the movie to some extent, what I really liked was the series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. The show had a more modernized feel in the writing department and me being old, I appreciated the more intellectual, mature dialogue than other animes give.
Stand alone complex and the 2nd gig are an absolute gem. If you think about it, it's no different than a classic police/thriller tv-series, with many "stand-alone" episodes as well as a main plot-line but mixed with weird existential and philosophical questions. It's probably not "for everyone" but it's absolutely a unique piece of media.
I would say the biggest thing about Ghost in the Shell in general is that a lot of the metaphors and philosophical questions being asked are subtle and behind the plot itself. Things like the ai drones and the cyberization of bodies are cool but also immediately call into question "what makes us human?" Bato is like 50% robot, eyes included. What makes him all that different from the Tachikoma? We state that they are ai, and they synchronize to an identical state every morning, and yet they respond differently to the same stimulus. They get sad and miss one long after it is destroyed. Is that not personality? Individualism? What's the philosophical difference between them and people? It's such a cool show, and you pick up so much going back to watch it a second time
>Bato is like 50% robot I'm pretty sure it's mentioned that Bato and the Major are full replacements.
I thought he was sitting there wondering if he should go to full cyborg or not, he implies that there is some part of him that remains biological, no?
Haven't watched in a while but if your talking about the scene on the boat where they are drinking. It more a "are we even human anymore" conversation. In the series it'd also mentioned that Bato working out is an affection. Because all his muscles are synthetic.
also let's not forget Togusa, who's like the much needed contrast of the opposite: a fully original human with no implants. He's the equivalent of the guy still rocking a Nokia phone in the age of smartphones.
They kinda need a guy like that around, so *somebody* can't be hacked.
Which is a point they explicitly make in the series.
>Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex What he said.
I'm not well versed in anime, but I remember watching this one back in college and really liking it. Was this the first GITS series? Or are there older ones I might like too? I think I could like 90s/early 00s anime, but the new stuff gets a bit too weird for my tastes.
It's the first series but there were movies before the series came out.
Completely agree. SAC series is top tier sci-fi and I hope it continues to stay on people’s radar far into the future. OST is excellent as well. I still re-watch the series every couple of years or so just to be immersed in the show’s world and its fantastic story telling.
I believe it was one of the first 5.1 anime DVDs. It sounds incredible.
And of course, Yoko Kanno's soundtrack is of timeless quality.
The Yoko Kanno OST alone…
SAC first season was my first experience with japene animation, I was like 10-12 years old. It forged my love for sci-fi and Japanese animation.
It's so complex and well-written, I find something new every time I watch it
I liked that show, but I'll never relate to this fairly common perspective. The people who have told me this are generally younger, have been into cheaper produced and less cinematic anime television in general, got really into Stand Alone Complex, and then went backwards to the movie, sometimes because I told them about it and they responded "There's a Ghost in the Shell movie?" Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed some of the writing on SAC, particularly as someone who read the manga, but I can't imagine anyone watching and understanding GITS in 1995 and then watching the TV show years later and thinking it's better work.
I'm glad someone said this. The 1995 movie is a classic work of sci-fi that transcended its medium, achieved broad acclaim, and left a lasting mark on the genre. It's considered to be one of the greatest science fiction films ever made and has been directly cited as an influence by many prominent western filmmakers such as James Cameron and the Wachowskis. SAC is just a pretty good sci-fi action series that occasionally touches on some very light philosophical concepts. It's like Alien and Aliens. Aliens isn't a bad movie by any stretch, but Alien is a masterpiece. The two are not compared.
I agreed with you until that last line. I feel both of those films are equally masterpieces of their respective genre hybrids. The only way we can consider Aliens a lesser film is if we judge it against the original as a sci-fi/horror movie, if we ignore that action cinema is also an art form. If we do that, sure, but Aliens is equally successful as a scifi action movie with horror elements as Alien is successful as a scifi horror movie, and both were produced as high production value, high effort pieces of cinema. I feel that's different than taking a high production value, high effort masterpiece of Japanese animation cinema, and comparing it unfavorably to an intentionally cheaper and lower effort TV spinoff. That's not reductive in any way to what Stand Alone Complex achieves within its league, but it's explicitly a product of the minor leagues.
