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[Kimawolf]

I just got back from seeing it... I am a huge GitS fan and I thought...IT WAS GREAT!

I as skeptical of Scarjo at first as the Major, but she did a good job surprisingly! The set designs and overall feel of the of the world was amazing. Simply amazing. The script felt like a sort of greatest hits of the movies and the show. there were some slow parts, but over all I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The "trans joke", I didn't see the joke part, but then I am not trans so perhaps that scene felt different to a trans person, but I didn't feel like it was meant to offend in any way.

All in all, I'd definitely recommend people go see it, if only to ensure more higher quality anime movies are made.

as a score i'd give it a solid B.

P.S. GO SEE IT IN IMAX...you'll thank me later.

 

[More_Badass]

I disagree. It came across as a contrived cop-out to justify what they did.

That actual concept is a pretty well-worn sci-fi plot point. Especially for cyberpunk. Altered Carbon, which revolves completely around that idea, is even getting a Netflix show.

It's the execution and context here that make makes it bad, but the idea is very cyberpunk.

 

[Jarmel]

That actual concept is a pretty well-worn sci-fi plot point. Especially for cyberpunk. Altered Carbon, which revolves completely around that idea, is even getting a Netflix show.

It's the execution and context here that make makes it bad, but the idea is very cyberpunk.

I guess this is one of those cup half-full/half-empty things in that I don't think the intention was to say that the whitewashing is fine because it's cyborgs but rather acknowledging their roots in a way that is true to the genre.

 

[hirokazu]

Question, does she fight a tank?

Yes. A

Spoiler

spider-tank

!

The "trans joke", I didn't see the joke part, but then I am not trans so perhaps that scene felt different to a trans person, but I didn't feel like it was meant to offend in any way.

What is the joke? I must've missed it in the film or it went completely over my head.

 

[bigkrev]

So I saw the 1995 version for the first time 2 months ago when it got a limited theatrical re-release, and I did not like it very much. I ended up liking this live action version more, but it's more like the original was a 2/5, and this was a 2.5/5.

I found the action to mostly be impactless (this movie begs for the R afforded to the animated version), but I was blown away by the visual splendor the rest of the movie provided. This was the best Screensaver/GPU Benchmark Tool I have ever seen, and I'm glad I got to see it on a giant screen.

Thought the ending was too Hollywood to the point of almost being a parody

Spoiler

Her "mom" taking the plastic off her old bedroom was a step too far for me- if it had stopped with their embrace at Makoto's grave, it might not have been so bad

 

[kewlmyc]

I liked it for what is was. Knew the spoiler beforehand, but seeing it in action and in context of the plot made it make more sense. The whitewashing is still unfortunate, but the way they fit it into the plot is cool.

Will now go watch the original movie.

 

[BaconHat]

Back from a screening.

Really liked it. It had definite flaws in the writing department, but not enough to sour the experience for me.

 

[Koppai]

I thought it was funny but laughed when they ended uo revealing her true name...

I thought the actor that played Batou was sexy.

 

[Shy]

It's a symptom for the entire film. They couldn't have a main character who is just a cyborg and that's it, they had to make the plot about that fact. Similarly, they couldn't have

Spoiler

Batou having robot eyes, again origin story.

It's a 101 Hollywood scripting lesson: don't have any weird elements in your setting that could alienate the audience, except if it's specifically explained on the film.
Addendum: consider your average moviegoer dumb as a rock and totally ignorant.

Don't forget they had to add a fucking backstory for Batou feeding stray dogs.

He could just have a fucking pet doggie. Like in Innocence.

Also on that score, i fucking hate they put in Gabriel in it.
The reason Oshi does it in every movie is, it's his dog.

 

[LionPride]

It's GitS-verse.

You're just being a dumbass

 

[Meier]

I just got home from seeing it in IMAX 3D and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thought they actually did a really wonderful job of creating the world and that the supporting cast were great -- Batou, Aramaki and Togusa were represented very well. ScarJo does a very good job representing a robotic humanoid and Michael Pitt was spot on on his limited capacity.

