Ghost in the Shell- Movie 5

Rating- 4/5 Stars

Plot

I had difficulty writing the summary today (mostly because I have no clue how to spell these names and I'm too sleepy to look them up), so I stole this one from Rotten Tomatoes.. feel free to click the link if you need further info: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ghost_in_the_shell/

"Another visually sensational animated film from the producers of the acclaimed "Akira." Major Motoko Kusanagi is a beautiful cyborg who works for Section 29, Japan's secret police force, in the year 2029. Motoko's supervisor, Aramaki, orders her to find Puppet Master, a sinister computer terrorist created by a rival organization. Helping her is fellow cyborg Bateau and the almost entirely human agent Togusa. Because their prey has the ability to hack into the minds of his enemies, the evil villain must be stopped as soon as possible. But as the tough cops close in on their target, Motoko realizes that she and Puppet Master seem to have a lot in common."

Commentary

I struggle to explain what it is exactly that is appealing about Ghost in the Shell. I have seen it before and even own a copy, but it’s difficult to explain the appeal. I think perhaps the answer lies in the depth of the story line. You would never expect looking at the cover to have a dialogue heavy film with undertones of some of life’s greatest philosophical questions. As Major Kusanagi gets closer to uncovering the answers and identity of the puppet master she feels a connection to him, and at this point the story comes alive. The overall concept Ghost in the shell presents is becoming eerily feasible in our increasingly technology-driven society. The line between artificial intelligence and life are blurred in a way that is positively frightening and yet intriguing all at once. It is this fear and delight which makes the piece not just good by anime standards, but an overall great piece of cinema. If you’ve never watched an anime, you probably won’t like this. However, this film most definitely deserves a spot in the top 100.

Write to you soon,

Kendra