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Ghost in the Shell (2017) Review Thread

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BiGBoSSMk23

BiGBoSSMk23

A company being excited for their new game is a huge slap in the face to all the fans that liked their old games.
Trago said:
I'm thinking either the studio/filmmakers were so desperate to "fix" the movie because of the backlash that they might have thought that it could actually work, or they were that dumb to make the twist a thing all along. We'll probably never know.
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How the hell is that a "fix"?

If by "fixing" they mean throwing gasoline in a dumpster fire, then top freaking marks!

"Oh, you were rightfully Asian (wink, fans!), we just put you in this nice, marketable Caucasian body. CRISIS AVERTED"

This has to be the loudest brain fart, tone-deaf backfire "fix" I've ever seen.
 
Z

Zero315

Banned
Rapier said:
How the hell is that a "fix"?

If by "fixing" they mean throwing gasoline in a dumpster fire, then top freaking marks!

"Oh, you were rightfully Asian (wink, fans!), we just put you in this nice, marketable Caucasian body. CRISIS AVERTED"

This has to be the loudest brain fart, tone-deaf backfire "fix" I've ever seen.
Click to expand...
It wasn't a fix, they actually thought they were being clever.

While fans and prominent Asian-American actresses cited the casting as yet another example of Hollywood whitewashing, one man involved in the project is singing a different tune: producer Steven Paul, who told BuzzFeed he thinks the movie actually won’t disappoint anyone.

“I think everybody is going to end up being really happy with it,” Paul said in an interview published Wednesday. “They’re going to be very, very happy with it when they see what we’ve actually done with it, and I don’t think anybody’s going to be disappointed.”
Click to expand...
 
H

Hydrus

Member
Just got back from seeing. I've never seen GITS before in my life, so I watched it with a clean slate. I must say, I really enjoyed it! The movie was gorgeous! Story was pretty good and easy to follow. Really like how diverse the cast was. I'm not a big fan of Johansen, but I thought she was okay. I give the movie an 8/10. Definitely wanna go watch the whole series now.
 
W

Wanda/Wander

Member
Zero315 said:
It wasn't a fix, they actually thought they were being clever.
Click to expand...

tumblr_ni114lwgjD1ru72puo2_r1_400.gif
 
J

jack_package_200

Banned
I imagine this is probably why Warner Bros sold the Death Note movie production to Netflix. They got enough shit to deal with with the DC cinematic universe underperforming and being the butt of many jokes. Let someone else deal with the inevitable controversy and scrutiny of an americanized anime adaptation.
 
Whompa02

Whompa02

Member
tuxfool said:
You misunderstand. This isn't a criticism of the external politics. My point is that the film is an utter failure as art itself in quelling any issues people have with it.

A good film could have done so, but given there is so little substance to the film, this is what is interesting to talk about, and what dominates. It doesn't help that the film explicitly addresses these questions, and deals with it badly.
Click to expand...

While maybe the movie sucked to you, it doesn't change the context of the character. The thing people have a problem with is that Context does not = Representation. The script was written way before this "controversy" even came to be. I know because I was privy to and read it months before it even entered production...

I'm just curious where those people were when Tilda Swinton was cast as a Tibetan woman in Doctor Strange. Marvel easily could have cast an Asian in that one. They were there protesting on twitter for a bit, but then on opening night they were sitting in the movie theater helping Marvel rake in 677 million dollars on what actually 150% was a case of white washing...

AmaterasuOni said:
Watch out! They'll soon label you a liberal racist. I defended ScarJo's casting. Reasoning is that there are no Asian-American actresses who can carry a 120 million dollar niche sci-fi movie made from obscure anime/manga at the moment. The execs will not risk that budget on some unknown b-list actress. ScarJo will at least bring the minimum with her sex appeal.

Apparently I'm a racist. I also can't like beautiful Asian women, because that's racism as well. I also pointed out how manga and anime oppresses women, but apparently that's ok, because nobody took the bait and only wanted to talk how delusional I am. There are some very politically driven hypocritical people here, watch out. Most likely they haven't even seen the movie and never will, because these reasons. Movies are serious business, not entertainment.
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lol! Strange world we live in where you can be very liberal, support Asian representation in Hollywood, yet completely realize and understand when a pale skinned cyborg, with blue eyes, gets cast by a pale skinned woman with blue eyes.
 
