Ghost in the Shell

Rating:
Summary: Just a little too "out there" for me...
Review: It's only fair that I start by saying I generally do not like Anime. In fact, the only anime I've ever liked was The Animatrix. This movie is nothing like that. But based on its great reviews by critics and "amateurs" alike, I decided to give it a shot. It starts off a bit too quickly for me, diving into strangely named organizations, devices, etc. I tried from the first moment of the film to just watch and hope I'd understand it more as it went along, but I never really did get it. About 15-20 minutes into the movie, I actually fell asleep (and I wasn't tired when I put the movie in the DVD player). I tried again another night before returning the movie (a rental) but just couldn't keep my eyes and mind on it. It was just the usual anime littany of huge eyes, oddly shadowy faces, inexplicably naked heroines, and the like. If you like anime, I'm sure from the reviews I've read that you'll love this movie also. But if you don't like it much, I'd recommend renting it before you jump in and buy.

Rating:
Summary: Matrix: Reconsidered
Review: Buy this DVD, and the Manga it came from (there's a brilliant Bilingual out there).

Watch the Matrix again. Say the words derivative, plagiarised, simplistic.

Come home to where it all came from. Do the concept of cyborg, artificial intelligence and being wired and always on some justice. Take out the poor white trash and all its CG. And just watch this instead.

nuff said.

Rating:
Summary: The best....
Review: This was one of the first anime movies I had ever seen, and from the few opening scenes I fell in love with it. Since then I have seen many an anime (movie or series) and this is still one of my favorites.

Rating:
Summary: Trancends Anime
Review: Maybe you've had a friend tell you to check out this "Anime scene". Maybe you are venturing into Japanese animation on your own.

This is an excellent movie, and an exemplary display of the "Anime" genre. Truely, this is a classic movie.

If you saw this once in a theater you'd probably be confused. But you've purchased (or are about to purchase) a masterpiece DVD. Repeated viewings are a given and will be rewarded.

What does it mean to be human? _The Matrix_, _Blade Runner_, and the like have all asked this question. When does a computing machine stop being a pile of plastic and metal and start becoming life-like?

_Ghost in the Shell_ addresses this question and answers it.

If you like watching movies, if you like answering life's puzzles, if you like genre busting and paradigm shifting films, you'll really like _Ghost in the Shell_.

Rating:
Summary: Essential anime
Review: This movie is set in the not to distant future, it is about a police officer who happens to be an android. The plot is deeply philisophical, as the android ponders her own existence. She contemplates if she is alive or in fact just a machine. This movie took the world animation festival by storm in 1996, and rightly so. Even big name directors like James Cameron (titanic) praised this film. The plot is smart and the animation is incredible. Even now seven years later the film still looks as good as anything else out there. The color is extremely vivid and the music is also done very well. For anyone out there looking to start a great anime collection, this should definitely be on your list of must haves.

Rating:
Summary: The modern day anime masterpiece
Review: Surpassing the anime classic Akira in terms of detail of animation and storytelling, Ghost in the Shell paved the way for the future of animation. When you first watch Ghost in the Shell, the mind bending animation is the first thing you'll notice; from the Blade Runner-esque urban landscape to the stylized character designs, Ghost in the Shell is a visual treat. The storyline is also highly intelligent, taking place in the not too distant future when an enhanced human secret agent named Motoko finds herself caught up in a tangled web involving a wanted hacker named The Puppet Master. All the hype thats surrounded Ghost in the Shell since it's release is more than true; this is a modern day anime masterpiece just as Akira was back in it's day, and serves as an important step in the evolution of anime, most of which influenced by this film. All in all, this is one of the best anime's to be released in recent memory, and if you've never seen it I strongly recommend checking it out.

Rating:
Summary: New to anime
Review: This was my first anime and I was overwhelmed! It seemed like a mix of Matrix and Bladerunner, but it's just so lush! Not as gory as I expected based on other reviews. I'm going to show it to my wife this weekend. If you are new to this genre as well, this is a good first look.

Rating:
Summary: I don't see what every one's talking about
Review: I honestly don't. This movie has gotten reviewed and rated through the roof. Siskel and Ebert gave the thing two thumbs up for crying out loud! I have watched it three times now and don't have a clue why!? First off let me say that I thought it was a good movie, and a great movie compared to a lot of other things I've seen. However, I can't quite tell why people think this is so amazing.

Enough of me blabbering about my feelngs, you probably want to know why I didn't like it. I am a big Fan on the storyline. Secondly, I like a few metaphors in my movies and I need them to make me think. However, I also don't like movies that have really really dense (and questionable)metaphors going on. Akira made me question my life for a week, Evangelion made me think about my beliefs for even longer, Ghost in the shell made me think about the...dollars I spent on it. It goes on about how it will make you question yourself and is a great metaphor for how technology is affecting your life, but frankly I didn't find that true.

I also don't like movies that don't end (The follwing statement should give you a pretty good idea about what I'm saying: "Evangelion has an end; this doesn't"). In my Mind, the whole thing is a prologue to "something else". Although I've heard rumors about a series over in Japan I don't exactly think this was made with such a sequel in mind. The ending has more to do with showing the viewers a omen of their lifes with technology to come and then sends them out in the world to change it. That is a key element to the metaphorical storyline. However, the story will leave you feeling very unsatisfied where they choose to end it. If you haven't seen it, I'm warning you now.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, let me end by saying that the animation was beautiful!! Despite the fact it's more racy than I'd like, it has, just, phenominal graphics and fight scenes that will leave you breathless. However, you may forget them in your disgust with the movie's ending.

Rating:
Summary: Well Worth the Money
Review: So much effort has been put into the making of Ghost in the Shell. From it's haunting, cultural soundtrack to the incredible visuals, to the intricate story - and it's more then worth your time to watch it if you have the patience and brain capacity to give it a chance. The story is slightly akin to the Matrix but not exactly. Entities have the ability to live on 'the net' as we all know it, a source of vast untapped potential which certain persons are hoping to exploit for their own ends. There are scenes in this anime which you will remember for quite some time, each of which are spectacles in their own right. Kusanagi is a cyborg trying to hunt down the Puppetmaster - an intriguing enemy who has all the answers Kusanagi's been searching for. But tracking the Puppetmaster may not be so simple as Kusangi and her partner are led astray several times in the chase with curious results. Watching GitS, you feel a sense of awe, intensity and I couldn't help feeling a little disturbed as well. You are enveloped in Kusanagi's sense of curiosity at times and at other times, on the edge of your seat to find out just what is going to happen next - the events are just that unpredictable. GitS is a fine anime worthy of the attention it's been given. It's mature and well made, I hope you like it as much as I did.

Rating:
Summary: Mind Blowing And Smart Science Fiction
Review: I believe Ghost In the Shell is one of the seminal films of recent Japanese cinema. The plot involves a female cyborg, named the Major, who works for a mysterious government agency named Section Nine. The Major is assigned to capture a superhacker known as "The Puppet Master." What could have been a routine chase flick becomes a masterpiece in which questions about existence and what constitutes a soul are explored. The end of the picture is one of the most dizzying finales ever put on film. Don't miss this ground breaking motion picture.

Preston McClear, MalibuBooks.com