Through the years, "Ghost in the Shell" has spawned both its own series of movies and shows and influenced much of the science fiction genre that we know today. In anticipation for the much talked about American live-action film that will be hitting theaters in a year, I have set out to review the original "Ghost in the Shell" 1995 film as a frame of reference for anyone who are new to the series.
"Ghost in the Shell" (1995) is the story of Public Security Officer, Motoko Kusanagi, a full body, cybernetic human, chasing after the notorious hacker code named Puppet Master. This takes place in the year 2029, in a society where there has been another technological leap and cybernetic enhancements are the norm. Almost everyone has some cybernetic modifications, and this can lead to quicker thinking, enhanced athletic ability, and unique abilities such as neural connections to vehicles and cloaking devices. We see these abilities used mainly by Kusanagi, though other characters are shown to have neural and physical abilities that help with their type of work.
As with many animated works, the art of a film is mainly seen through its animation style and how the mise-en-scene is constructed. The film's animation is masterfully done by the studio Production I.G. who has also been responsible for the rest of the Ghost in the Shell films and television series, the beautiful series Eden of the East, a more modern spiritual successor in Psycho-Pass, and have also collaborated on animated sequences for Western works such as the animated portion of "Kill Bill Vol. I" where we see the origin of O-ren Ishii. This studio's reputation holds up, as the animation in "Ghost in the Shell" is top notch. There are sequences that take the viewer through a living city that we see has so many nooks and crannies that we could not possibly explore them all. At the same time, we get a sense that there are real people living here and that any part of the city that's affected by the plot is affecting those who live there as well. In the primary scene where we tour the city, we see crowded ferries on waterways as rain pours down on the city, giving it a reflective property that shows us that the people and the buildings are intertwined to be considered the city. As the intertwine of man and machine is a core theme in the film and it is shown without words. This is all possible because of how masterful the animation studio has connected to our senses with the colors and flow of animation.
Why focus on this in comparison to how we can view a live-action film based on the same story? While technology in real life has evolved so that we can edit a film in any way we see fit, it does not give the viewer the same senses a completely animated film might. Mise-en-scene exists in both to accomplish the same thing, but the amount of control over the environment and how the actors can look are different. This is especially relevant when looking at how a western studio is making this live-action remake with western actors when the original film was a by a Japanese studio with a setting that is heavily influenced by how technology was rapidly evolving at the time of the story's writing.
This film strikes a great balance between thought-provoking scenes and action scenes. One issue that many action oriented animations have is that it lacks a convincing premise or that it might have a great theme, but lacks the writing to make it a well-rounded work. "Ghost in the Shell" delivers writing that, while it may appear convoluted at times, makes its audience think about what it means to be a human, and while we the audience may not be part machine, we are brought to reflect on why we can consider ourselves, and what a "ghost in the shell", the concept of a soul in a machine body, means to us as a people. The action scenes lace into these speaking scenes often and the line between the two is blurred regularly.
I would recommend that anyone that is interested in science fiction, animation, or technology check out this classic. Even if you were not interested in anime before, "Ghost in the Shell" influences most modern sci-fi, especially overt in the stylistic approaches in "the Matrix". The use of wires plugging into people, the use of green streaming text going across, and the themes of existentialism in technology all carry over into one of the most popular western films of a decade where everyday people are getting used to readily available computers. As for fans of animation, this film has some of the smoothest transitions of its time. While it shows the toll of time on an anime from the mid-90s, it still holds up remarkably well considering it's a 20-year-old film. However, there is some nudity and much violence in this film, and as such it might not be suited to a younger audience without adult supervision.
This film is a clear classic that you should see, even if you do not plan on catching the live action version. "Ghost in the Shell" can get heavy at times, but it is well worth it to see the beautiful art and think about the implications of having a soul in an interesting way. Given how well this movie has aged, I would like to give this film 5 Stars out of 5. The only time I cannot recommend viewing this film is for when you want something light and easy. But for when you want to think or watch a magnificent action sequence, Ghost in the Shell has something for you.
