GHOST IN THE SHELL

US, 2017, 100 minutes, Colour.
Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbaek, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt, Chin Han, Peter Ferdinando, Anamaria Marinca.
Directed by Rupert Sanders.

Ghost in the Shell is based on a Manga comic, with an animation film version in the 1990s. This time it is an international production, an American remake but much of the finance coming from China.

For the ordinary audience, this will serve as the futuristic action adventure – though the shootouts, American movie style, are a bit much for this film and there is, surprisingly, a Transformer tank confrontation at the end. Manga fans have been a bit more ambiguous.

Otherwise, this is science-fiction exploring what are now familiar themes of humans and robots, the future of robotics, the substitution of robots for humans.

The future city, looking somewhat like Hong Kong, has excellent production design, harking back to the Los Angeles of Ridley Scott’s The Blade Runner, the darkness, the bright city lights, the skyscrapers, travel, and huge holograms on the walls of the buildings. And The Blade Runner theme of replicants is given a new twist – some months before the release of the new Blade Runner film. These are also the themes of such films as the two Total Recall films.

There is some cautionary information given at the opening, some lines about robotics, humans, and what this could mean for the future. Then there is a transition to a laboratory, surgery, a brain being transferred to a robotic body. In fact, this is a successful operation after 98 failures where the new creature is physically robot, interiorly human, the ghost in the shell or, as a scientist refers to it, the soul in the shell is human. This creation is called Major.

And Major is in the form of Scarlett Johansson, no hesitation in showing the form frequently, her going into action often with a skin-toned body-stocking. It is interesting that Scarlett Johansson has taken on this role. In recent years she has been seen in three variations on these themes, Under the Skin, Her, Lucy, as well is appearing in the Avengers films, one of the few female superheroes. (Probably someone is at a university at this minute submitting a topic for a thesis on Scarlett Johansson and these roles.)

Major is destined to be a weapon, used by the state, under the control of Amaraki (an interesting role for veteran director Takeshi Kitano, who speaks only Japanese in this film, with subtitles, finally getting the opportunity to rise from his office chair and indulge in action for which his own films are famous). He is responsible to the Prime Minister but the control of Major is very much in the hands of Cutter (Peter Ferdinando) the head of the robotics company.

Major does not always obey commands and intervenes at a business dinner when thugs open fire and Major attacks they robotic geisha, which opens up investigations into robots similar to herself while she has been told she is the first. This links to her further disobeying orders and trying to track down the sinister presence she discovered, Kuse (Michael Pitt).

She is backed up by a friendly giant, Batou (Pilou Asbaek), good with a gun, with banter, able to be continually repaired – and even get a new set of penetrating eyes.

Perhaps a surprise presence in the film is that of Juliette Binoche as Dr Oulet, the scientist in charge of these transformations, not telling the truth to Major, not allowing her to have her own memories, although she has glimpses. Dr Oulet is the humane presence in the film, a scientist, but motherly.

Of course, this is building up into a confrontation with Major discovering something of her past, including a mother, and so has to come to terms with Kuze as a failed experiment, her own identity, and whether she is to continue in her weapon role.

Fairly continued action, an exciting imagination of the future, philosophical questions about humanity and identity – and the screenplay finally coming down on the side of humanity.


1. An American/ international adaptation of a Japanese comic and film? The manga style, characters, action? Narrative, Cybernetics, futuristic?

2. The movie influences, the Japanese manga films? Blade Runner, with its replicants, Total Recall, Scarlett Johansson and her science-fiction films: Under the Skin, Lucy, Her?

3. The introduction, the explanation for the future, cyber advances, reshaping and reconstituting humans? Robotics companies? Experiments, transfer of brains, symbolising ghost, spirit and self, in robot body form? Issues of identity, memories? Education, the use of these persons as weapons? The variation on the Frankenstein theme and the creation of a creature that is both humane and monstrous?

4. The laboratory, the surgery, the brain, the creation of Major, Dr Oulet, the decision that Major should become a weapon? Working in District 9? Aramaki as her supervisor? His responsibility to the prime minister and government?

5. A year later, Major and her appearance, the body stocking, the nudity, her ability to vanish? Supervising, disobeying orders, the dive, going to the banquet, the discussions about acquiring companies, the shooting, the confrontation with the geisha, recording the information? Her decision to do the deep dive? Going into action, seeking information, seeing coups, the consequences? Encountering Kuze? The techniques to locate him?

6. The interpolation of the several shootouts, the American action additions to the manga story? And his control? Aramaki and his confronting Cutter’s men, killing them, confronting Cutter?

7. Dr Oulet, her work, sympathetic, experiments, repairing Major, their discussions, her motherly sense, her fears? Her lying to Major? With Cutter, his decision, Dr Oulet giving Major her own true memories? Her death? The death of the other scientist, a robotic human?

8. Cutter, part machine, control of the firm, working for the government, missions, the interactions with Aramaki? His knowledge about Kuze? The revelation about the experiments, 98? His plan to destroy Kuze, Major, the pursuit? The finale with the tank, Major destroying it, Batou helping her?

9. Batou two, his character, partner, fighting, care for the dogs, the banter, injuries, repairs, his new eyes? Helping Major and her underwater swimming, her sense of self? The final rescue?

10. The other associates, the Chinese, his skills, the fights?

11. Major and her meeting Kuze, their talking, his revelation of the truth?

12. Major and her memories, going to the address, meeting her mother, the offer of the cup of tea, the eyes? The story about the runaways, looking for locations, the harvesting of the runaways for the experiments? Her mother at the headstone and Major reassuring her?

13. The final comments – and the emphasis on humanity rather than the development of robotics?