paratize

I was wondering particularly about the movie itself, because I have never seen it before. Does it hold up to the critical acclaim it's been receiving?

I've seen AKIRA and THE MATRIX. I loved Matrix but Akira's plotline got too weird for me near the end. But I enjoy the japanese animation style (as long as it isn't Pokemon). Is this movie anything like the aforementioned films and is there any one who liked GITS but not Akira?

Thanks in advance!

Liquid Death

I didn't like akira when I saw it, though it might just have been that I was not really into anime at the time. I actually owned GITS for about a year and a half in widescreen vhs before I ever watched it...and when I finally did see it, I went out and bought the dvd the next day.

Not sure if that says something or not

foxdvd

Ghost in the Shell is a masterpiece, but misunderstood. It deals with artificial intelligence, and the process of it becoming life. They call the human soul in this movie its “ghost” and understanding that before you watch the movie will make the story easy on you.

That being said, this movie is not an action filled piece of animation. There is really only two action scenes, and only the final has any real length to it. The movie is slower paced then you might be expecting, and must be watched in the original Japanese language with subtitles for you to fully understand it. Many issues are touched on in this movie, that separate it from other movies that it is compared to. The idea that a program can become self aware, and then want to reproduce is fascinating, and many times overlooked in this movie.

If you do not mind a slower paced movie, that wants to deal with some sci-fi issues, it is a must have. The animation was, and still is gorgeous at times. The main character is fleshed out more then most live action movies, and she never shows emotion in her face or voice. The action that is in the movie is well animated and smooth. Most important, the story is fascinating.

tha_dvd_man

GitS is a great movie. The onle gripe I had with it is the ending feeled a litte....oh I dunno, sudden. Other than that it's a GREAT movie. And I wouldn't necessarily say if you liked the Matrix you'll love GitS, but I hate the Matrix and love this movie, so...

dave955

I rented this and definitely thought it was only worth a rental (if that). I found the movie slow and fairly uninteresting, despite its attempts to engage me with wonderful animation. Mononoke was more rewarding, IMHO.

pimpasslando

Ghost in the Shell is as visionary as Blade Runner. The story is very deep and will put the more action-oriented to sleep, but the payoffs are there!

I love this director's work. You can see his other efforts in Patlabor 1 and 2. Patlabor 2 is really really good.

I do agree that Mononoke is more rewarding. It is, after all, Miyazaki!

chimp

See GITS. If you like it, read the manga (comics). If you like that also check out Appleseed (also by Masumune Shirow) which is excellent.

JaxComet

For those who are debating a purchase of "Ghost in the Shell" and/or "Princess Mononoke", Starz will be playing them back to back on Thursday night. I know you won't get the true DVD experience but you can at least see if the stories interest you.....

Jeraden

I enjoy a lot of Anime though I haven't seen a whole lot of it yet, but don't think Ghost in the Shell at all deserves the acclaim it gets. Some people are saying its deep, I didn't find much deep about it. Maybe the general concept of the plot is somewhat deep, but the actual execution of that plot I found pretty standard, nothing subtle or deep about it really. I also found it hard to really care about any of the characters. I wouldn't say I was looking for more action, just a more engaging story. It starts off fairly promising but the last 2/3rd are kind of uninteresting. Its not horrible, just not a classic must-see like everyone says. I saw it once like 5 years ago on VHS, then again last year on DVD and if anything it was worse than I remembered it.

I've seen Akira a couple times and really liked it, though I agree the ending gets really confusing. I'm anxiously awaiting its DVD release though.

einTier

It took multiple watchings for me to fully appreciate Akira. I really did not care for it at first, but I think that's mainly because I wasn't "tuned in" to the film itself.

Ghost in the Shell was not what I was expecting. Ghost in the Shell is very different from Akira or The Matrix, or really, most other anime I've watched. The closest movie to this would be Blade Runner, and both touch upon the same theories and ideas -- is it possible for a machine to have a soul, to have true emotions and feelings, the desire to reproduce, to live as a human? If a machine feels this way, is it still a machine? Or is it much more?

If you'll open your mind and think about the film while you are watching it, the film is extremely deep, and there's a lot to discuss after the movie is over. These are the kinds of movies I prefer. This was the first anime I watched that showed me that animae could be as deep and complex and dramatic as live action cinema. Anime doesn't have to be all explosions and violence and sex, and if you are expecting this from GITS, you will be sadly disappointed.

I'd definately suggest renting it, you should see it, even if you ultimately decide you don't like it. It's definately a classic piece of japanese animation.

...on another note, if you've not watched much anime, I'd suggest watching Ninja Scroll as well.

fargus

GiTS is a definite for me, being a big Shirow fan. Akira is supposed to be theatrically re-released this spring in a restored version, hopefully we'll see a DVD release of that by the end of the year!

Tuan Jim

Ehhh. Ghost in the Shell was done better when it was "I, Robot" and pretty much any of Asimov's other robot stories. It was interesting the first time, great visuals, etc, but on sitting down to watch it a second or third time, it really loses it's value IMO -- really slows down (and it isn't too long to begin with). Drags in the middle. And yes, the ending is very weak.

I definitely recommend renting first. If you still like it, then more power to ya.

Tuan Jim

Ecstacy2000

This movie is a classic. Get it.

beebs

Ghost in the Shell suffers from being too heady. The concepts it explores and the questions it raises require and depend on the concentration of the watchers to dervive value from the film.

As a result, this great anime movie loses watchability. You cannot simply pop this in and watch it whenever. You need to be in a mood to actively watch a movie for it's duration.

I find that, in a week, I can only watch 1-2 movies of this type. But I might watch 3-4 movies that are breezy or fleeting entertainment -- such as more action or plot oriented anime titles. As a result, Ghost would rarely get a repeat, maybe only after a rerelease of something like Akira or a new movie that I would like to compare it to.

-Beebs

Breakfast with Girls

Watch before you buy.

-Matt

sfsdfd

Er, not really... (correction of above... contains spoilers)


General review:
I'm a big fan of anime - can't get enough of Ninja Scroll, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne, Rurouni Kenshin, Macross, Lupin, Akira, etc. But I found Ghost in the Shell lacking. Many of the characters' actions and reactions make no sense, really, and are just thrown in for dramatic effect. That "huh?" reaction from most people after their first viewing isn't a sign that the movie is so deep and intricate that it needs rewatching to catch it all... but rather that it's so nonsensical that it needs rewatching to find even the faintest explanation for what was going on.

Recommendation:
If you've only seen Akira, I can recommend two dozen other anime titles that are better than Ghost in the Shell. The only reason it's so rampantly popular is that it was the first anime title on DVD.

- David Stein

Breakfast with Girls

Yes. I said to watch it first because some people love it. Others, like David and myself, don't.

-Matt

aron craig

Ghost is good.. not great, not bad. It is far more Oshii (the director) than anything else. If you've seen Patlabor the Movie (1 or 2) than you have a fairly good idea of the kind of tone and pacing to expect. It has some action and FX but it is really a slow philosophical exploration more than anything else. As are most of Oshii's films.

(And where, oh where is Angel's Egg in the US?!? I want it!!)