Now that the reviews are out, I must say that I'm really conflicted with this film.
First of all, Ghost in the Shell is one of my favorite movies of all time. The Nietzsche-esque essence of self and existence was always going to get dumbed down to some extent, but with the right people behind it, the essence could still of been captured. The 1995 movie (and its sequel) is a highly psychological film with that explores what's beyond the range of normal or physical human experience. To capture that essence, you absolutely must have devoted people behind the project who are not only capable film makers that can make great films, but it's also essential that they are fans of the franchise.
Unfortunately, the Hollywood process is such a mess that a lot of things get butchered. The first problem lies with its director, Rupert Sanders. However you slice it, Sanders is not a great film maker, nor is he a particular good one. at that. His only film prior to this was Snow White and the Huntsman, which wasn't received well at all, sitting at
49% at RT. I can't speak much about the writers, but hearing about the writing on this one and looking through at their previous work makes me draw similar conclusions about them as well. Second of all, I'm very aware that the studio is trying to build a western franchise around this IP. A 100 million+ dollar movie requires an A-lister heading it. It's a shame that they went that route, because had they had the tenacity to make this a more medium-sized film (preferably in the 40 million dollar range), then they'd have more options to explore and widen the scope of the story and the universe that they're trying to build, delivering a more faithful adaption in the process. They wouldn't need to resort to whitewashing or dumbing down the film. It really could of been a great picture, instead of the soulless, albeit pretty film that it is now. The visuals wouldn't have been as amazing, but the quality story that this one lacks would of made up for it, I think. In a world where story's crucial, that's really what matters in the end. The technical part of this movie might be on point, but the film makers are forgetting the allusions and the true message that the original film is trying to portray in the process.
So, am I mad that we got this? No. I'm very happy that Hollywood is making an effort to widen their scope beyond books and video games, and Anime and Korean films truly are untapped markets with great potential. However, Hollywood must realise that it's far more important to respect an established franchise by honoring its conveyance and its core message. Hopefully, the discussion surrounding this film have brought some food for thought for the executives over there. Obviously, it would of been fantastic had this been a blockbuster flick that was adapted faithfully with no whitewash in the process, but since that's eons away from the current reality, hopefully, they'll take steps towards that direction. Otherwise, nothing will ever change.
