thepolkapunk (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} thepolkapunk) wrote,@ 2005-01-22 18:39:00 |
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DVD Review: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (American Release)
Written and Directed by Mamori Oshii
Based on the works of Masamune Shiro
Rated PG-13 (Parental Guidance suggested for children under 13)
FILM
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is a visually stunning existential* romp through some of the headier debates of techno-philosophy, interlaced with a murder mystery and sporadic bouts of action thrown in for good measure. This is one of the rare sequels that surpass the original film in every way (although it is important to note that I do not think highly of first Ghost in the Shell). The film takes place several years after the first movie, Ghost in the Shell. Batou and his partner Togusa are investigating a series of grisly murders committed by robots without any that appear to have been caused by defective products. Batou’s former partner, Major Kusanagi, is nowhere to be seen, having evolved beyond humanity and vanishing into the matrix (syn. internet) at the end of the first movie.
The movie is primarily a series of quotations and philosophical discussions designed to provoke thoughts on religion, technology, and the significance of society and technologies ever increasing connection. I am unfortunately not well read enough in either Eastern or Western literature to recognize or understand all of the allusions and quotations from the film. This did not decrease my enjoyment of the movie, but I do feel one will get more from the film by being up to literary snuff.
The foundation of the movie is not so much a theme as it is four open-ended questions to the viewer:
-When making robots more and more like humans, at what point does a robot become a human?
-When making humans more and more like robots, at what point does a human become a robot?
-Is a robot alive?
-Is a human alive?
Although the some of the answers would seem fairly obvious, the film does a good job of bringing up ideas and throwing in situations that have the potential to leave the viewer doubting some of life’s concrete facts (I was shocked by the profound logic used when the movie suggested that humans were not alive).
The characters in this film are just as cleverly written as the philosophies they spout. The characters reek of well planned dialogue and actions, from the stoic Batou, ever trying to stamp out what humanity remains of himself, to Togasa who is trying to cling to what humanity is left in the world (and let’s not forget Batou’s basset hound who exhibits the most vibrant signs of life in the film). It is obvious that delicate care was taken to carefully create and maintain the personalities of everyone in the film.
Much like in many of Mamori Oshii‘s other films, the plot and action often take too much of a backseat in GITS 2, which is a shame, because what exists of them are interesting and well done. Though the movie has many scenes that are visually jaw-dropping, I had some problems with the integration of 2D and 3D animation. Quite often the characters seem to be paper thin cutouts in front of 3D backdrops, often not even seeming to be in the same plane of existence. Additionally, there are places where the 3D animation appears to be choppy and stilted.
Although the movie ties up all of the plot’s loose ends, the film peters out to nothing after the climax, almost completely lacking a dénouement. This is not odd for an Eastern film, but I still feel more could have been done with the ending that would’ve enhanced the movie overall.
DVD
Though the film itself is quite impressive, the poor quality of the DVD detracts from complete enjoyment of the movie. The DVD is in widescreen and has Japanese audio available in both stereo and 5.1 sound. I rarely watch foreign films dubbed, but the lack of an English language option will most likely deter people who do not like reading subtitles. The only English subtitles included are for the hearing impaired. Since I have no hearing disabilities, I found it somewhat annoying to have the subtitles broken up by text such as “[Helicopter approaching]”, and have most of the dialogue prefixed by the name of the person speaking. Ironically, the cues for the hearing impaired are rather pathetic. Many sounds are often ignored (the sound effect transcriber apparently became lazier towards the end of the film), and I even found sound cues that were downright incorrect. The subtitle/closed-captions will ultimately disappoint both hearing and hearing impaired.
The DVD also contains director’s commentary and a “Making of” featurette, both of which were sub-par, as well as the original Japanese trailer. Though the commentary had interesting tidbits about some of the techniques they used to produce the visuals for the film, they seemed to spend more time speaking about unimportant things such as their disappointment with the animation on cigarette smoke, and the color that was used on a dog’s behind. Furthermore, the commentary discussed features of the DVD that were apparently available in Japan, but were not released in the American version. The featurette was more of an eclectic collection of comments from people involved with the film, and contained almost no information on the making of the film. Ultimately, the DVD itself is a big letdown, and show’s Dreamworks lack of commitment to the film’s fans.
I am giving Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence a “Buy” rating. The film is thought-provoking, brilliant, and a visual monster. Though annoying at times, I did not feel that the flaws of the DVD were enough to warrant passing over the film. There is much of the movie the will be missed on a first, or even second viewing, necessitating buying the DVD as opposed to renting it. Action fans should probably skip this film; despite the American advertisements, this is not an action packed thrill-ride. Fans of Science Fiction, philosophy, and intellectually stimulating films should definitely view this movie.
GITS 2 gets 42 thumbs up, my highest rating ever!
