Review: Ghost In The Shell

Like many things, I was first exposed to Anime in university. And I did inhale - it was quite good. I have always liked animated shows and when I found movies and series that had depth, sophistication, subtlety and, above all, did not "dumb it down", I was hooked. Ghost in the Shell was released in 1996 and I saw it (in English overdub) on IFC a couple of weekends ago, so I thought it was time I got off my fingers and started reviewing!

First off, I'm not going to talk about the plot. If you watch the movie, you'll understand. The meaning and symbolism isn't hidden - just well laid out. The opening credits set the tone with a striking choral arrangement. The visual images make you understand that it is a future where mankind can produce machines that look like humans. Like good science fiction, the setting isn't splashed about, it simply is.

The next thing that stands out for me every time I watch this film are the cityscapes. The animation is realistic and subtle, but the detail in this imagined future city is exquisite.

There is very little dialog in the movie - there can be long scenes were nothing is said. This is another signal of a great movie for me. The director doesn't feel they have to fill up spaces with exposition, voice-overs, dialog.

The movie begins as an action-type film, but then switches to be a full-blown examination of humanity and the meaning of life.

This is an excellent film to introduce someone to good anime. It runs about 82 minutes (no Akira) with a story that isn't embedded in a particular culture.

Rating: ****