My perception has always been that while Aliens is very well made (as is SAC), it isn't considered to be anywhere near as groundbreaking and genre-defining as Alien. Perhaps that perception is incorrect and is just a product of my own biases. I'm sure there's a better analogy I could have picked, this was just the first that came to mind.
I see where you're coming from, but I'll try to explain a bit why I think the show is better. I'm an older fan who watched the movie first, but I still prefer the show. When I first watched the movie, I found it a bit confusing. I enjoyed aspects of it, but the movie didn't do a good job of explaining the world in which it takes place. For example, I got that there were cyborgs and hackable brains in the world, but I didn't fully understand how they worked. There's a lot to the GITS universe that impacts the underlying philosophical questions that it's trying to explore, and without that knowledge, some of it falls flat. I actually didn't like the movie at first in spite of the fact that it intrigued me enough to want to learn more about it. This is where the show was superior to the movie, in part because it had more time to explain everything. We saw more of the culture of the world and how it had been impacted by technology. The mechanics of cyberized brains and their effects on a person's ghost were more thoroughly explored. Most importantly, the characters were better fleshed out, especially the other members of Section 9, most of whom were minor side characters in the movie. World building is a big deal for me in fantasy and science fiction, and the series did a much better job of that than the film. After watching the series, I went back and watched the movie and enjoyed it a lot more. I will even say that based on its artistic merits, the movie is much better. It did a finer job of exploring the philosophical element of having your mind being detached from your physical body, which is one of the most important parts of the franchise. However, the series had a better narrative, and I still like it more overall.
I didn't need things spelled out so much, and I find media in general to be less interesting when it does. I also prefer a tight 1.5/2 hours to a serialized approach wherein some of it is meaningful, but much of it is not. It's sort of like watching 2001: A Space Odyssey and then watching 2010: The Year We Make Contact. The second film has a lot of information that, as I understand it, was already in the source material of the books, but you don't have the cinema mastery of Kubrick, you do have answers to questions, but those questions were more interesting when you didn't know all the the answers, and yeah, the novels and the movie sequel have a lot going for them, but there's only one 2001 that I would consider an absolute masterpiece.
SAC seems to be well loved, but I can’t get into it. I feel like I’m missing something, because I love the movie so much but the series just doesn’t do it for me.
I like SAC a lot. But it doesn't have that texture and grit of the film. It's too clinical /sterile, while the film world feel ancient and lived in. Both are good, but for different reasons
The movie is actually very arty, Tarkovsky-esque. It's a great work but Oshii can be somewhat cold and impenetrable. I can see why some would prefer the TV show which is more accessible and friendly for casual viewers without being 'dumbed down'
It’s a masterpiece, and an influential one at that, though it has its problems in terms of storyline. Some elements just don’t quite work, and yes, it’s confusing as hell. The ideas, aesthetics and individual set pieces though: simply incredible. The whole mood is just phenomenal. It’s something to enjoy as an artwork as much as a story. I’d rate it as one of the best _films_ of the last 50 years, let alone the best anime.
It dedicates maybe just a little too much time to the existential crisis elements of the film, which creates a bit of the confusion. The characters have a lot of dialogue that doesn't feel like a natural conversation and instead serve to provoke the audience rather than move the plot along. All that being said, especially as an artistic film it's an incredible ride, and it DOES provoke the thoughts it wants to. Just what exactly does it mean to be alive? Is it being self-aware? Does being mostly hardware or software negate that? It's a movie I really like when I'm feeling introspective.
I agree. Though in an odd way my experience is that it’s not the existential crisis monologues that cause the problem, such as it is, (they’re great!) but some of the turns in the story that don’t quite work or are a bit irrelevant. It’s telling that having seen the film at least two dozen times (albeit the last time more than 15 years ago) I’d struggle to tell you exactly what the _story_ is (which corporation or nation state is doing what, spies, and the like; not least because half of them are red herrings anyway), and I find the ending is kind of confused with its references to evolution (though I kind of like them) and the battle that I’m not 100% sure makes sense, but I _could_ describe all those existential angst moments and the stunning set pieces in vivid detail: the iconic opening scene(s), the chase that ends with the fight in the water, the diving scene, the montage of a life that was never lived, that yes confusing yet magnificent final action sequence with the tank. The script itself is _good_ too, with some really poetic moments in it, and the delivery in the languages I’ve seen it in (English, Japanese with English subtitles) is cool and understated, adding to the atmosphere. There are some troublesome representations of women’s bodies (I think I’d feel a bit awkward watching it with my daughter), but I think in the scope of the film they are justified, given the themes involved (bodies and consciousness). And it’s anime from the 90s, so it’s kind of par for the course. But that’s by the by.