*The word "Existential" is tossed around quite often these days. Most of the time it is used incorrectly. I find it is commonly used in place of the phrase "philosophically esoteric", instead of its real meaning, which is “Of or as conceived by existentialism or existentialists.” Although this film is philosophically esoteric, I used the word “Existential” for its true meaning in this review.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (American Release)
Written and Directed by Mamori Oshii
Based on the works of Masamune Shiro
Rated PG-13 (Parental Guidance suggested for children under 13)
FILM
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is a visually stunning existential* romp through some of the headier debates of techno-philosophy, interlaced with a murder mystery and sporadic bouts of action thrown in for good measure. This is one of the rare sequels that surpass the original film in every way (although it is important to note that I do not think highly of first Ghost in the Shell). The film takes place several years after the first movie, Ghost in the Shell. Batou and his partner Togusa are investigating a series of grisly murders committed by robots without any that appear to have been caused by defective products. Batou’s former partner, Major Kusanagi, is nowhere to be seen, having evolved beyond humanity and vanishing into the matrix (syn. internet) at the end of the first movie.
The movie is primarily a series of quotations and philosophical discussions designed to provoke thoughts on religion, technology, and the significance of society and technologies ever increasing connection. I am unfortunately not well read enough in either Eastern or Western literature to recognize or understand all of the allusions and quotations from the film. This did not decrease my enjoyment of the movie, but I do feel one will get more from the film by being up to literary snuff.
The foundation of the movie is not so much a theme as it is four open-ended questions to the viewer:
-When making robots more and more like humans, at what point does a robot become a human?
-When making humans more and more like robots, at what point does a human become a robot?
-Is a robot alive?
-Is a human alive?
Although the some of the answers would seem fairly obvious, the film does a good job of bringing up ideas and throwing in situations that have the potential to leave the viewer doubting some of life’s concrete facts (I was shocked by the profound logic used when the movie suggested that humans were not alive).
The characters in this film are just as cleverly written as the philosophies they spout. The characters reek of well planned dialogue and actions, from the stoic Batou, ever trying to stamp out what humanity remains of himself, to Togasa who is trying to cling to what humanity is left in the world (and let’s not forget Batou’s basset hound who exhibits the most vibrant signs of life in the film). It is obvious that delicate care was taken to carefully create and maintain the personalities of everyone in the film.
Much like in many of Mamori Oshii‘s other films, the plot and action often take too much of a backseat in GITS 2, which is a shame, because what exists of them are interesting and well done. Though the movie has many scenes that are visually jaw-dropping, I had some problems with the integration of 2D and 3D animation. Quite often the characters seem to be paper thin cutouts in front of 3D backdrops, often not even seeming to be in the same plane of existence. Additionally, there are places where the 3D animation appears to be choppy and stilted.
Although the movie ties up all of the plot’s loose ends, the film peters out to nothing after the climax, almost completely lacking a dénouement. This is not odd for an Eastern film, but I still feel more could have been done with the ending that would’ve enhanced the movie overall.
DVD
Though the film itself is quite impressive, the poor quality of the DVD detracts from complete enjoyment of the movie. The DVD is in widescreen and has Japanese audio available in both stereo and 5.1 sound. I rarely watch foreign films dubbed, but the lack of an English language option will most likely deter people who do not like reading subtitles. The only English subtitles included are for the hearing impaired. Since I have no hearing disabilities, I found it somewhat annoying to have the subtitles broken up by text such as “[Helicopter approaching]”, and have most of the dialogue prefixed by the name of the person speaking. Ironically, the cues for the hearing impaired are rather pathetic. Many sounds are often ignored (the sound effect transcriber apparently became lazier towards the end of the film), and I even found sound cues that were downright incorrect. The subtitle/closed-captions will ultimately disappoint both hearing and hearing impaired.
The DVD also contains director’s commentary and a “Making of” featurette, both of which were sub-par, as well as the original Japanese trailer. Though the commentary had interesting tidbits about some of the techniques they used to produce the visuals for the film, they seemed to spend more time speaking about unimportant things such as their disappointment with the animation on cigarette smoke, and the color that was used on a dog’s behind. Furthermore, the commentary discussed features of the DVD that were apparently available in Japan, but were not released in the American version. The featurette was more of an eclectic collection of comments from people involved with the film, and contained almost no information on the making of the film. Ultimately, the DVD itself is a big letdown, and show’s Dreamworks lack of commitment to the film’s fans.
I am giving Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence a “Buy” rating. The film is thought-provoking, brilliant, and a visual monster. Though annoying at times, I did not feel that the flaws of the DVD were enough to warrant passing over the film. There is much of the movie the will be missed on a first, or even second viewing, necessitating buying the DVD as opposed to renting it. Action fans should probably skip this film; despite the American advertisements, this is not an action packed thrill-ride. Fans of Science Fiction, philosophy, and intellectually stimulating films should definitely view this movie.
GITS 2 gets 42 thumbs up, my highest rating ever!
*The word "Existential" is tossed around quite often these days. Most of the time it is used incorrectly. I find it is commonly used in place of the phrase "philosophically esoteric", instead of its real meaning, which is “Of or as conceived by existentialism or existentialists.” Although this film is philosophically esoteric, I used the word “Existential” for its true meaning in this review.
