Ghost in the Shell is a big-budget action movie that should work. It has a star of international fame, a famous director, and a property with decades of devoted fans behind it. Instead it delivers a hollow shell of a story, one that spends more time on spectacle than on meaning. The film is competent, occasionally thrilling, and ultimately forgettable.
Trailer, via Paramount Pictures International.
The Setup
The story follows Major Motoko Kusanagi, played by Scarlett Johansson, who leads Section 9, a counter-cyberterrorist unit in a near-future Japan. A powerful artificial intelligence has begun to manipulate political figures, and Section 9 is tasked with stopping it. The plot hinges on the question of what makes a person human, but the film never quite answers it.
Johansson carries the weight of the production, and she does it well. Her performance is controlled and precise, matching the cold, analytical nature of her character. The supporting cast, including Pilou Asbæk as Batou and Michael Pitt as Kuze, offer competent support, though their roles are often reduced to functional ones rather than fully realized characters. The setup is simple: a unit against an AI, a question about humanity, and a lead who must decide whether her own mind is worth saving. The film never complicates any of it.
The Look of the Film
The visual effects are where Ghost in the Shell shines brightest. The cityscapes are dense and layered, with neon signs and holographic advertisements that feel lived-in. The action sequences are kinetic and well-choreographed, though they tend to rely on slow-motion and quick cuts rather than genuine tension. The film’s production design draws heavily on anime aesthetics, which is a natural fit given the source material, but it sometimes feels more like dressing than substance. It is a film that looks like it belongs in a Japanese animation studio, dressed up for Western audiences.
What Works
- The pacing is brisk, which keeps the film moving through its three-hour runtime.
- Johansson’s physical presence commands attention in every scene.
- The action sequences are technically proficient and visually striking.
The film is competent, occasionally thrilling, and ultimately forgettable.
What Falls Short
The script is the film’s biggest problem. Characters speak in exposition-heavy dialogue that feels like it is being delivered to a textbook, not to people. The central mystery about the AI’s origins is introduced late and resolved quickly, leaving the audience feeling cheated rather than satisfied. The film also struggles with its own mythology. It borrows heavily from the original manga and anime series, but it does so inconsistently, leaving longtime fans confused rather than honored.
The film’s treatment of race is also problematic. Johansson’s casting as the lead, a character who is traditionally Asian in the source material, has been a point of contention since the film was announced. The film attempts to address this by having Kusanagi discuss her own mixed heritage, but the gesture feels superficial rather than substantive. It raises questions about representation without really answering them.
The Verdict
Ghost in the Shell is a technically proficient film that fails to connect emotionally. It is a glossy, expensive-looking movie that treats its ideas as window dressing rather than as the foundation of its storytelling. The performances are solid, the visuals are impressive, but the whole enterprise feels hollow at its core.
There are moments of genuine excitement, particularly in the action set pieces, but they are fleeting. The film’s attempt to translate a rich, complex story into a mainstream blockbuster format has resulted in a story that is too thin to sustain itself. It is a film that looks like a masterpiece and sounds like a lecture.
The final score for Ghost in the Shell is 6.1 out of 10.
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