Action was generally very good. There was one scene where Major and Batou are walking away which was very clearly green screen and kind of bizarre that it got through. A few other instances where she was super CG, but other than that I thought it was technically amazing.

I didn't see much to complain about. Quite a few people clapped at the end of the showing I attended. I think a lot of people will be very pleased with this.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

Watching this was...interesting. It was like a weird hodgepodge of different GITS scenes and plotlines, just presented much worse or in condensed versions. I think the only "new" ideas were surrounding her backstory. It honestly made me just want to watch the 95 movie (fuck 2.0) and SAC/2nd Gig again

I will say the actual visual design and world were excellent. I have to give credit where it's due. They translated over the world to live action incredibly well. I was actually shocked how despite the issues I had, they were never really with the world or how it looked.

 

[Ratrat]

That actual concept is a pretty well-worn sci-fi plot point. Especially for cyberpunk. Altered Carbon, which revolves completely around that idea, is even getting a Netflix show.

It's the execution and context here that make makes it bad, but the idea is very cyberpunk.

I bet Takeshi Kovach will only be played by a white actor.

 

[Spacebar]

Saw it earlier tonight. I thought it was pretty good. I loved the style and cinematography. I honestly can't remember if I ever watched the anime so this was all fresh to me.

Scarjo performance was solid. I do feel like they could have added more scenes to flesh out some characters and lore. It just felt kind of short. Overall it's a decent 7/10 flick with some cool shots.

 

[mantidor]

I disagree. It came across as a contrived cop-out to justify what they did.

You think this because you think the movie has to apologize for its casting.

It's obviously a homage, its dumb, but its a homage. If they felt this was a huge issue they would have probably removed the scene or altered the twist, they just thought it was clever which is lol but whatever.

 

[More_Badass]

I bet Takeshi Kovach will only be played by a white actor.

 

[AdamT]

Just got back from seeing it. I hope no one else watches it, so I can be the only one to like it as much as I did.

 

[tcrunch]

Just watched, was the studio's response to the Mira controversy

Spoiler

you will be ashamed of your words and deeds

because LMAO

This movie is gits with zero dialogue or thematic subtlety, and a sucky ost

Visuals were amazing for the most part

 

[Blizzard]

I posted a mini-review here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=233090511&postcount=117 I never read the manga or saw the animated version, but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I'd say 8/10 personally.

I actually quite liked the soundtrack since I was afraid it would be too weird, but it reminded me a lot of Blade Runner or Mirror's Edge.

One minor complaint, seizure warning for at least two scenes with full-screen rapidly flashing colors.

 

[Ashhong]

Nope. Premium screens or a big 1.90:1 IMAX like the TCL Chinese is enough

Do you have an alert setup for anytime I mention IMAX? LOL

Thanks for the info as always!

 

[Pat_DC]

I posted a mini-review here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=233090511&postcount=117 I never read the manga or saw the animated version, but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I'd say 8/10 personally.

I actually quite liked the soundtrack since I was afraid it would be too weird, but it reminded me a lot of Blade Runner or Mirror's Edge.

One minor complaint, seizure warning for at least two scenes with full-screen rapidly flashing colors.

One of the things I am most excited about is the soundtrack as Clint Mansell is one of my favorite composers.
Will also be cool to see the visuals as some great concept artists/designers worked on this. We'll see how the rest of the film measures up though

 

[Amagon]

This movie was just ehh. Doesn't help with my showing, that the movie was cropped on the screen and not fully wide screen.

Would love to see a sequel though, that focuses on the team, which I thought the casting was well put together, especially seeing Beat on the main screen!!!

Was Lidriya an extra character made for the movie or did she appeared in the manga?

 

[Messofanego]

One of the things I am most excited about is the soundtrack as Clint Mansell is one of my favorite composers.
Will also be cool to see the visuals as some great concept artists/designers worked on this. We'll see how the rest of the film measures up though

I wouldn't get your hopes up about the Clint Mansell soundtrack, going from impressions here.

 

[mreddie]

This feels like this is a Netlfix film that stumbled into theaters.