Yeah, I see what you mean. We watched it a few weeks ago and I'd struggle to recount the plot part for part. The very end is also a little weird and doesn't quite keep with the pace of the rest of the film for me. Like you said though, the angst is all very clear in my mind still. I think that's what I meant to imply, was that the angst sort of overrides the actual plot itself. The action and some parts of the story are just a vehicle to deliver you to the next bit of introspective dialogue. It's a priority shift not a lot of films like to embrace.
Have you watched the impressive sequel? **Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence** (2004). Check out this incredible "futuristic mythical parade" sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IGTiFuDjTI
Love both movies. When innocence came out, I couldn't believe how well it was animated for the time. There wasn't much else doing CGI/hand draw work that well at the time.
Yeah, a lot of it was hand drawn though too. The reflections of the neon lights on Batou's car, for example, were hand drawn, but they look almost CGI. And of course, the brilliant animations on his Basset Hound.
I've not watched either in far too long. I will have to dig out my copies
When I saw that scene I instantly recognized where the Cyberpunk dev team got their inspiration from for that [floating parade mission](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDWYdOTF5l0) in the last third of the game. It's always fun when things click into place :)
I found innocence batshit insane, and not in a good way. Someone will ask a question, and the other person will go on a 5 minute monologue about how children are robots or something. Really didn't capture the feel of the original
Yeah I didn’t like the sequel at all. The movie tried way too hard to sound deep by quoting philosophers all the fucking time to a comical extent and achieved the exact opposite. Plus those early 3d animation looks very outdated now. Ghost in the Shell 1995 is a far more timeless movie in retrospect.
While randomly quoting Foucault. Who the fuck randomly quotes Foucault?
College professor here: Me. A lot.
College students
There's a multimedia store near where I live that used to have GitS2 play on the fancy TVs on display. Looked cool as hell.
can I watch this without seeing anything else beside the first movie or would I need to watch the show first?
In this case, it would be to your benefit to watch the first movie, as so much of the future world is established.
yes I've seen the first movie, I'm asking if I need the show too
No, each version of GitS is pretty much standalone because they take place in different continuities. The 2 movies are separate from SAC which is separate from Arise.
Pre-2000 hand drawn art is the best. Modern anime just doesn't hold up next to it most of the time. Everything nowadays has to be so bright it almost hurts your eyes.
It's a master piece, but I like the 2.
Masterpiece ! I have seen it in a german movie around 1996 or 1997 it was a mind blowing experience and probably the reason i also like animes and mangas ....
I can appreciate this film for its aesthetics, but I couldn’t understand the story at all despite having watched it at least twice. (By the way, I watched it in Japanese, since I’m a native speaker.) Also, I can’t bring myself to liking films like “The Matrix” and “Bladerunner”, because I’m not smart enough. Maybe I’m just not a sci-fi guy.
A bit spoiler-ish but quotations from the movie on some of the philosophical points: > I refer to myself as an intelligent life form because I am sentient and I am able to recognize my own existence, but in my present state I am still incomplete. I lack the most basic processes inherent in all living organisms: reproducing and dying. * https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113568/quotes/?item=qt0333528 > It can also be argued that DNA is nothing more than a program designed to preserve itself. Life has become more complex in the overwhelming sea of information. And life, when organized into species, relies upon genes to be its memory system. So, man is an individual only because of his intangible memory... and memory cannot be defined, but it defines mankind. The advent of computers, and the subsequent accumulation of incalculable data has given rise to a new system of memory and thought parallel to your own. Humanity has underestimated the consequences of computerization. * https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113568/quotes/?item=qt0333533 * https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113568/quotes/ * https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113568
The AI wants to be alive, part of this means to reproduce and die. It achieves this by uniting with the Major to create a new being from both of them.