G

george_us

Member
jack_package_200 said:
I imagine this is probably why Warner Bros sold the Death Note movie production to Netflix. They got enough shit to deal with with the DC cinematic universe underperforming and being the butt of many jokes. Let someone else deal with the inevitable controversy and scrutiny of an americanized anime adaptation.
Click to expand...
I feel like if they wanted a white lead so badly they just should have went the Edge of Tomorrow route. Have it take place in LA or something with American characters that closely resemble the anime characters. Sounds like they failed miserably at wanting to have their cake and eat it too.
 
B

Branduil

Member
Whompa02 said:
lol! Strange world we live in where you can be very liberal, support Asian representation in Hollywood, yet completely realize and understand when a pale skinned cyborg, with blue eyes, gets cast by a pale skinned woman with blue eyes.
Click to expand...

Checkmate, guys. Turns out Motoko Kusanagi was actually a white woman all along.
 
Whompa02

Whompa02

Member
ash321 said:
In this movie it's not.
Click to expand...

And in every single iteration of her character, she is a prosthetic body too, so that argument breaks no matter what way you attempt to force it into the narrative.

Inferno313 said:
Not in this movie.

Stop being a know-it-all when you haven't seen the damn movie.
Click to expand...

Then it still actually doesn't matter. See above for the second debunk for that. It wont make a difference no matter how many times you try to push that.
 
CassidyIzABeast

CassidyIzABeast

Member
I think the message is very profound. It doesn't matter if you're asian or white. Race is just an outer shell(deep), its whats on the inside that matters most. Brings a tear to my eye.
 
C

Cess007

Member
ultracal31 said:
From when we had the movie that stuff was always there from the beginning

The ending though was changed as test audience rated it poorly and that's why
we now have what I call the shoot bang ending with Kuze
Click to expand...

Any idea what was the original ending? Curious about it :0
 
S

SuperStiltzkin

Member
CassidyIzABeast said:
I think the message is very profound. It doesn't matter if you're asian or white. Race is just an outer shell(deep), its whats on the inside that matters most. Brings a tear to my eye.
Click to expand...

Of course a white person is the face of a person who has transcended race and proves that skin color doesn't matter.
 
F

Frozenprince

Banned
Whompa02 said:
And in every single iteration of her character, she is a prosthetic body too, so that argument breaks no matter what way you attempt to force it into the narrative.



Then it still actually doesn't matter. See above for the second debunk for that. It wont make a difference no matter how many times you try to push that.
Click to expand...

But not THIS ONE.

Which is the point, the narrative of THIS version of the character is not.

Are you being intentionally dense?
 
U

ultracal31

You don't get to bring friends.
Cess007 said:
Any idea what was the original ending? Curious about it :0
Click to expand...

Having worked on it:

Original ending was kuze and motoko did some sort of digital mind mend as he wanted to live on her memory. All of this was told visually though as the sequence played out a lot like the shelling bit in the beginning but with two minds becoming a new person. Batou comes in after and helps carry motoko away questioning if she's the same or this new person.

This was in the movie for months before it tested poorly for reasons I'm not too sure of. Again this is now why it was changed to just kuze getting shot in the head
 
F

Frozenprince

Banned
ultracal31 said:
Having worked on it:

Original ending was kuze and motoko did some sort of digital mind mend as he wanted to live on her memory. All of this was told visually though as the sequence played out a lot like the shelling bit in the beginning but with two minds becoming a new person. Batou comes in after and helps carry motoko away questioning if she's the same or this new person.

This was in the movie for months before it tested poorly for reasons I'm not too sure of. Again this is now why it was changed to just kuze getting shot in the head
Click to expand...

So, the 95 ending.
 
S

SuperStiltzkin

Member
BlueTsunami said:
When youre meditating, how do you see yourself? I personally see Emma Stone playing Valkyrie Profile 2.
Click to expand...
Him
LotusHD said:
image.php
Click to expand...

But really, Anime characters are the only young Asian heroes I had to turn to growing up. I loved watching Jackie Chan movies growing up, but Jackie even in his Police Story days seemed like an old man to me.

Anyways, I guess my main issue with how they address the whitewashing is that it doesn't make anyone feel better except the filmmakers themselves. I'm sure they actually thought they were being clever and progressive and really making a message, but it's tone deaf. It really is the equivalent of "I would have voted for Obama a third term." It's lip service to the audience that is completely self serving. Really, what message should Asians take away from what they did?
 
