So I just watched Ghost in the Shell (2017) starring Scarlett Johansson. That was a bad choice.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, Ghost in the Shell (2017) is a live action adaptation of the 1995 animated film Ghost in the Shell which is itself adapted from the 1989 manga (Japanese comic) Ghost in the Shell. Personally I've never been a big fan of the original film. It's a little too up it's own ass for my taste and I blame it for starting the pseudo philosophical nonsense trend in science fiction in the late 90s to early 2000s. So going into this new adaptation I was hopeful that any changes to the source material might actually be improvements. I was wrong. By comparison Ghost in the Shell (2017) has actually made me appreciate Ghost in the Shell (1995) way more.
For starters all the philosophical musing from the original has gone from subtext to just straight up text. In the original the Major spent much of the film reflecting on her existence and her place in society. However that was mostly conveyed through her actions and expressions. In Ghost in the Shell (2017) Scarlett Johansonn conveys that by explicitly asking "Why do I exist?" and "What is my place in society?" All the while alternating between angry face and gormless staring. Even minor characters were prone to thoughtful staring and metaphysical questions (I'm talking about you random hooker lady.)
The other thing I really didn't care for was the visual style. I was willing to forgive a generic sci-fi story or characters if they provided an original or engaging world. I'm tired of Blade Runner world. I was never that impressed with it to begin with, but if I see another gritty mega-city that mixes Asian and western culture I'm going to burn Hollywood to the ground. The Blade Runnerness was so strong that I kept waiting for the scene with the giant pink hologram with the blue hair only to realize that I had seen that in a Blade Runner 2049 trailer. Even the action scenes come off as dull. The heavy use of blending slow motion and real time speed is getting old. Even the iconic water fight falls flat in this version.
I also feel the need to say that this movie has many issues. "Whitewashing" was not one of them. If you're upset that they adapted an Asian property with American actors then I think you're missing the point of adaptations. Anyone who wants to see an Asian movie redone with Asian actors has seen the original Asian movie. At what point is an adaptation redundant? Personally I think the best adaptations establish their own identity separate from the source material. GitS (2017) failed by separating itself from the source material only to ripoff American sci-fi movies in a case of ripping off going full circle. Not to mention the reason that an American movie company is going to adapt an Asian property is to bring a popular or original premise to as wide an audience as possible. That means casting a recognizable lead. It turns out Scarlett Johansonn is a bigger draw than Kelly Marie Tran.
Overall Ghost in the Shell (2017) is a plodding, unnecessary mess. If you're really hankering for one of those sci-fi movies that questions whether robots have souls you can watch the original on Hulu. I give Ghost in the Shell (2017) 12 out of 73 creepy camera eyes.
Stray Thoughts:
- Shitty glitchy pixelated holograms will never be a thing. I refuse to believe that humanity will ever choose that over a crisp led screen.
- Spoiler Alert: The twist was that Major used to be an Asian refugee named Motoko. When the characters got angry about it it felt weirdly meta. “You used to be Motoko! What did they do to you?!!”
- What a waste of Beat Takeshi. Anybody that’s seen Battle Royale knows that Beat Takeshi can simultaneously be funny and terrifying. Somehow making him boring might be the worst sin of the film. https://youtu.be/zRKe1Ka8pRA