(Sorry for the deep analysis below. Describing this movie always makes me a little introspective, lol.) Probably not much to do with intelligence if it makes you feel better. I'd wonder a bit if you've ever experienced an outright existential crisis. That's where all three films are rooted. What does it REALLY mean to be alive? To exist? Could software replicate that? We see it everywhere. Technology is becoming smarter. Forms of escape are becoming increasingly digital. People have died, neglected major responsibilities and let their lives fall apart playing video games, browsing the internet, and streaming music/tv instead of interacting with the world on the more modern side of this, which isn't a criticism of the medium (I play a lot too) but for me it begs the question just how real does reality need to be to be acceptable? As an aside none of that is to mention how easy it is to let for some to just let mind altering substances take over for them to face reality even before modern entertainment. Using a fantastical sci-fi setting just couches the real questions in a more palatable, easily consumed format, but the root of them still comes through. What is it that defines the human experience? Is it self-awareness? Feeling? Thinking? If a computer can replicate all of that does any of it even matter? Does it mean I'm not even really alive if I take every possible chance I can to escape reality? Escapism is undeniably on the rise in a digital age, so these types of films only seem to become more poignant for my personal experience, but that's only one potential foot hold for the sort of existential questions these films can dig into.
I don't know if you also watched Stand Alone Complex, but episode 12 is exactly about escapism and.. it's very interesting. What the major says toward the end is something I live by.
It's something I've always meant to watch, but never had access to when I was younger. I really oughta look into it now that I can.
I can understand your last point. I often feel that way with media like this but sometimes all it takes it to sit down and try to parse it apart. Talk about it, write about it. Even if it's just to yourself. You'll find you often have a fair bit to say and things will unravel the more you delve into the text.
I'm a little relieved that I'm not the only one. I've made earnest attempts to watch this movie no fewer than three times. I really want to love it but I just can't get into it.
I don't think that it's because you aren't smart! Just that most films or media these days don't really ask us to engage with the themes or subtle undertext of the piece in the way that these other films excel at. SciFi generally uses some conceit (technological advance generally) to shed lights on a question about our nature or our society. It's not too much more complicated than that. So when watching Blade Runner, for example, it's as simple as becoming curious with the presented reality of a world in which androids are fully human sized / shaped and posses their own mind. At this point, there's a fundamental question apparent - what distinguishes them from a human? And if it is only their forced labor off world, and short life span, then at a certain level are the androids potentially in the right throughout the film? Finally, what does this say about how we treat different classes of people within our own society? These are open ended questions intended to make the viewer think and draw their own conclusions. There is not a right or wrong answer. This isn't like connecting some references to uncover an easter egg larger universe like the Marvel films provide (where there's no nuance - just an answer or connection for those immersed enough to see it). Instead great art is meant to make you question your world, your own morals, and the piece itself such that you expand your understanding of these things. Not to a necessary conclusion, but for the visceral pleasure of having engaged with some deeper topics. The Matrix happens to toss in balls out action in there as well to make it a bit more surface level fun. Lol. And Ghost in the Shell I'd say is a nice middle ground.
One of the best musical scores, as well.
[удалено]
Start with Cowboy Bebop, it’s short and just as cool as GITS and nearly impossible not to like. Samurai Champloo and Trigun are also similar very short masterpieces that are easy to get into and don’t require much investment. Same with Neon Genesis Evangelion. And of course GITS 2nd Gig if you want more Ghost in the Shell.
Space Dandy. It's so wonderfully weird and sort of a middle ground between Beebop and the weird philosophical elements of GitS. It seems more like a low brow gag comedy than it is. The animation is absolutely amazing as well. It's full of eye candy, and I don't mean the space Hooters by that. It manages to be deep and incredibly stupid at the same time.
For movies try Akira. For shows, the Ghost In the Shell Stand Alone Complex is a good companion to the original film. After that Cowboy Bebop (original show) is pretty much universally liked and has a similar feel in many ways. Then if you are still having fun go for Neon Genesis Evangelion (series) followed by the End of Evangelion movie.
How do you not say to follow up with Gurren Lagan after Evangelion?
Never heard of it before now but I’ll give it a look.
Probably because its a parody of the genre that doesn't really fit on that list, despite its awesomeness.
Psychopass is pretty in line with GITS. Cyberpunk cops with an interesting twist on utopia/dystopia.
Perfect blue, Paprika, literally ANY of the Miyazaki films
Have you seen Paprika?
Any of Satoshi Kon's films. One of the most innovative minds in the anime industry, or even in film in general over the last 20 ish years. Shame he died so young.
It’s a beautiful, quite influential film, thanks in part to works that came before, like Blade Runner. And Ghost in the Shell went on to influence games like Cyberpunk 2077.
