Ghost in the Shell 2.0 - by ONOE

Ghost in the Shell 2.0 will be released November 24, 2009, however thanks to Best Buy breaking the street date, I got to view it early and I decided to share my thoughts about it.

It is arguable that it was the film ‘Akira’ that is most credited for making anime mainstream in the West; however my personal feelings on the matter is that, though Akira was a good anime, it was the film ‘Ghost in the Shell’ that had the bigger influence. It is really hard to find any movie buff -anime fan or not- that has no general knowledge of Ghost in the Shell. With the (still) amazing animation, the intriguing characters, the deep philosophical themes, and the intense action, Ghost in the Shell is an exceptionally strong movie that almost any audience, Eastern or Western, can enjoy.

The original Ghost in the Shell is a 1995 anime film directed by Mamoru Oshii. Adapted from the manga Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow, creator of another hit science fiction manga, Appleseed.



The story is about Major Kusanagi Motoko, a woman who is a soldier in a secret government agency known as Section 9. Motoko is a cyborg, a human brain encased within a humanoid machine that grants her near-superhuman strength, speed and stamina. She and the members of her team –a mostly human cop, Togusa; the burly blonde cyborg, Batou; the hard-core computer expert and hacker, Ichikawa- are trying to track down the Puppet Master, a master hacker who hacks into people's brains and uses them to carry out espionage or terrorism.
There is, however, an internal conflict for Motoko.

Outside of her mission to hunt down the Pupper Master, Motoko searches for meaning to her existence as a cyborg. She ponders the differences between man and machine, what makes a memory, and even the condition of ‘the human spirit’ if a machine were to ever develop a soul without a human brain. Expressing her inner-conflicts are a series of beautifully illustrated scenes throughout the length of the movie. The scenes where Motoko wanders the city and watches the people and where she is slowly rises to the surface of the water after scuba diving are breathtakingly well animated yet thought provoking in their execution.
Original Scene
Ghost in the Shell 2.0


But this is where I will stop talking about the original movie because either you have not seen the movie and I’d rather not spoil it for you, or you have already seen it a half-dozen times or more and I don’t want to bore you. I did want to mention the scenes I described above for reasons I will elaborate more about down below…

Ghost in the Shell 2.0
(Not to be confused with Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence)



Nearly 15 years after the original release of Ghost in the Shell, the original movie has received ‘an update’ for lack of a better word. Following in the steps of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg in the mid-90’s when they updated their classic films (‘Star Wars’ and ‘ET’ respectively). Through merging their original masterpieces with the latest in Computer Graphics, the two acclaimed directors believed that they could reach new audiences by updating some of the outdated visual effects of their movies. While the update bug had bitten America, this virus has apparently never been quarantined against infestation overseas.

While watching Ghost in the Shell 2.0 I was both delighted and turned off by certain elements. Now, first and foremost, it was not only the visuals that received an update. The music has been remixed, the voice acting re-recorded, and the special effects expanded for surround sound systems.

Ghost in the Shell 2.0 is easily the cleanest and most beautiful restoration of Ghost in the Shell available so far. The clarity of the film is crystal, the colors are bright and bold, and the color depth seems wider, producing a much more vibrant picture. The CGI effects are equally impressive: the 3D nightscapes roll out to infinitum and the detail in each CGI scene is almost overwhelming. Personally, the most impressive use of CGI is the new introduction credits screen where you see (what appears to be) human skin being grafted to a machine. The amount of detail in that scene alone made me glad that I could watch the Blu-Ray version of the movie on my HDTV with my new Playstation 3 Slim.

However, it is also the CGI that is the deal-breaker for Ghost in the Shell purists. Now, I won’t hate on CGI when it is used properly. In the original 1995 version of the movie, there are several obviously outdated CGI scenes, most notably the scenes with the GPS maps and the 3D models of cyber brains being rendered on a hologram projector. These scenes benefit immensely from the updates in Ghost in the Shell 2.0. However, I am sorely disappointed in the scenes that did not need ‘updated’.
Original Scene

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Ghost in the Shell scuba dive

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Ghost in the Shell 2.0

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Ghost in the shell 2.0 scuba dive

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Nearly all of the other updated CGI scenes stand out like a sore thumb, and that is not a compliment. The opening sequence, showing Major Motoko crouched against a city skyline at night has been converted entirely to CGI, as was the infamous ‘optic camouflage scene’ where Motoko leaps from a building and turns invisible. How they could get away with completely REPLACING the most iconic scene of the movie is beyond my understanding. Other scenes that received these updates was, heartbreakingly, the scuba diving scene I mentioned above and I am so fond of. Visually, the diving scene is still very beautiful but the CGI makes it feel almost lifeless; it lacks the emotion of the original, hand-drawn version for some strange reason. The final scene I would like to discuss is the ‘angel’ scene: Simply put, there is no longer an angel, but just a hodgepodge of CGI colors. Other scenes that have been ‘updated’ include nearly any scene with a helicopter, and the final scene of Motoko against the bright city skyline; the later of which is one of the few scenes that seems to have actually been improved over the original.

