Ghost in the Shell 3D Blu-Ray Review

** (see below notation)
– for intense sequences of sci-fi violence, suggestive content and some disturbing images.
Director: Rupert Sanders
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt
Running Time: 1 hour, 47 minutes
Theatrical Release Date: March 31, 2017
Official Site
Blu-Ray Release Date: July 25, 2017 (Amazon.com)

Sadly, from the announcement of Johansson’s casting in Ghost in the Shell, there’s been backlash heaped upon the film. Having a Japanese story with Japanese characters get an American white girl cast in the lead role was enough to send fans over the edge, but I do think that serves as a discredit to Johansson — and I think she looks the part well enough for the role. The way the story is told — having a human brain installed into an entirely robotic body — also works just fine for explaining her look in the film. But nationalities aside, Johansson just has got the acting chops to pull off the film. If you took Black Widow and married that kind of action with the spirit of The Island, Surrogates, Terminator and Blade Runner (and a dash of The Matrix), you’d pretty much get the look and feel of Ghost in the Shell. It’s a beautifully crafted film visually, and the acting brings it home.

Aside from the fact that the film deliberately retells much of the story from the 1995 film and even pays homage to the look and feel of it, Ghost in the Shell isn’t brimming with originality, but it’s very entertaining in its own right. The story thematically deals with one’s identity, as Johansson’s character, who mostly just goes by “Major,” struggles to figure out who or what she is, given her shadowy origin. It’s also compounded as she continues to have “glitches” and see fragments of another life, which cause her to dig into her past even more. Acclaimed French actress Juliette Binoche is an unexpected but welcomed addition to the cast, and she helps bring more heart and emotion to the story. Pilou Asbæk is also quite good as Major’s comrade Batou who fights right by her side, with popular Japanese actor Takeshi Kitano serving as the crime-fighting squad’s leader.

Like The Island, Ghost in the Shell is one of those odd occurences when a film is just as much an action film as it is a commentary for something much deeper. Both films deal with what defines humanity, while The Island used the topic of cloning and Ghost in the Shell uses society’s increasing dependence on technology. When we stop to realize how dependent we’ve become on computers and cellphones, it’s not hard to admit that something like Ghost in the Shell isn’t too far-fetched. Rupert Sanders, whose directorial debut, Snow White and the Huntsman, was a surprise hit, does a fair job bringing this manga to life in a big way, and I found myself thoroughly entertained and invested in Major’s character throughout the film. The storyline is a little unsettling at times, seeing humanity’s extreme reliance on robotic enhancements and cybernetics, but it makes for a great action film, and Sanders seems to know what he’s doing when it comes to bringing this science fiction world to life.

My only viewing of the film so far has been in the 3D format at home, and I have to say this is an excellent film to see in 3D. The fight sequences are especially good in the third dimension (I love the shot of Major jumping through the window near the beginning), while many camera angles and cityscape shots also look really great in 3D. From seeing clips of the film in 2D while watching the bonus features, I’d have to say that this is definitely one of those movies that just looks better in 3D. So if you have the capabilities, I highly recommend it.

There’s quite a bit of violence in this action thriller, but little of it is gruesome. Major’s body is full-on mechanical, but she has a red, fleshy coating on her metallic frame that makes any wounds she sustains look a little bloody (without liquid blood). Many times, we see characters that have a humanoid appearance have either robotic implants or are able to remove part of their face to reveal circuity and wires and such underneath. In one such example, a scientist woman pulls out a plate where her eyes are, moves it up to her forehead, and plugs something into the void where her eyes normally are. It’s a little disturbing, but it isn’t gory. Major sustains damage several times in the film, so we often see large portions of her mechanical frame visible while other parts of her body look human (particularly her face). Another character looks human with large metal plates and such haphazardly fixed to his body. Still, some other action scenes show robot humans being shot up, robot faces opening to reveal the framework inside (like one of Michael Bay’s Transformers), or imagery of characters plugged in by the neck (sort of like The Matrix) into a central hub of some kind. There isn’t much profanity, but there is 1 “S” word, and a couple other minor ones. Lastly, there isn’t much by way of sexual content, but Major’s robotic body is shaped like a woman, so we often see her in some kind of rubber shell or her robotic frame in a shapely woman form. She also wears a skin-tight, white bodysuit that makes her appear naked, but she isn’t (and Scarlett Johansson wore a padded rubber suit for the filming, so she definitely didn’t film the scenes naked).