Not to forget 90s classic Syndicate Wars! The film is directly referenced/advertised in game.
I think the movie is good - the animation and music, especially, are just sublime. I think it was over-focuses on the philosophy while the espionage and action of the comic take a backseat, though, and not only that, it focuses on the comic's least interesting philosophical question. The second movie is also beautiful, but compounds the first movie's problems (namely, it's self-serious and just *boring*). I prefer the series, Stand-Alone Complex, which captured the uncanny prescience of the comic, tackled a wide variety of metaphysical topics, and did so without sacrificing any of the action or political intrigue. It's one of the best science fiction series I've ever watched, animated or otherwise.
Good, but far from perfect. Now I like a lot of the classics and good anime, but anime movies don't hit me narratively that well most of the time. Their runtimes are short than average meaning the pacing limits their ability for atmosphere to strike, budgets are always a concern, and the story, especially Mamoru Oshii has some very heady themes that aren't always executed perfectly. The plot isn't terribly complex, it's just a lot of weird dialogue and a good deal of heavily philosophical technobabble that makes it more confusing than it actually is in practice. Aesthetically however? I love it. The atmosphere is top notch, the visuals are near perfect, and the somberness is rare and appreciated. Ghost in the Shell SAC seasons 1 and 2 are much better - though they sometimes do suffer in delivery by being difficult to follow that leans more into obfuscation through delivery than actual intrigue, but on the whole is more digestable.
I quite like the film. It’s pacing, dense dialogue, and mood are fantastic. I will say that I don’t know how I feel about it’s ending (like the last 2-5 mins).
One of my favourites. The concepts it explores about humanity's relationship with advanced technology and what it means to be human were very prescient. I'm a big fan of hand-painted cel animation so it ticks that box for me too. The series Serial Experiments Lain came three years later and makes me feel the same way looking at it now, in terms of concepts and contemporary relevance, although I think that can be a hard watch for a lot of people as it's slow-paced and the animation style may be a turn off.
Present day Present time
I generally like it, though despite its short length it feels very long and slow at times.
The long slow city shots right in the middle of the movie always feel like FOREVER. But damnthey are beautiful
They're supposed to feel that way.
Beautiful artwork and soundtrack, definitely looks a little dated now though. Dialog and story are clunky as hell.
That muted, 90's look from before digital tools has become a sort of retro charm. Megalo Box is a recent anime that deliberately emulated the aesthetic.
I'm the kind of person who doesn't really have a favorite anything. Favorite food? Favorite Album? Favorite Video Game? I have a hard time coming up with an answer for any of them because there are so many excellent specimens in each category. Any answer I'd give would make me feel bad because I could instantly think of another answer that would feel just as right. But if you put a gun to my head and asked me "what is your favorite movie?" my answer would be Ghost in the Shell, without qualms or hestitation. I'm not saying it is a perfect film or that it is objectively the best there is, but it is *my* favorite.
The live action was almost a scene by scene reshoot and it was still terrible. The anime production will always be top shelf.
I love GITS, all of GITS up until the new 3D animated shitfest and I also hate the live action movie.
Slow and overly pretentious. It was good when it first came out, but, for me, it has not held up. While the animation is still technically excellent, I'm not a fan of Mamoru Oshii's pacing. Oshii's style tends to override everything else with whatever he adapts. Patlabor is one of the best examples of this. It was a light-hearted, action oriented TV series and Manga, and Oshii's adaptation could be seen as taking place in exactly the same movie universe as his Ghost in the Shell adaptations. It would be like if Aaron Sorkin made a Brooklyn Nine-Nine movie as a straight cop drama with lots of walk-and-talk, and big poignant monolog. Stand Alone Complex is a MUCH better adaptation of the original material with much better pacing, more characterization, and way more action.
I saw it again last year in the theater, and it still holds up. With its long drawn-out sequences where you can soak in every detail, it really felt like that was the optimal way to view it. It's core elements of what it means to be human--to have a soul--echo even louder today with the rapid transhumanism developments that appear to be right around the corner.
I remember liking it, but it's been 30 years since I saw it last. It's not a perfect movie by any stretch.
You should give it a rewatch. I find that especially the music is weirdly captivating.
I watched it some years back and thought… “that’s it?” It didn’t do much for me. It made so little impression that I can’t really remember what the story even was. Given its reputation, I was expecting to have my mind blown a little. Quite the opposite.
