Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Original title

GHOST IN THE SHELL

Directed by

Mamoru Oshii

Genre

fantasy film, action film, cyberpunk, science fiction film, science fiction anime, action anime

Country

United Kingdom, Japan

Runtime

1h 19m

Rated

R

Rating

7.9 of 10 from 3,934 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In 2029, a cyborg police major named Motoko Kusanagi hunts a mysterious hacker known as the Puppet Master. The chase forces her to question what it means to have a soul when your body is mostly machine.

philosophicalatmospherictensecerebralnoirslow-burnunsettlingmelancholicvisually lush

What happens

Ghost in the Shell is a 1995 Japanese animated tech noir cyberpunk action thriller film directed by Mamoru Oshii from a screenplay by Kazunori Itō, based on the 1989 manga by Masamune Shirow. It stars the voices of Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Ōtsuka, and Iemasa Kayumi. It is a Japanese-British international co-production between Kodansha, Bandai Visual and Manga Entertainment, with animation provided by Production I.G. Set in 2029 in the fictional New Port City, the film follows Major Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg public-security agent who hunts an enigmatic hacker/ghost known as "the Puppet Master". The narrative incorporates philosophical themes that focus on self and identity in a technologically advanced world. The music, composed by Kenji Kawai, includes vocals in classical Japanese. The film's visuals were created through a combination of traditional cel animation and CGI animation. Upon release, Ghost in the Shell received positive reviews, with critics praising its narrative, visuals, and musical score. The film was initially considered a box-office failure before developing a cult following on home video. Since then, it has grown in esteem and is now considered to be one of the greatest anime and science fiction films of all time. It has inspired filmmakers such as The Wachowskis, creators of The Matrix franchise, and James Cameron, who described it as "the first truly adult animation film to reach a level of literary and visual excellence." At the 24th Annie Awards (1996), the film received numerous accolades, and was nominated in five categories—including Best Animated Feature—giving it the most nominations for a Japanese animated film at the Annie Awards until both The Boy and the Heron and Suzume took over the position (with seven each) at the 51st Annie Awards (2024). A remastered version of the film, Ghost in the Shell 2.0, was released in 2008, featuring newly added digital effects, additional 3D animation, and new audio. Oshii also directed Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, released in 2004, which was billed as a standalone sequel. A live-action reinterpretation of the original film was released in 2017, directed by Rupert Sanders and starring Scarlett Johansson as Major Kusanagi. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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