Ghost in the Shell won’t be the best film you see this year, and not even the best sci-fi film you see this year, but I think it’s more underrated than it should be. It’s a good action film with a decent musical score, strong acting, and an interesting premise. Fans of the original manga or film might be overly critical–and I can understand that to a degree as a fan of other properties–but Ghost in the Shell is still a worthwhile effort for anyone who enjoys a good futuristic sci-fi action movie.

– John DiBiase (reviewed: 7/24/17) 

Blu-Ray Special Features ReviewGhost in the Shell is available in a 3D Blu-Ray/2-Disc 2D Blu-Ray/Digtial combo pack, a Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital combo pack, 2-disc DVD, and a 4K Ultra HD release with a Blu-Ray disc and digital copy, as well as separately through the usual digital movie providers. We’re reviewing the 3D combo pack, which includes the 3D movie on one disc and a 2D Blu-Ray disc with the following features:Hard-Wired Humanity: Making Ghost in the Shell (30:03) – This featurette is the main special feature on the Blu-Ray disc. The filmmakers lovingly recall the 1995 original animated film, and talk about paying homage with this film. The featurette also covers casting in this live action adaptation, filming it at the Lord of the Rings studio in New Zealand, stunts and various action scenes, crafting the film’s finale, and shooting some scenes on location in Hong Kong.

Section 9: Cyber Defenders (11:29) – This featurette delves into the main characters a little deeper, covering each member of the the crime team, the attachment of Batou and Major, their weapons and the actors’ training workout. (1 “a” word)

Man & Machine: The Ghost Philosophy (10:35) takes a more serious look at the growth of and dependency on technology in society, as well as what that could look like in the near future.

Inside the Shell (27:54) – This may just be an iTunes exclusive, as it does not appear on the Blu-Ray disc, but Inside the Shell is a little indie film made and narrated by a man named Ed Gill about visiting the set of the film in New Zealand. A little avatar version of himself narrates this making-of film as he shares his experiences on the studio backlot and while watching some scenes being film. First, he gives us a peek into filming the interrogation of the “skinny man” before he moves on to the prop shop. Unfortunately, it isn’t long before the viewer realizes that Gill is all over the place with his direction. There’s no narrative or sense of time for his “story,” and his voiceover is so monotone, it’s liable to make even the most attentive viewer turn narcoleptic. Gill only further proves just how much of an amateur filmmaker he is when he attempts to interview Scarlett Johansson in almost stalker fashion as she’s walking on the backlot, but didn’t have enough battery power in his camera to pull it off. When he does show us his attempt at interviewing her while walking-and-talking a day or two later, it’s terribly awkward, and it’s obvious she wasn’t interested in it. (He made a passing comment early on in the video that he’s a friend of the director, yet there was no official way for him to set up an interview with Scarlett? It just seems like Journalism 101 to actually schedule something.) To make matters worse, as someone who’s seen a lot of behind-the-scenes featurettes over the years, this is one of the most dull and boring attempts at it I’ve ever seen. I’m not surprised this is not on the Blu-Ray disc, but I am surprised iTunes bothered to lump it in with the film’s special features. Its only redeeming quality is seeing some extra b-roll footage of key scenes being filmed or film crew in action on set.

Lastly, the iTunes version offers Image Galleries, including images for Behind the Scenes, Production Design, Character Design, Shelling, Skeleton, Cityscapes, Tech, Vehicles, Weapons, and Storyboards.

– John DiBiase, (reviewed: 7/23/17)