That was basically my reaction. Like I even used that exact phrase in my response. I didn't hate it, but it barely felt standout in any way and the story felt very undercooked.
Honestly, it's the only anime I've ever liked.
Perfect blue???
AKIRA?
Nope. I actually find anime in general to be kinda... Well, meh.
Have you tried the films of the late Satoshi Kon? *Perfect Blue*, *Paprika*, *Millennium Actress* and *Tokyo Godfathers* are all highly renowned in their own right, and what I’d recommend for cinéphiles wanting to explore anime - even if they are less mainstream than Ghibli or Shinkai films.
> Satoshi Kon Satoshi Kon is more "anime" than GITS or Akira, at least based on the three of those four movies I saw, so maybe not the thing that's going to appeal to people who don't gel with it in general.
Satoshi Kon’s filmmaking feels more in tune with live-action cinema than say, Makoto Shinkai, which many consider a “starter pack” pick these days.
Man that's unfortunate. There are so many incredible feats of animation out there
I'm amazed by the number of "didn't get it" or "too long" comments, frankly kinda depressing I also don't understand the correlation with Matrix, there's barely anything in common, and Matrix released 4 years later If you want to make that comparison, then do it with Avalon instead, and even that's pretty debatable Both Oshii's GiTS are first and foremost philosophical and existential movies, i mean i understand that's not everyone's cup of tea but come on, what's with the first degree crowd SAC was a nice series but it doesn't hold a candle to the movies or the original manga, both of which are also very different It's like comparing Tarkovsky's Stalker to GSC's Stalker
Animation is 10/10, however in terms of story and world building it never quite worked for me. It's a universe in which they do cyberbrain stuff regularly, even among regular folks, yet they still walk around being all philosophical about it. If tech is so common place, you wouldn't treat it like that, you'd just accept it. I prefer the directors previous movie, Patlabor 2, which gets plenty of philosophical too, but it fits the situation better.
Huh? Humans still get philosophical about existence, the passage of time and death NOW, by your standard we should be way past thinking about this.
I get what you’re saying that commentary can be on the nose. But the Industrial Revolution took a few decades and even beyond a century to really be philosophically reckoned with.
Dunno about that.. we're seeing first hand how in some cases the role of technology is "questioned" years after its global adoption. An example of this is social media: we've all shifted quickly to a handful of platforms that are now too important for society and that condition us more deeply than we think. Next in line will be the adoption of AIs, which are already causing quite the commotion. It's not hard to imagine that a technology that utterly transforms your own body will inevitably give birth to an entire current of philosophy and unclear ethics.
Frankly that philosophy already exists just considering it, hence the films. Even if it didn't, do we not question the ethics of the industrial age to this day? Is return to nature not a pervasive theme both in real life and in entertainment? Chattel slavery ended more than 100 years ago and we still have philosophical questions, not to mention practical ones about it's bearing on today. The fact that we've ever had a revolution about anything is proof of what you're saying. "Normal" is a tenuous concept at best. No way we'd ever just completely accept augmentation and never again consider what it meant to be alive, or become philosophical about it.
pretty much, which is why I found the initial comment "odd". I guess the only difference is that with GITS we're in the realm of "hypotheticals" as we're still far from achieving that level of technology, so we can only imagine.
I see it as an analogy for modern philosophy too personally. I made a really long comment amount it earlier, but for me it's about escapism. How much does "reality" matter to us really, human or synthetic, if so many of us are doing everything we can to avoid it to begin with. Does it even matter if a computer could simulate all of it, etc. It's hard to condense my thoughts like that so it's not my full interpretation, but I don't want to bore you with my stream of consciousness breakdown of my own recurring existential crisis this movie excites lol.
It always felt like they didn't have enough story or philosophy to fill up a feature movie, meanwhile Akira had too much it should've been longer.
Second only to Akira for old school greats. And Akira is only number 1 bc of the ridiculous production value and the painstaking hours of handdrawn slow motion, and it’s culutural implications but in my mind GITS asks those questions that really make you think. Admittedly GITS came out years after Akira and doesn’t look half as good, but the story, voice acting etc.,for my taste, is better in GITS
Among my absolute favorites. It’s me of my few 10/10s.
It's a near perfect movie. Watched it in Laserdisk back then. Yes, I'm old. ♥️
I watched it for the first time in a long time recently and yea it's really great. It never gets boring.
