I think the first thing I should mention, as this is a review of a live-action version of an anime, is that I hate anime. The Japanese animation style does nothing for me and I’m not a fan of their style of storytelling. So, obviously, I have not seen the original Ghost in the Shell anime movie or series. But for the sake of geekdom (and the fact we were going to talk about it on GW1 anyway), I saw the movie. 

First impression: it looked interesting. They did a great job of capturing the look of a future Hong Kong, even if it did feel like something I’d seen before (in Blade Runner, for one). However, it made me not look forward to that version of the future because it was all so cluttered and bright on the surface, then drab and depressing underneath. Sure, that’s the typical look you get in a cyberpunk property, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing.

Then there’s the story. As someone who doesn’t know the source material, the plot worked well enough to keep my interest. It was straightforward, with enough explanation of situations or relationships to follow along. But it didn’t have much depth and just wasn’t very exciting. I found it pretty predictable and even though there was supposedly a twist or two, I didn’t consider them twists (they’re really not if you can see them coming).

The action and effects were good, which are probably what kept me the most interested. As expected, Scarlett Johansson did a great job with the fight scenes – she’s had all that training as Black Widow, after all. And the effects used during some scenes, like a fight in water where her character is invisible, were impressive.

There’s definitely some fan service (like shot-for-shot recreations of anime scenes) and I could often tell when it was happening because of how drawn out a particular shot or scene was. But from what I’ve heard from fans of the original property, it’s what they were looking for and it’s a great recreation of the original. So those into anime will probably want to catch Ghost in the Shell in theaters. For me, it was an ok movie that’s worth catching on Netflix when it comes around.