Ghost In The SHell (2017)

Ghost In The Shell, released in 2017, starring Scarlett Johansson is a live action version of the classic anime movie of the same name, and both were based off of the manga series. I wish that I had read the manga before going into these films, as I am starting to wonder which version is closer to the actual story in the manga. I have some really mixed thoughts on this film, first of all, the story though sharing some of the same scenes and plot lines as the original, is also very different. A lot of the elements that made the original film so good are missing from the plot of this one. There is a lot less existentialism going on, a lot of the philosophical themes are cast aside to make this film more westernized and the story feels like more of a vehicle to just drive the viewer to the next action scene. This feels in many ways like a dumbed down version of Ghost In The Shell. Some of the things that were added to the story, aren't necessarily bad, they just don't feel like they work for the film, but might in a different story. The first time I watched this film, I remember it being and looking better than it did this time around. I think I know why too, the last time I watched it, it'd been so long since I'd seen the anime that I'd forgotten a lot of the story, and this time I had just finished watching it, so the comparison was a lot fresher in my mind and that honestly ruined how good it was. The other thing is that when I watched it, I thought that the CGI effects looked decent, but after seeing a movie like Alita and seeing how good it could be done, looking back on this it really didn't look as good as I'd remembered. Scarlett Johansson as the Major looked really stiff and robotic, where as in the anime she moved and acted just as smooth as any of other humans, I get that she plays a cybernetic person, but at the same time, she is not a robot and shouldn't be stiff and robotic. The setting in the film is supposed to be Tokyo as a corporate conglomerate city, but in this film it just looks like a generic megalopolis cityscape, taking away from the Asian-centric setting of the original. The change in the setting is another example of the westernization of the story that this film is guilty of. The film seems to be lacking the substance, and depth that I expected from a film based on Ghost In The Shell, and is just another westernized action film. The other issue that many folks had with this movie as far as the westernization of the story goes, I was debating on whether I would discuss because of how controversial that it is. That is the whitewashing of the characters, most popularly spoken of being Scarlett Johanssen as Major Kusanagi. But she is just the one who came under the most heat for it, but many of her white co-stars also played Japanese characters. The reason I say this is so controversial is because to Japanese-American people this decision was seen as racist white-washing, but to Japanese-Japanese people they saw nothing wrong with the casting decisions. I feel because of that divide I as a white person really have no position to have a voice on this. But I think it is important to understand the perspectives. The Japanese-American people are looking at it from the perspective of living in a society where white people benefit from being the dominant voice in the nation, where white people are inherently in a position of power and privilege and where Japanese people like other POC are in a position of oppression. I don't want this to become a discussion of racism, or about power and privilege, so I am going to just leave it at that. On the other hand in Japan, the people there see it from a perspective of living in a society where Japanese people are the dominant people, and white people are the minority. So how the two view the racism of white-washing of characters will be seen differently. So that being said, both perspectives are valid, and I as a white person don't get a voice in it. But this is definitely a valid issue with the film that should be thought about. Would I recommend this movie? I don't know, I have been thinking about that a lot. I'm not a hundred percent sure what my feelings actually are on this film? It isn't truly a bad movie, and I do feel that as an action film it is a film that many audiences would probably enjoy. It doesn't hold up to the original, and suffers from many issues stemming from the Westernization of the film. If you are bothered by things like westernization and whitewashing of characters, then you should probably go ahead and give this film a pass. If you loved the original movie because of the philosophical questions and themes, or gender issues and other great themes, then you will probably wanna pass on this one as well, as you are going to be disappointed. Now if you like American action sci-fi films that have almost a comic book feel to them, then this is your film. If you like chase scenes and explosions, and technical fight scenes, then this is your film. If action means more than a philosophical themes, then hey this is your film. As an action film, it's a decent film and has merit. As an adaptation of Ghost In The Shell, it falls flat, it is a westernized mess of a film, that is sure to disappoint any true fan of Ghost In The Shell. But I will say this, this is based on watching this after watching the two anime movies, but is not based on how it stands up to the manga, since I have not read it yet, same thing with the anime series, as I don't remember it at all. So I don't know if I recommend this film or not honestly, I guess read my opinion and watch it and make your own, or don't if what I have said reaffirms your decision not to see it.