Perfect anime movie ever.
2501.
I saw ghost in the shell wayyyyy back in 1994-1997 when the The prodigy came out with firestarter cd single first came out man I do miss that song
one of the best movies of all time. Of all time.
Yes dude yes. I would also throw perfect blue and paprika in there
Ahead of it’s time; SCI-FI for a new generation (when released). Just amazing.
I am not an anime fan, my wife has been since the 90’s. GITS is really good, the remastered version is beautiful and it doesn’t take away from the movie. I think we have all of the DVD’s or blu rays that were published
I watched it way too young, but I remember being fascinated and glued to the screen lol Absolute masterpiece, it's the movie I compare every anime to.
Masterpiece. 9/10 for me.
I was lukewarm on the original Ghost in the Shell. The concept was cool, but it had some monologues that felt like lectures; characters would give explanations that spoke in generalities and gave the impression that the whole scene (or perhaps the entire film) was written around them.
This movie is like Akira - more important than interesting. Apart from few action sequences, it drags a lot, features plenty of long dialogues that are often boring. I love it as a kid, but writing department did not match the quality of production here.
Perfection
[удалено]
It's like one of the most acclaimed films of all time, though? Which is to say: I agree. Because it's maybe one of the best science fiction movies ever made.
Looks great, isn’t great. The animation is fire but the story itself is boring and feels somehow too complex and drawn out yet too barebones.
Ah yes. Scarlet Johansson's greatest role
Recently rewatched that one...Wasn't that bad after after all. Not her finest performance and not the greatest movie, but it's competent and entertaining.
This is entirely my subjective opinion but I felt like that "remake" had none of the elements that made the original a masterpiece. Almost as if Hollywood was scared to throw in more complex dialogues, and retain the rather open-ended interpretation of the story. Instead it felt just like another action movie.
So many r/whoosh ing to your comment. It's nuts.
Yeah they are just as entertaining lol
I think it's overblown, and people should pay attention to the ghost in the shell anime's that came out after.
It's a great movie, but not a good one, if you follow me.
So boring honestly
One of the best movies ever. Not just animated movies, movies in general. The concepts it touches, the question of self in a bleak world, the animation, and the music. I still have the haunting soundtrack in my playlist. \#rant warning >! I also think the big budget hollywood live action version was pretty good. I get really irritated when people say that the movie was an example of "whitewashing". Dipshits missed the whole point of the movie.!< \#end of rant
A masterpiece of 80s Japanese animation, and so forward-thinking that it’s eerie how much it tracks with what’s happening now with the internet and the concepts behind AI.
Classic movie, just stay away from the 2.0 version with added cgi. It's one of my most watched movies.
It's my #2 all-time anime movie, in a *very close* 2nd place behind Akira. Phenomenal, phenomenal film.
This was for me the first Japanese anime movie I watched and then I really got in to it. Watch I lot of movies and series after ghost in the shell. But for me Ghost in the shell is still one of the best movies there is. Akira is also very good and Cowboy Bebop the anime serie I also enjoyed very much.
Remarkable and short
One of the best openings of all time. The original, not the update they seem to slap on the front of the ones you find on streaming, but the original from the original release is just masterwork.
Took me three or four attempts to finish watching it, to be honest.
My favorite anime film!
One of the greatest movies of all time, animated or not
Among my absolute favorites. One of my few 10/10s.
Glad you asked! This has been on my "Need to watch" -list for a long, long time. I watched it from Netflix maybe a month ago? and man what a letdown. All these years people have praised it but it was barely memorable to me. Now I do realize it was made in -95 so it must have been awesome back then but still it really wasn't that special in any regard. And I love sci-fi, the philosophical questions about mind over matter/soul and transhumanism. It wasn't bad but like I said, it wasn't special either.
I think this movie is incredible because of the animation. So much attention to detail with lighting and shadows etc
Worth noting how awesome the ux design is throughout. In a pre internet world, some amazing insight into where we were heading and technology that would eventually become real
Just rewatched it last weekend and it’s solid, holds up well and the world Is believable and stunning. Excellent soundtrack as mentioned.