The twist had me rolling my eyes and

Spoiler

why would a Japanese woman bury her child in a cemetery in Japan and print her Japanese name on the tombstone in English?

It's better than Aeon Flux though.

C

 

[Magwik]

Just got home from my showing.
The movie is weird.
It's not bad.
It's not great.
It's just pretty okay/good (6.5/10)
There are some thing I wish that weren't changed, but were. Half of it is almost a different movie but also never felt forced or out of tone; so it works well. I

It's just a pretty okay adaptation that works. If you like GITS, you'll probably enjoy it. If you are interested in SciFi at all, you'll enjoy it. But I can't really say it's a must see or even anything more than a matinee.

 

[Finaika]

This feels like this is a Netlfix film that stumbled into theaters.

The twist had me rolling my eyes and

Spoiler

why would a Japanese woman bury her child in a cemetery in Japan and print her Japanese name on the tombstone in English?

It's better than Aeon Flux though.

C

Spoiler

Did the movie actually take place in Japan tho?

 

[ElBoxyBrown]

Spoiler

Did the movie actually take place in Japan tho?

They don't say but it's safe to assume it does based on the language and architecture.

 

[Blizzard]

This feels like this is a Netlfix film that stumbled into theaters.

The twist had me rolling my eyes and

Spoiler

why would a Japanese woman bury her child in a cemetery in Japan and print her Japanese name on the tombstone in English?

The bolded is kind of a super massive plot spoiler, just a heads up.

Regarding the SUPER MASSIVE MOVIE ENDING SPOILER:

Spoiler

It didn't bother me, and I'm one of the people (maybe because I've been around a lot of Hispanic families) who felt it was really immersion-breaking when X-23 started speaking English in Logan. I just figure the government found her daughter, the government gave her the "ashes" like she mentioned, and the government presumably put up a tombstone in the giant arena of tombstones. Why do the huge animated 3D ads speak English instead of Japanese or something? Because they presumably felt audiences would understand easier. I didn't feel it hurt much.

 

[Pops Maellard]

I wouldn't get your hopes up about the Clint Mansell soundtrack, going from impressions here.

It's pretty good? Like, not incredible but shockingly more memorable than anything I've heard in the past 1-2 years of film. It's good.

 

[border]

Spoiler

Did the movie actually take place in Japan tho?

It's never explicitly stated that the film takes place in Japan. But many signs and advertisements are in Asian script. There are references to a Prime Minister and the Yakuza.

So obviously it takes place in a distant future where many Asians have immigrated to Ottawa, Canada.

 

[AgentOtaku]

I burst out laughing at the second half of this review lol

YT Ghost in the Shell | Movie Review (Non Spoilers + Spoilers) - Alachia Queen

Oh snap!

Will watch later. Dug her early footage pre-screening critique

 

[Pat_DC]

I wouldn't get your hopes up about the Clint Mansell soundtrack, going from impressions here.

I haven't read all the impressions in this thread yet so I might have missed specific score comments. I'm going in with no real expectations but have always enjoyed Clint's output so will see.

It's pretty good? Like, not incredible but shockingly more memorable than anything I've heard in the past 1-2 years of film. It's good.

Ok cool.

Clint Mansell+GITS can't be bad right? right?
I'll find out for myself soon enough.

 

[Giolon]

I just got back from seeing the it. I had low expectations, but it was surprisingly competent.

The first half was a bit slow and the intro was overly explained, But it improved as it went on. They took lots of elements from all the different versions - original movie, SAC, Arise. They included a lot of surprising little details too like outfits from previous entries in the franchise, sequences and minor details that were taken and adapted from each. It was a big mishmash and seemed like the creators actually gave a damn about the source material.

The "trying to find my past" plot they advertised in the trailers worked as a better character motivation than expected. I appreciated the multi-cultural Section 9 and society that they were trying to depict, rather than just "this is in Asia so everyone must be Asian," though I found it odd that one and only one character spoke entirely in a foreign language. If they were going to use that, it seemed like there should have been more characters speaking different languages than English.

