Ghost in the Shell (2017) — Review/Editorial

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After a troubled production history and amid a storm of controversy and cries of ‘whitewashing’ 2017 has finally delivered a live action adaptation of the iconic 1995 anime.

In taking on the beloved sci-fi property the filmmakers had too choices. Either use the framework and themes of the original material to create a bold new vision of Ghost in the Shell in a post-Matrix, post-Westworld marketplace, or do a straight beat-for-beat remake. Unfortunately director Rupert Sanders and his team have attempted to do both and what we are left with is a watered down mess.

Where the 1995 version was very much a movie about high-brow ideas this new version is far more driven by plot and character. The plot however bears little resemblance to the original and is decidedly unoriginal.

As the cyborg cop Major (Scarlett Johansson) delves into her mysterious past it becomes increasingly apparent that we’ve seen this all before (Blade Runner, Ex-Machina and even RoboCop have touched on very similar plot points).

While the story is unoriginal it’s not without its merits. In some instances the new film successfully expands on the decidedly one dimensional characters of the original anime (Pilou Asbæk’s Batou is a particular highlight). The very nature of live action…