Ghost in the Shell
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Released:28/02/2000
More Details
Studio:Manga
Director:Mamoru Oshii
Cast: Atsuko Tanaka, Iemasa Kayumi, Richard Epcar, Akio Ohtsuka, Tamio Ôki
Running Time:83 minutes
Amazon.co.uk Review
The skilful blending of drawn animation and computer-generated imagery excited anime fans when this science fiction mystery was released in 1995: many enthusiasts believe Ghost suggests what the future of anime will be, at least in the short term. The film is set in the not-too-distant future, when an unnamed government uses lifelike cyborgs or "enhanced" humans for undercover work. One of the key cyborgs is the Major, Motoko Kusanagi, who resembles a cross between the Terminator and a Playboy centrefold. She finds herself caught up in a tangled web of espionage and counterespionage as she searches for the mysterious superhacker known as "The Puppet Master."
Mamoru Oshii directs with a staccato rhythm, alternating sequences of rapid-fire action (car chases, gun battles, explosions) with static dialogue scenes that allow the characters to sort out the vaguely mystical and rather convoluted plot. Kusanagi's final quote from I Corinthians suggests that electronic evolution may compliment and eventually supplant organic evolution. The minor nudity, profanity and considerable violence would earn Ghost in the Shell at least a PG rating. --Charles Solomon
