Review: Ghost in the Shell (2017) ★★★

In Ghost in the Shell (2017), technology has advanced to the point that humans can replace their own body parts with cybernetic versions of themselves. They can even have their mind, or “ghost,” implanted into a completely artificial body. However, with technological advances come endless complications. In the Ghost in the Shell universe, people often use these ghosts for nefarious purposes.

The film centers on a woman, often referred to simply as “Major,” who works for a covert counter-terrorism unit and is purportedly the first human mind to be implanted into a fully cybernetic body. As she adapts to her new body, Major struggles to find a sense of self and identity. Is she human? Is she a robot? Are her memories her own or a complete fabrication? These questions haunt Major as she assists the company that created her body, Hanka Robotics, in hunting down a killer who is going after members of the Hanka research team.

Visually, Ghost in the Shell creates a beautiful, futuristic version of Tokyo. It benefits greatly from its source material, and in some ways is reminiscent of Enter the Void‘s psychedelic color scheme and neon cityscape. Virtual ads the size of skyscrapers and the underworld of body modification recall the dystopian world from Repo! The Genetic Opera. So, while Ghost in the Shell is a remake of the anime film of the same name, it also borrows heavily from other works.

The plot is engaging, and though it does diverge at times from the 1995 version, it is still a close enough representation to please most fans of the Ghost in the Shell brand. It deals directly with many of the same themes from the original, namely addressing questions of identity and definitions of humanity in a world where the lines between humans and robots begin to blur. However, it rarely gives them much more than a glance. Instead, the film focuses more on the action and flashy CGI.

Despite its beautiful visuals, entertaining story, and interesting philosophical quandaries, Ghost in the Shell is far from perfect. The principal drawback of this otherwise entertaining film is the casting. Scarlett Johansson, along with a plethora of American and European actors and actresses, star in what should be a distinctly Japanese story. The film is set in a futuristic version of Tokyo, many of the characters have Japanese names, and the main character, Major, is part Japanese, part cybernetic body.

While there are a few Japanese actors in ancillary roles, they seem to be thrown in as an afterthought more than an actual attempt to embrace the uniquely Japanese story. Outside of the characters and the city, Ghost in the Shell makes a few references to its Japanese origins (primarily through Major’s visions of traditional Japanese temples from her childhood and the inclusion of cybernetic robots made to look like Geishas), but they often feel forced and disingenuous. The filmmakers wanted to make a good return on their investment and they assumed that fully embracing the Japanese elements of the story might scare away Western audiences.

Of course, this is not the first film to be “white-washed” by Hollywood, and certainly, it will not be the last. The excuse here, as it has always been, is that big-name (generally white) actors pull in larger audiences than lesser-known foreign or minority actors. However, one of the key elements of what makes a good film is that, during the actual viewing, audiences are drawn so deeply into the story that they forget they are watching a movie.

To cast Scarlett Johansson in a role that clearly called for a Japanese actress (of which there are many who are far more talented than Johansson), and then tell audiences that her character is (at least in part) Japanese, completely takes viewers out of the film. So yes, Ghost in the Shell may have made the financiers happy, but the filmmakers undercut and devalued an otherwise well-made adaptation with poor casting decisions. It’s hard to take a movie seriously when you have a doe-eyed American blonde pretending to be Japanese.

In any case, Ghost in the Shell (2017) is not a bad film. It is simply a misguided one. It takes the best of CGI technology and puts it to flashy use, but the underlying film does little to build on the material that already exists. The original anime film addressed issues of identity much more directly, making it a far better viewing experience for film buffs and fans of philosophical cinema alike. However, if you’re in the mood for a gorgeous, vapid sci-fi movie, Ghost in the Shell is a great choice.

Rating: ★★★ out of 5

If you’d like to watch Ghost in the Shell (2017), it is currently available to rent or purchase via Amazon here. And if you’d like to read more film reviews like this one, consult the Philosophy in Film Homepage!