Original Scene

Ghost in the Shell 2.0


While the visual updates of Ghost in the Shell 2.0 are the most obvious, the updated audio the star of the show. The sound effects have been re-recorded: Every shot during the fight against the tank is deep and rattles the walls, simple effects like steps are clean and crisp, and the ambience is immersing. The music has been remixed from the original, however the mixes are not distracting from the original, and instead compliment the moods of the film. The original Japanese cast has re-recorded all their lines, with one exception: the Puppet Master. The Puppet Master was originally voiced by a man, and has now been replaced by a woman. While I praise the re-recordings of the original cast, I am somewhat disappointed by giving the Puppet Master a female voice. It makes sense to make the Puppet Master speak with a female voice, but now the conversation between Motoko and the Puppet Master while they are in each other’s body may be a little confusing for anyone who has not seen the original movie. I believed that having a male and female voice made the respective characters more discernable given the circumstances of that scene. In addition, the Puppet Master’s original voice was distinct and very dramatic, so I am sad to see it go.
Original Scene

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Original Batou Ghost in the Shell 2.0

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Ghost in the Shell 2.0

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Batou Ghost in the Shell 2.0

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Fortunately the original version of Ghost in the Shell is included on the Blu-Ray disk as an extra feature. After watching Ghost in the Shell 2.0 I was excited that I would be able to see the original movie equally remastered in High Definition. However, that is not the case. Despite all of the love and attention that Ghost in the Shell 2.0 received (crisp, clean visuals and re-recorded audio), almost all of these updates were absent from the original copy. I would have let the audio slide but the visuals were a disappointment. The film is loaded with aliasing and artifacting, and it disappointing to watch. However, the original film is an extra, and I am just glad that they saw how important it was to include both versions of the film in this single-disk release. I wish I could compare whether or not this version of the original Ghost in the Shell looks any better or worse than an upscaled copy of the Special Edition DVD.

The extra content on the Blu-Ray is also disappointing. Described on the back cover of the case is an audio commentary with Mamoru Oshii and Toshihiko Nishikubo, with subtitles. I have checked high and low for this option and have finally given up hope on its very existence. Additionally, there is a ‘Making Of Ghost in the Shell’ that has obviously been re-hashed from previous interviews because of the outdated language used throughout, such as ‘Japanimation’.

Not only do you get the new version of this movie, you get the original in semi-HD, so you won’t really lose anything with this purchase. All in all this is a must buy for Ghost in the Shell fans, but if you are a fan, I don’t need to tell you that. Everyone else, give this one a rental.

Personally, this whole release just makes me want the original film remastered in HD, but I will take what I can get.

For the bottom

Nice work. Posted.

Very nicely written and the image comparisons help immensely.
I wish you would have gone a little deeper into the story for those like me who aren't familiar with the film.

Hey, I thought you didn't have a Blu-Ray player or a Playstation 3 Slim?

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The series is dedicated to analyzing and eviscerating tasteless low-budged B-grade knock-offs of more popular and expensive Hollywood flicks - Mockbusters. CineMax is an amateur, yet aspiring movie critic, who makes comedic video reviews, writes insightful and analytical articles, and, occasionally just blabbers about stuff he deems important.

My friend has one. I could only find a copy of the movie in Blu-Ray and since I do plan on getting a Playstation 3 when my tax returns roll around I went ahead and bought it.

i had no idea they did this, i may stay with the original over the new one, sometimes remakes can be fore the better but not always

Fun fun. Hit me up when you get a PSN ID: 'Falanx13'

One of my favorite movies of all time! I'm not an anime head but I do love cool science fiction movies and this is one of the best of all times. Is this movie out on DVD or is it just blurays? I already have the special edition dvd but if the new footage is any good then I want this one to.

I read your thoughts on the new footage after I wrote above and it doesnt sound too bad so I will check it out when it comes to dvd. I hope the audio is just as good as the bluray because it sounds really cool to listen to.

Thanks Onoe!!