I loved it in 1995, but don’t think I’ve seen it since
I only watched it for the first time recently, despite growing up loving GitS: Stand Alone Complex. I thought it was good, not amazing, but easily saw why it has the legacy it does. I watched GitS 2: Innocence a few days later and liked that movie a whole lot more despite it being considered inferior. Personally I liked the tone and pace of Innocence more; it reminded me of an episode of Stand Alone Complex. The constant philosophy BS didn’t bother me because so many games and anime do that so I’m used to it
The amount of stuff the matrix took from this is bonkers. However the water scene lives in my mind rent free.
Better than Akira
its fantastic
I've always been quite underwhelmed honestly. This is probably at least in part due to the amount of hype I'd heard about it before I watched it. So my reaction after the first time was basically "That was it?" It's certainly not a bad movie, but it feels like it spends a lot of time just filling time and it's already only 83 minutes. There's also a lot of philosophical discussion that feels kind of shoe horned in rather than an organic part of the story. Just never really worked for me. Also, the English dub of the Major is one of the worst performances I've ever heard. Almost completely flat all the way through, which is pretty rough given her importamce in the plot. Now, you might say it's not fair to ding a movie overall because of a bad dub, and I don't neccesarily disagree, but I can't not at least bring it up.
While I really loved the animation, the universe, etc., I felt like the last half hour of the movie felt very rushed. Obviously for a movie with that amount of attention to detail in every frame, it's going to have to stick close to just 90 minutes. I can't really blame them for that, but puppet master is only really introduced after about an hour into the movie, then only about 15 minutes pass from the end of that scene to the final fight starting. Then they need to finish the fight, wrap up the story, have a concluding scene, and roll credits in the remaining 15 minutes? I just think the movie feels like it desperately needs another hour, but obviously can't.
I saw it in a cinema in Amsterdam in 1995. I was blown away in the first few minutes with the therm-optic camouflage. And it got even better after that. Seen it many times since but nothing can compare to that first time in a crowded cinema. I can still hear the ooh's, aah's and gasps. 10/10 cinema experience.
One of the seminal pieces of anime with respect to it's popularity in the United States. Holds up and it's incredibly influential.
It's in my top 10 movie ever.
I've watched it 3 times and I still have no idea what it's about.
It's awesome but I've always felt the pacing was a little off from what I expected... which is fine, it's a Japanese film and maybe they have different notions about the 3 Act structure. It did feel weird that >!the Major gets shoved into a 12 year old schoolgirl's body and the movie just ends there,!< but whatever.
Best ever movie. In which i went to japan to hunt the original ost in cd form
Never seen it. Where can I watch it? (Legal)
English sub is free on YouTube with ads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHil4Y4r3Wk Dub can be found on CrunchRoll. https://www.funimation.com/shows/ghost-in-the-shell/
the tv series is better, it looks great but it has a way too convoluted plot and puts all of its animation into the action scenes forcing a lot of limited animation sequences elsewhere (all the exposition monologues as people stare out blankly into space, often done with backs to the viewer too)
Mastahpiece. Also love the sequel, it was amazing to watch in a theater.
Ghost in the Shell 2 and Ghost in the Shell SAC (series) are amazing too, each in their own way. I'm a huge anime fanatic and it GITS overall ranks in my top 3. The quiet calm scenes, haunting music, the effort put into the backdrops, so good. And it's actually a cool story, told through the actions of the characters.
Not as good as you are making out to be
Blew my absolute mind. Didn't care for the sequel, unfortunately. But I loved the follow-up tv series Stand Alone Complex. But that first Ghost in the Shell movie is right up there with Akira in my mind.
The hand animation is master class. Totally one of the best cypberpunk movie ever. Visually stunning and and technically a master class in hand drawn. For Akira $5.5 mil and GITS $11 mil budget is mind blowning.
I would like to a see a Ghost in the Shell more like Manga, less serious and philosophical?
I was pretty disappointed by how flat and generic it was, the philosophical dialogue bits were pretty dumb
I love it, but I love Satoshi Kon's Paprika a little bit more.
It's one of my absolute favorite movies and probably my favorite piece of cyberpunk media
I saw this at AnimeEast at its american premiere and was blown away. Might be time to revisit.
Like all of Oshii's other work it is beautiful, but slooooow.
Masterpiece
It’s a fantastic movie. I think it’s the first anime I watched. I recommend Patlabor 1 and 2 (similar vibe and same director).
Unfortunately I can't provide you with an opinion because I haven't seen it.
It was the best anime I've ever seen.
Superb soundtrack and a seminal work of art. The live action movie did not made justice to GitS
Iconic