The one thing in particular I didn't particularly like was they clearly gave ScarJo direction to give a kind of emotionless performance, which I guess is in line w/ Motoko in the original movie, but I like her personality in SAC. They also have her doing this fairly stiff big arm swings, hunched a little forward walking style to try to impart a sense of mahine-like movement and determination I guess, but it just looked awkward. I also found the sparse soundtrack to be leave a lot of the sound space of the movie feeling empty. Those are relatively minor to the whole thing.

On a rating scale I'd give it a B-. The most important thing is it felt like the people making the movie gave a damn about the source material.

 

[ezekial45]

I enjoyed it too. This is seriously one of the most visually impressive movies I've seen in years, and they should be fucking commended for it. It was stunning.

But yeah, as far as the twist goes,

Spoiler

it was a very disappointing that they tried to explain the 'whitewashing' away in this movie. Honestly, given how they presented the world as a cultural hodgepodge, they would've been better off not going with the twist that the Major was really a Japanese woman and just stuck with her being Scarlett Johanson. Moreover, they made it seem so inconsequential, which made it fall even flatter, and make it come off extremely tone deaf as well

On one hand, it was very admirable of them to try and tackle it, but on the other they were clearly ill-equip or just plain uninterested in going into the specifics of the cultural ramifications of the twist. This series is about tackling some very philosophical ideas, and I was very disappointed at how juvenile it was for this one. Honestly, Get Out did a far better job of illustrating this point, as in the juxtaposition of cultures and concept of switching to a differing race.

So yeah, very disappointing they went that route. They would've been better off not going that way. Also, the third act felt far too derivative of other movies like Robocop. I didn't enjoy it at all, the first two acts were far better. Also, I got the very distinct impression they cut scenes out, as too many of the characters felt under developed. This movie would've better with an extra 15-20 minutes IMO.

Anyway, I enjoyed it still. 7/10.

 

[Monocle]

I saw this. The film had very cool visuals (IMAX 3D was worth it), a decent score that could have been way better, and a rather thin story that didn't make even a halfhearted effort to delve into its fascinating themes. The writer(s) clearly didn't trust the audience to grasp the most basic concepts. The script is full of insultingly on-the-nose exposition. The characters literally explain the definitions of shell and ghost at the beginning of the film, as though we're all a bunch of idiots.

Still, I had fun. I really wish the writing had been better though. That setting and those visual effects paired with a Matrix- or Westworld-quality story would have been mind blowing.

 

[Messofanego]

It's pretty good? Like, not incredible but shockingly more memorable than anything I've heard in the past 1-2 years of film. It's good.

Interesting. I'm just going off these two:

Most disappointing thing for me though was the score by Clint Mansell and Lorne Balfe. Lacked anything really memorable and was just there for the most part not really adding much to the film. The new

Spoiler

shelling sequence

suffered the most from this.

About Clint Mansell. I got so excited when I saw his name. Yet he was not present at all. It's a big issue when you get a composer like Mansell and you just don't activate his brilliance. Why even bother?

Wait, you're saying the Clint Mansell soundtrack in Ghost In The Shell is better than the film scores of the past 1-2 years of film? There are loads of great film scores even just from 2016. Moonlight, Neon Demon, Childhood Of A Leader, The Handmaiden, Jackie, Arrival, The Witch, Clint Mansell's score for High-Rise, The Red Turtle, Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

 

[Monocle]

Interesting. I'm just going off these two:



Wait, you're saying the Clint Mansell soundtrack in Ghost In The Shell is better than the film scores of the past 1-2 years of film? There are loads of great film scores even just from 2016. Moonlight, Neon Demon, Childhood Of A Leader, The Handmaiden, Jackie, Arrival, The Witch, Clint Mansell's score for High-Rise, The Red Turtle, Hunt for the Wilderpeople,

Yeah no way does the score stand up to any of those (from among the movies I've seen, anyway).

If GitS had a score like The Neon Demon... god DAMN.

 

[Shouta]

I just got back from it.

