“Ghost in the shell” — the uber-cool cyberpunk cinema
The opening scene alone is enough to strap you onto the seat and fly you swiftly into a cyberpunk future world set in Japan in seconds.
There is so much going on the first few minutes that you can’t keep up with it. Yet, don’t be surprised that you are still into it because that is how fresh the ideas are and how engaging the world that it is set in. Japan looks equally dystopian and futuristic. The visuals are not just there for the sake of mise-en-scène, but totally what the story demands.
The movie deals with how the lead character Major Kusanagi, a cyborg cop tries to understand her identity in a universe full of human controlled androids and programmes those ghost-hack into human brains.
The dualism in such a world is an allegory to the dualism that exists within Kusanagi as well. As she tries to tackle this dualism and understand her true identity, she also evolves to something else entirely. That is how best I can give the crux of the movie without spoiling anything.
Everyone remembers the title card from “The Matrix”, a movie which is altogether a different league in its own right. But there is nothing in GINS (yes, am referring to the Ghost…Shell) that has not influenced the world of the matrix.
The fight sequences and some ideas in GINS closely resemble some of the best stunts and concepts from “The Matrix”. Well, I am not saying that the Wachowskis are people who lack imagination. I am just impressed by the way how art imitates art.
We need to talk about the opening score. That is something that is going to be etched in my mind forever I suppose. The entire score is so evocative that it sets the right mood from the beginning till the end. I am just hoping that the upcoming Hollywood retake is up to the expectations that the original has set.
Here is a bonus for your ears and the soul.