Parental Guide: Brief Summary of Content Sex/Nudity: We see a “naked” female humanoid robot (No nipples on the anatomy, or other explicit detail); Major often fights in a skin-tight bodysuit that has invisible capabilities. It almost looks like she’s nude, but she isn’t; In a really weird moment, we see a robot-like woman Woman from the chest-up apparently peeing in the bathroom while standing next to Batou. As she leaves, he looks shocked; We briefly see holographic images of women dancing; Major is handcuffed to a stripper pole while a man makes suggestive comments to her asking her to dance (she doesn’t); While confused over being part-human, part-robot, Major gets alone with a human woman and asks her to remove a few coverings on her face. She then caresses her face and asks how it feels. The woman says “it feels different,” but the scene ends there; We see Major’s bare back and a little bit of the side of her breasts as she’s taking off wetsuit (it appears clearly more like Scarlett’s body than other versions of her body throughout the movie).
 Vulgarity/Language: Major gives Batou the middle finger; 1 “S” word, 1 “a” word; 1 “My G-d,” 1 “p*ss me off”
 Alcohol/Drugs: A reference is made about a man getting enhancements so he can drink more alcohol; Batou has a drink at a bar; We see Batou drinking a beer in a can.
 Blood/Gore: We see a real human brain (well, an animated version of one) being inserted into a robot body; We see a man with scars on his face and around his mouth; Some robot heads explode as they’re shot. In some cases, white liquid runs out; White liquid drips from Major’s wrist after being shot there. We see a red, flesh-like layer underneath her outer layer, around circuits; We briefly see a scar on a man’s stomach; We briefly see a meat chopping market with raw meat hanging and being chopped; We see a robot body with non-bloody bullet holes in it and wires sticking out of his face and closed eyes; We briefly see a bloody spot on a man’s shirt after he’s shot; We see Major “naked” on a table being rebuilt. Red organic matter is slowly re-grafted onto her metal frame; Dr. Ouelet has some abrasions on her face; The “skinny man” has some cuts on his face; Kuze is a human who appears to be part man-part robot, with muscles and pieces of metal showing. At one point, he removes a plate from part of Major’s face to reveal circuits underneath; We briefly see the backside of Major’s brain in her head; We briefly see a little blood / the bullet entry point on clothing when a woman is shot; Major angrily pulls on part of a tank as hard as she can, ripping off her own arm in the process. We also see her metal skeleton stretching under her “skin,” causing it to rip; Cutter has some abrasions on his face.
 Violence: A Geisha bot smacks a man over the head with a tray and plugs into the back of his neck and scans his mind; Thugs shoot two men and then shoot up a room full of people. Some robot heads explode as they’re shot. Major comes through window, guns firing. Major shoots a Geisha bot several times in the face. Major takes a wound to the wrist; We see a robot body with bullet holes in it and wires sticking out of his face and closed eyes; We see digital figures in a memory eroding slowly; While Major is plugged into a robot’s memory, we see figures in black grabbing at her, trying to pull her down; We pass by a man watching a hologram of a boxing match / street fight; Some men use a shock stick and repeatedly shock Major. Eventually, she snaps, and while handcuffed to a dancer pole, she beats up all of the men in the room. At one point, we see a knife go through one of their arms. Meanwhile, Batou fights and shoots up thugs in the main part of a bar; An explosion goes off in a room. Major pushes Batou out of the way, but he gets burned and screams in agony; We see Major “naked” on a table being rebuilt. Red organic matter is slowly re-grafted onto her metal frame; Batou has new, small lenses for robotic eyes and they’re a little creepy; A bad guy rips off a technician woman’s robotic eye plate; A garbage truck hits a car and flips it over. The garbage men then get out and shoot a humanoid robot that fires at them. A shootout breaks out. Major’s team then arrive on the scene and fight back; A man is kept in a box cell with his neck tethered to the ceiling and his feet bound. At one point, he jumps in the air and it breaks his neck, killing him (he does this intentionally, or while being controlled by someone else); A big fight scene between Major and Skinny Man happens in water where she goes partly invisible and you see the man’s body flailing about as she hits him; The Section 9 team infiltrates a room and shoots up people. There are some fights and a grenade goes off; As people walk past a room, we see in the distance what looks like hanging bags with moving bodies in them (Humans? Robots? A combination?); We see a room of monks wired into a hub by the backs of their necks; Major is attacked with a shock stick. She fights her attackers but more try to subdue her and she’s captured; We see Major held captive with a vice on her head that holds her up above the ground by a foot or so; Kuze is a human who appears to be part man-part robot, with muscles and pieces of metal showing. At one point, he removes a plate from part of Major’s face to reveal circuits underneath; Major shoots Kuze repeatedly and then pushes him; Batou and his team shoot more people; Kuze shoots at them; We see the backside of Major’s brain as a needle goes into it; Major beats up and shoots technicians in a lab; A man shoots a human woman character, killing her; Several thugs shoot up a car with machine guns. A man gets out and shoots each one of them. Then, out of view of the camera, he shoots one again, execution style; Togusa shoots three goons who come to kill him; Major sees visions/projections/memories of soldiers taking and beating youths; An explosion destroys a building and throws two characters, damaging one of them; A large, mechanical “spider tank” shows up and shoots at Major and another character. Major fights back as it blows up more portions of the structures surrounding them; Major leaps onto the tank and punches it repeatedly. She then angrily pulls on it as hard as she can, ripping off her own arm in the process. We also see her metal skeleton stretching under her “skin,” causing it to rip; A robotic man’s head is shot, killing him; A gunship crashes and explodes; A man is shot a couple times and collapses, dead.