More enjoyable than I was anticipating. The visuals were on point for pretty much most of the film. The costume design and sets were pretty amazing as well. Batou and Saitou were the ones I was worried about but both looked really good. Music was kind of whatever but it might also have been because the audio in the theater I was watching in seemed off or the audio mixing in the film was bad.

The story itself was surprisingly decent. With how much they mixed various GITS stuff in. I thought it'd kind of fall flat but it manages to keep itself going. It gives off a familiar yet different feel. The characters seemed on point and there are some pretty decent moments in there.

I think where the film stumbles is definitely in the finer execution and the philosophical elements. I feel like the film really just moves from one point to the next without transitioning properly. There are a few times where I feel like they properly do scenes and I kind of wish they applied that to everything. The philosophical stuff was just super dumbed down and tossed out there. I'm not against keeping it simple but I feel like they don't try to engage the audience on that front at all when it would have only benefited the movie if it was weaved in more slyly.

Spoiler talk:

Spoiler

I really liked that they made an effort to differentiate the Major in this when compared to the Major of the anime. Finding out she was just a kid that ran away from home and was actively against cybernization was interesting. Not only because it's so different but also because it kind of gives the viewer a little more to chew on in regards her decisions towards the end of the film.

Batou was more or less the same character though less meathead. Togusa basically being Lei Wulong was pretty sick. Beat Takeshi's Aramaki felt like a totally different character and not a particularly good depiction, honestly. He plays it like a Yakuza instead of this savvy, intelligent old man that occasionally got badass.

I was actually most impressed by Kaori Momoi. I saw her in the opening credits and I was waiting for her to show up. Having her show up in the apartment was a nice surprise. I was not expecting her to do her entire season in English though. Despite the slight overacting, it was good to see someone actually show some actual emotion in the film. Her moments with Scarlett in the house and at the cemetery were great.

I think what really surprised me the most was how well the Kuze plot melded with the GITS movie skeleton.

 

[Subway Diet]

How many times has "Shell without a ghost" been used? That about sums up my feelings on the film.

It's not Aeon Flux or Ultraviolet. It's more Total Recall 2012. Take something amazing, sanitise, "dumb it down" and change the story to make it more palatable for a modern audience while making overly obvious references and call backs. All the while throwing amazing Cyberpunk visuals on screen. Though one thing I couldn't help but notice is how quiet the sets seemed? For a bustling future metropolis, the streets were pretty empty.

I will say that, for as unnecessary as the film feels, I did like the live action versions of the Section 9 characters. They nailed that well enough. They just, you know, did very little with them.

Still, all throughout the film, I was thinking about how influential the original animation was to western cinema. It was just odd to see their interpretations of scenes that have already been referenced and played out many times before. For example:

Spoiler

The Matrix lobby scene (late nineties techno and all) or the tank fight from this film? I know which I prefer.

As for the "joke" in the club bathroom. It did raise an eye brow as it happened. I can see what they intended to it look like, but dude's expression didn't quite read as cautious. Then again, perhaps that was the joke? The audience was meant to think it was a double take, but actually just him checking to see if the room was clear?
Either way, too much ham-fisted screwing about with something that they shouldn't have.

 

[Shouta]

As for the "joke" in the club bathroom. It did raise an eye brow as it happened. I can see what they intended to it look like, but dude's expression didn't quite read as cautious. Then again, perhaps that was the joke? The audience was meant to think it was a double take, but actually just him checking to see if the room was clear?
Either way, too much ham-fisted screwing about with something that they shouldn't have.

I don't think it was specifically meant to be a "joke" like that though the scene is constructed in a manner that it can easily be seen as such. That's the unfortunate part. I probably would have had way more of a problem if something had happened before instead of after.

 

[Brian_FETO]

Saw it. Enjoyed it. Here's some notes:

Expected a nice looking movie with a dumb story that doesn't do justice to GITS.

Guess what?

It's a nice looking movie with a dumb story that doesn't do justice to GITS. But it is enjoyable.

