Ghost in the Shell is an action film adapted from the Japanese manga and animation of the same name. The film is set in a future world, when science has developed to the point where it is easy to implant mechanical parts into humans. After an incident, the body of a young girl (Scarlett Johansson) is destroyed. To cure her, scientists transferred her mind into a new body using a machine.
A year later, the girl – known as Major – became an excellent agent in Squad 9, an agency specializing in eliminating high-tech criminals. During her mission to hunt down the hacker Kuze (Michael Pitt), she begins to experience intermittent problems related to her memories. From then on, the humanoid robot girl began to learn about the past and discovered many secrets about the organization that implanted her shell.
* Scene of Scarlett Johansson “naked” when peeling off her shell
Scene of Scarlett Johansson “naked” when peeling off her shell
In the main role, Scarlett Johansson has no difficulty performing action scenes thanks to experience from previous films. In recent years, the star born in 1984 has played the role of an assassin many times in the movies Lucy , The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier…
The work has many scenes similar to the original cartoon, typically the Major’s jump from the roof. The action scenes in the movie are a combination of close combat and the use of high technology. In particular, the humanoid robot possesses many modern devices that help her become invisible and have superior combat advantages over ordinary people. The two most impressive action scenes are when the Major rushes through the glass into the building at the beginning of the film and the climax at the end of the film.
The filmmaker also cleverly exploited the actress’s sexiness in the invisibility cloak segments , making the character look like she was fighting naked. To perform these scenes, the actress had to wear a silicone shirt during filming. She shared the difficulties with the outfit: “The mechanism of this outfit is that it increases and decreases the temperature according to the surrounding environment. As a result, I also experience hot and cold times.”
* Scarlett Johansson wears an “invisibility cloak” in action
Scarlett Johansson wears an “invisibility cloak” in action
Scarlett Johansson’s expressions are round in psychological scenes such as the first time she wakes up in a new body or when she discovers the secret of her identity. Previously, her choice to participate in Ghost in the Shell was controversial because the main character in the comic was yellow-skinned. Realizing this, the writers installed a plot to cleverly explain the character’s origin.
The film’s secondary lines generally have little acting space. Among them, the most impressive are actor Michael Pitt as the dangerous but confidant villain and Takeshi Kitano – the veteran Japanese actor who plays the commander of Platoon 9. Kitano’s character is calm and old. instructed, speaking Japanese, reminiscent of the original Oriental spirit of the work.
Director Rupert Sanders’ $110 million budget work impresses with its special effects . From the first scene, the audience witnessed thetypical “shell peeling” excerpt of the Ghost in the Shell brand . From the lake containing the milky white solution, the character emerged, then the silk cocoon-like outer shell broke open, revealing the female protagonist’s mechanical body. The scene creates an atmosphere of curiosity about the combination of the human mind and robotic technology.
The character Major has a mechanical body
The film takes place in a fictional city, a typical combination of Asian and American urban areas. On high-rise buildings are huge advertising screens and projections, like giant monsters. The street is filled with vibrant colors but has a strange look. In the civilian population, many people have their body parts replaced with machines that make them grotesque. It all exudes the film’s science fiction spirit, portraying a future when technology has a profound impact on people.
A scene from the original cartoon is recreated .
The film’s content is built in an investigative style, mixed with action scenes following familiar motifs. The more the main character learns about the villain – the hacker, the more she discovers the truths of her past.
The film’s minus point is the superficial story. Although Ghost in the Shell (106 minutes) is longer than the Japanese cartoon of the same name (83 minutes) , the American version is less philosophical and profound. The film fails to highlight the problems in the thinking of a half-human, half-machine creature, as well as the conflict between human values in a society with a highly developed technological foundation.
In the film, the character Major also raises questions about his identity and origin. However, this idea is only a side element, not the core of the story. Towards the end, the work becomes a simple struggle between good and evil, in which the character’s psychology pales in comparison to the technical combat scenes.
The villain’s plans and motives are relatively simple. The pace of the film is sometimes slow and lengthy, with many cliché lines repeated many times.
