Ghost in the Shell (1995)

I had a hard time finding a copy of this movie to rent (it was always checked out!), but after a week of waiting I triumphantly picked up the tape at my local Blockbuster.  After all that anticipation, I'm sorry to say that the movie is actually somewhat of a let-down.

Ghost in the Shell depicts a future where everything and everyone is connected to a computer network.  Humans connect to the network via cybernetic implants or, in the case of Major Kusanagi and Bateau, by having completely artificial bodies.  Kusanagi and Bateau are partners in Section Nine, a police force trying to catch hackers and other criminals who would use the networks for illegal activity.  An elite criminal known only as "The Puppetmaster" has been hacking into high places, and it's up to Kusanagi and Bateau to catch him.  There's only one problem- he doesn't exist physically.  The Puppetmaster is a sentient lifeform, "born out of the sea of information" and living on the networks.

What first appears to be an intricate and complex story turns out to be nothing more than a typical sci-fi plot one might see in Star Trek.  There are some truly confusing moments in the movie, yet most of it doesn't even seem to matter by the time the short 82 minutes are over.  What is disappointing is that the movie attempts to address a number of interesting themes and issues, but presents them in monologues that take an annoyingly preachy tone.  I would liked to have seen more of that developed visually, especially when Kusanagi and the Puppetmaster finally "meet".  I was expecting some sort of visual payoff at this climactic moment, perhaps some surrealistic vision of existing on the net, but instead we just get two lifeless torsos sitting next to each other while their disembodied voices ramble on.

Otherwise, the movie is beautifully animated, with backdrops that are very reminiscent of Blade Runner.  Particularly intense and exciting are the action scenes, with incredible detail paid to each bullet and explosion.  It's a mixed bag.  I think the movie is well worth a watch, but it fails to live up to the story's own expectations.

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