Ghost in the Shell (1995) – 8/10 – A futuristic animated brilliance with philosophical depth
GHOST IN THE SHELL is an animated futuristic cyberpunk film based on a Japanese manga. It’s short but packed with depth and philosophy beneath the fierce police action. The movie raises contemplative questions about consciousness, the nature of reality, what it means to be human, and what it means to feel alive. If your body, including your memories, can be synthetic, then what part of you truly exists? Philosopher Descartes’ famous “I think, therefore I am” gets thrown on its backside. If your thinking ability is also artificial, what is the self? That inspires reflection on what life is, free will, and humanity’s cybernetic future. These are not questions we can easily answer. This world imagines a future not far from our own—perhaps a couple of decades away—as humans embrace cybernetic enhancements and more advanced AI integration. Several concepts here stem from the original BLADE RUNNER (1982) mold, which was well ahead of its time and inspired later sci-fi, including AKIRA (1988) and GHOST IN THE SHELL (1995). THE MATRIX took inspiration from these earlier concepts and created a world that itself is a massive computer. The metaphor ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’ fits well here to build ideas further on earlier works.
Plot
It is 2029. The setting is New Port City, a fictional Japanese city likely inspired by Tokyo. The story introduces Major Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg policewoman from Public Security Section 9, a government agency that investigates crime. A skilled AI hacker and mysterious criminal called the Puppet Master is on the loose. Section 9 uses a centralized computer system that the Puppet Master hacked into, and Major Motoko’s team is investigating him. This villain can hijack other cyborg humans and manipulate their memories for control. A rival government agency enters the mix, and Puppet Master’s AI identity complicates things for Motoko, who is part AI. Motoko, with her partner Batou, races against time to end the Puppet Master and hold herself together.
Technicals
GHOST IN THE SHELL is enjoyable from start to finish, with stylistic choices I appreciated. Excellent cinematography, gorgeous visuals, beautiful music, directing, fast pacing, storytelling, and precise editing stand out. This movie was one of the first to combine CGI and traditional animation, along with groundbreaking lighting and editing techniques. The visuals stunned me, especially for the year 1995. I cannot get past several unforgettable scenes that showcase masterful cinematography, attention to detail, and an exquisite background score. The atmosphere they built is soothing and transports you to another world. That takes us to a flaw: the plot. With countless ideas, concepts, technology, and material to work with, they could’ve done more. A longer film could have covered more ground.
Would I recommend this?
Yes, it’s worth checking out if sci-fi is a genre you appreciate. Few animated films target mature audiences; this one does, but it’s not for all ages. I watched the English dubbed version, which was decent overall. Dubbed versions often lose subtle nuances due to poor translation and/or poor voice acting. My rating is 8/10.
*Obtained trivia facts from IMDB’s trivia page and plot/basic history/names information from Wiki