I feel like there's potential for a solid 8.5 in there but there's enough eyerolly/dumb to keep it around 7 territory at highest. It's a movie I'm glad I saw in theaters but doubt it'll stick with me. But man.....if some of this shit was cleaner they'd have a Dredd on their hands

Parts are hype and exactly what you want out of this sort of project. I think the casting of most of the characters is actually super rad, with some stinkers (mostly the corporate/background people)

I quite liked the evil hacker's portrayal

The garbage man chase sequence is waaaaaaaaaay better than the trailers made it seem and it was about as perfect as that shit could be

The "twist" (lol, if you can call it that) is both hilariously dumb and almost smart. Like it works but it's still like......nah man come on

A lot of the more serious/emotional drama falls flat

Batou was fantastic I thought, liked the balance between him and ScarJo a lot

The dumb Hollywood bullshit storyline is at odds with the source material 100% but it is what it is. I'd still recommend it.

Some really dope music too! Man. Not a fan of the original's theme remix really but some of the synthier stuff in the city was hype

Spidertank scene was hype and done better than expected

I appreciate that they took ideas and sequences from the original but did their own thing with them, worked out fairly decently (obviously not every change is going to be as good as how it originally played out but whatever)

 

[TatteredHat]

So in the end it turned out to be mediocre hollywood-ified version of the GitS movie. Glad to have passed on watching this, I'll go watch the Matrix again if I ever feel the need to see a GitS inspired western movie.

 

[Aztechnology]

I expected way less as a big GITS fan. I really enjoyed it.

 

[Brian_FETO]

So in the end it turned out to be mediocre hollywood-ified version of the GitS movie. Glad to have passed on watching this.

It takes heavy cues and influence from GITS but it isn't really like any story they've told. Like outside of a handful of homages the core story isn't even close to an adaptation of the film

I mean what else could it have been? Besides worse. It's still not like anything else you'll see in theaters this year, and on that merit I enjoyed it. It's at its best when it's like "YO THIS SHIT LOOKS COOL, GITS IS COOL, FUCK IT"

It's funny because I feel like if they ditched a lot of the existential shit (aka the core of the source material) it'd be a better film for it. Because that's what leads to some of the dumber heavy handed stuff. As I said I think there's a Dredd tier crowdpleaser hidden in there

 

[pillowtalk]

I'm gonna have to watch this myself. The impressions on this thread are all over the place.

 

[supernormal]

Saw this tonight. Didn't care much for anything besides the visuals, and even then I feel like I'd already seen some of the best looking stuff in the trailer. Never seen the original besides a few out of context scenes here and there, so I didn't have any expectations. There's nothing offensively wrong with it, but nothing really blew me away either. All in all I feel like it was just kinda boring.

 

[Blizzard]

Saw this tonight. Didn't care much for anything besides the visuals, and even then I feel like I'd already seen some of the best looking stuff in the trailer. Never seen the original besides a few out of context scenes here and there, so I didn't have any expectations. There's nothing offensively wrong with it, but nothing really blew me away either. All in all I feel like it was just kinda boring.

Impressions are definitely all over. In contrast, I'd never read the manga or seen the original movie, but I found the story in the new movie kind of riveting. I really didn't know where they would go with it, and I never found myself bored.

I liked that it was under 2 hours for a change. A lot of movies have really been dragging.

 

[ElBoxyBrown]

They really should have just cut out the origin plot and did it's own thing in the GitS universe.

 

[MotionBlue]

Really really liked the movie. Completely surprised me. While not as philosphical as any of the franchise, it hits a good balance. The casting was really good too, I was very worried initially.

The way the film even addresses the 'whitewashing' of Motoko was brilliant.

 

[supernormal]

Impressions are definitely all over. In contrast, I'd never read the manga or seen the original movie, but I found the story in the new movie kind of riveting. I really didn't know where they would go with it, and I never found myself bored.

I liked that it was under 2 hours for a change. A lot of movies have really been dragging.

It really depends on what you enjoy. Of course the movie should be judged on it's own merits, but I personally look for really great dialogue and this movie's script was just so flat and uninspiring. What hurts it even more is that the universe is full of potential so it feels like a missed opportunity.