L

LotusHD

Banned
SuperStiltzkin said:
Him


But really, Anime characters are the only young Asian heroes I had to turn to growing up. I loved watching Jackie Chan movies growing up, but Jackie even in his Police Story days seemed like an old man to me.

Anyways, I guess my main issue with how they address the whitewashing is that it doesn't make anyone feel better except the filmmakers themselves. I'm sure they actually thought they were being clever and progressive and really making a message, but it's tone deaf. It really is the equivalent of "I would have voted for Obama a third term." It's lip service to the audience that is completely self serving. Really, what message should Asians take away from what they did?
Click to expand...

Oh, I wasn't disagreeing with you or anything. I just posted that pic because in my mind I'm like "Welp, when ya put it that way..."
 
S

SuperStiltzkin

Member
LotusHD said:
Oh, I wasn't disagreeing with you or anything. I just posted that pic because in my mind I'm like "Welp, when ya put it that way..."
Click to expand...

Oh no I wasn't coming for you. Your Luffy avatar was just coincidence and convenient for the point I was making. As an Asian kid I didn't really have any young Asian heroes on TV or movies. JAckie Chan and Jet Li were too old for me. That's why I watched so much anime as a kid.
 
L

LotusHD

Banned
SuperStiltzkin said:
Oh no I wasn't coming for you. Your Luffy avatar was just coincidence and convenient for the point I was making. As an Asian kid I didn't really have any young Asian heroes on TV or movies. JAckie Chan and Jet Li were too old for me. That's why I watched so much anime as a kid.
Click to expand...

Ah okay, I hear ya.
 
C

Cess007

Member
ultracal31 said:
Having worked on it:

Original ending was kuze and motoko did some sort of digital mind mend as he wanted to live on her memory. All of this was told visually though as the sequence played out a lot like the shelling bit in the beginning but with two minds becoming a new person. Batou comes in after and helps carry motoko away questioning if she's the same or this new person.

This was in the movie for months before it tested poorly for reasons I'm not too sure of. Again this is now why it was changed to just kuze getting shot in the head
Click to expand...

ultracal31 said:
I think there was more of a romantic tone but yea pretty much
Click to expand...

I see, thanks a lot for the info. Personally, I would have liked more that ending :(
 
D

Doctor Decimate

Member
Personally I just find it hilarious that the writers present
the process of the corporation changing her race as terrible and dehumanizing
with pretty much no self-awareness whatsoever
 
P

Poor GRIMES

Banned
Whompa02 said:
Not fighting for the live action film lol...fighting for the history of the character.
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Well ain't it strange to you that the Hollywood writers interperted her ambiguous racial identity to be White and nothing else? She could have been Black, or Latina, or gasp Asian. But no, default to White. Always.
 
E

ElBoxyBrown

Banned
SuperStiltzkin said:
Oh no I wasn't coming for you. Your Luffy avatar was just coincidence and convenient for the point I was making. As an Asian kid I didn't really have any young Asian heroes on TV or movies. JAckie Chan and Jet Li were too old for me. That's why I watched so much anime as a kid.
Click to expand...

Funny you mentioned Luffy cuz according to Oda, he's Brazilian. :p
 
S

SuperStiltzkin

Member
Poor GRIMES said:
Well ain't it strange to you that the Hollywood writers interperted her ambiguous racial identity to be White and nothing else? She could have been Black, or Latina, or gasp Asian. But no, default to White. Always.
Click to expand...

They could have done a
body switch at the end to an asian body or black body or latina or whatever and I would have applauded them for it. But nope. Gotta keep Scarjo in case it becomes a franchise.
ElBoxyBrown said:
Funny you mentioned Luffy cuz according to Oda, he's Brazilian. :p
Click to expand...

I don't watch One Piece. I just know his name is Luffy and there's a guy with a sword in his mouth?
 
W

wesleyshark

Banned
I raved already in the GitS OT, but I gotta say... I loved the film. Wasn't perfect, but I loved it anyway.

Pilou Asbæk was excellent as Batou. Absolutely excellent. And I thought ScarJo did great as Major.
 
N

NotTheGuyYouKill

Member
So, I'm not a fan of GITS. I've never seen it. The original anime or movie or anything. I've not even seen trailers for this adaptation. I didn't have much interest in seeing it, but my friend dragged me along.

It is... aggressively mediocre. At best.

Great soundtrack though, with some cool art design.
 
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