Ghost in the Shell Poster

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Animation | Crime | Mystery
Rayting:   8.0/10 130.4K votes
Country: Japan | UK
Language: Japanese
Release date: 24 May 1996

A cyborg policewoman and her partner hunt a mysterious and powerful hacker called the Puppet Master.

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User Reviews

DonaldDooD 20 July 2014

Ghost in the Shell seems to be as lucky as Blade Runner and Akira, blindsiding its audience with novelty and a false sense of depth. Its one of those films where people love to talk what its "about", but have little to say on how it portrays its themes. They say its "about" conscious, identity, and our dim future...but why should we care?

For me, a film must have strong characters to anchor you to the story. They must be realistic and relateable, so you can understand and emphasize with their experiences. But to call GitS's characters two-dimensional is stretching the definition. The story is so focused on the case, we rarely spend any time with the cast, and thus I couldn't care about their interactions or fate. The main character is especially uninteresting: when she supposedly undergoes a great change at the end of the film, she's just as wooden as before.

The sacrifice of character isn't even worth the sci-fi, cyber mystery thrills. The plot is so bloated with techno-babel its almost incomprehensible. This isn't depth that requires multiple viewings to understand - this is just bad writing. With little emotion attached to the scenes, I barely maintained attention. Only a few action scenes are scattered through the film, and none are worth the wait.

I will concede the animation is pretty good, especially the backgrounds. They're cartoons, but dark, detailed, and realistic. You get a decent sense of this advanced, yet dismal world. If only this quality were in a better film!

Its easy to deride those against this film as people who "just don't get it". I'd say there's nothing important to take away. Its world is barely explored outside of the premise, and the lone conflict between the main character and villain is so bizarre it has no bearing to reality. Imagination and presentation does not equal depth. Ghost in the Shell felt like it needed another 30 minutes to explain things and develop its themes and characters. Its easily one of the worst films I have watched in terms of writing, but at least it looks good, and is a short burn. With the large amount of sci-fi we have access to these days, I wouldn't recommend GitS to anyone.

tiyung 29 February 2000

Fmovies: I was a huge anime fan in highschool but as time progressed, my interests and focus in media have changed. A few days ago I re-discovered my forgotten anime collection. Behold, Ghost in the Shell.

Watching this fine piece of animation again brought back the reasons why I was attracted to anime in the first place. It is obvious that a lot of work went into Ghost in the Shell; the attention to graphic details creates some remarkably realistic animation.

Though the major reason to see this film is for the animation, there are also other fine points to consider. It has a fairly complex plot. The science it focuses on is definitely modern though, albeit, fantastic.

I recommend the subtitled version because the dubbed dialog is sometimes over wordy and odd-sounding (as are most dubbed versions).

Some viewers may be turned-off by the many scenes that aren't accompanied by music, especially the action sequences. The music, however, is outstanding. There are a couple of scenes that are basically slide shows of various themes. These are accompanied with music and no dialog. The animation, to say the least, is beautiful and seems to be the focus.

In summary, Ghost in the Shell is very satisfying.

Noir_Blues 13 March 2005

This is single handedly one of the best animated films I've ever seen. You can definitely tell how far the animation genre has gotten in the last half-century. It's pretty much flawless in my opinion. The story, audio, and especially visuals are excellent. This is definitely one of the most pretty films i've ever seen. The philosophy really made me think too, the matrix tried this idea and failed horribly with it's sequels. This one isn't just for hipsters, if you're a sci-fi fan I couldn't recommend this more. If you liked this, I also recommend Akira, The Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series, and the upcoming Steamboy

AMIO-PatricioMunoz 16 November 2003

Ghost in the Shell fmovies. Wonderfully executed anime classic.

It is a darker anime tale aimed towards a more mature audience. I enjoyed the amazing realism of this film. The attention to detail is definitely enjoyable to see.

The DVD has a rather enjoyable documentary on the making of the film. Any fan will enjoy the structure and content of the documentary. It is quite informative on the process of making the film.

Like most Anime, there is a lot of character development and dialogue mixed with stunning visuals.

I think the most captivating element that this film has to offer is its creative "cinematography" and attention to detail. There are numerous memorable shots in this film.

This is not an anime for everybody. Attention to story is critical and I am guilty of rewinding certain areas just to keep up with the story.

Thankfully this is not a mindless science-fiction/anime tale filled with crazy action sequences. The Ghost in the Shell proves to be quite philosophical in nature by questioning the meaning of life.

I would love to venture deeper into this story and its message but I think it is better for you interpret it on your own.

Remember to watch this movie with your heart, not with your mind. Reflect on it later. This is the best way to enjoy this type of film.

Guiz 22 December 1998

I would highly recommend this cyber-political-industrial thriller that envisions our future in a hyper realistic (idealistic?) way. The plot is excellent, though I did not get it the first time. The quality of the graphics surpasses any anime available on the market and the soundtrack is beautiful. The creative team did an amazing job providing the movie with fine details, harmony in this very descriptive world of high technology (AI) and traditional Japan. I thoroughly believe it is a masterpiece, a unique audio-visual experience. (cf. Blade Runner, Akira)

queitus 11 May 2002

This is an incredible work in the science fiction category, but an absolute masterpiece in terms of animated film.

Deep thematic probing and philosophical questions dot the story. Characters that are cyborg-humans question their existence... this is a true potential problem for the far future. Is something created outside of a womb without a soul? Do souls even exist? Set all this against some incredible action sequences, plenty of eye candy, and a very dark, acrid backdrop of the future of civilization. This is a summer blockbuster and more. It's ashame that most people are too close-minded to consider a film like this.

Bad guys and good guys? No clue. I had to watch the film 3 times to

-Understand the plot fully -Understand the motivations of the characters -Realize the depth of the film -And still I'm left with questions

If you open your mind, Ghost in the Shell settle itself within you... it will linger far after your first viewing. You will realize that a movie can have action, incredible effects, and STILL be deep.

Drama, mystique, philosophy, intrigue, "going out on a limb" quality, action, adventure, deep characters who don't fall into bad or good categories, beautiful imagery, mind-boggling plot... even some comedy! I just can't get over the fact that I have never before seen a more perfect mix of the elements which make a masterpiece. EVER.

10/10.

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