Ghost In The Shell [Kokaku Kidotai]

Mamoru Oshii, Japan 1995, 85 minutes

The secret service in this near future tries to trace down a kind of secret agent that it has created - called Puppet Master: it has no body and can freely access the net and even human bodies and memories to manipulate whatever and whenever necessary. But now the Puppet Master has concluded that it is a life form in its own right and requests a host body to live in.

Major Kusanagi is a human agent, her body is almost completely cybernetic, while she has a human mind (thus Ghost in the Shell a title more adequate than the original title which translates as Shell Squad). Kusanagi is an expert on unlawful activity, secret intelligence, and demolition. Eventually she is sent to retrieve the Puppet Master, while her patrons are unaware of its persuasive ability to offer seductive hints at true freedom. And while two agencies battle in direct explosive confrontation, Kusanagi must decide to fulfil her mission or help the Puppet Master...

Ghost in the Shell finally taught us Westerners that animation needn't be for kids: this is tough stuff. You will find superior quality throughout the whole film: engaging ideas played out very well, fabulous character design (although not very close to the original manga), fierce and breathtaking action, a memorable score and excellent integration of computer rendered graphics into the hand-drawn action (well for 1995...).

For anime fans and for anyone who still believes that animation is for children: definitely a must-see.

Review by Sarah Stark
Written for EUFS Programme Spring 2001

When Akira heralded the arrival of Japanese animation to the West, great things were expected of its genre - the manga video. Unfortunately most of which followed was absolute dross, which attempted to substitute sex for style and violence for originality. However, in Ghost In The Shell, we have a film which certainly matches the technical mastery of Akira if not it's mind-blowing content. Based on a story by the legendary Masamune Shirow, it involves the statutory near-future neo-Tokyo environment, teetering on the brink of cataclysmic destruction. As normal, a group of hard-hitting cyborg anti-terrorist cops must seek out the evil Puppet Master who is causing global mayhem by hacking into rather sensitive bits of computer technology. Needless to say, there's an awful lot of heavy weaponry being bandied around, and most of the city gets demolished in their fight for justice and peace, but you can be sure that these cops don't have to foot the bill. Led by Kusanagi (your typical female cyborg - built like the proverbial outdoor toilet facility but beating Pammy Anderson in the T&A stakes by a long way), this rowdy group battle the forces of evil until the climactic showdown in which only one side can emerge as victors.

Ghost seems like just another manga film, and indeed, in many ways, it is just that. What makes it stand out are its superior production qualities. Unlike many of its predecessors, Ghost has always been envisaged as a film that fills the big screen and it does so admirably with some breathtaking images. Like Akira, the soundtrack thumps along and really shakes you with the explosions. The individual set-piece scenes have been strung together like a top Hollywood action movie and the pace of the film is so fast at points that it whisks you over the flaws. With a fair dose of tongue-in-cheek humour and plenty of car-chases and shoot-outs, Ghost In The Shell provides a healthy dose of testosterone entertainment.

"Just the kind of film James Cameron would make if Disney ever let him through the front gates. Just make sure you see it on the big screen ****" - Empire

Review by Neil Chue Hong
Taken from EUFS Programme 1996-97