Review of Ghost in the Shell (2017) by Dannygards — 30 Mar 2017

As a GiTS fan I went into the screening with zero expectation given previous live action re-makes I have seen (Fist of the North Star anyone?!). But too my surprise I have to say It was actually very good.

The world is outstanding – Blade Runner will struggle to top it. ScarJo does an excellent job as the Major and the character is developed in a way that is possibly better than in the original. Action scenes as you would expect are excellent (Many taken directly from original film).

Now, the story itself - I suspect this is the area that will divide many people. I can accept that they had to streamline and "dumb down" many elements/themes. In all reality if they had stayed faithful to the anime this could have become 3 hour box office bomb.

I expect the filmmakers had many Hollywood compromises they had to make (running length, x-amount of action, accessibility to a new audience) and all in all I think they have found a good balance. I had realistic expectation in this regard, however I can appreciate there will be a certain sections within the fan base who will be unable to accept the compromises.

So in conclusion, taking the film for what it is – A Hollywood version of GiTS I thought it was excellent, better than I ever expected.