“Ghost In The Shell” Shows Another Ill Hollywood Adaptation from Japanese Manga
The 90’s Japanese manga world has been frequented with amazing stories and one of them is “Ghost In The Shell” which was created by Masamune Shirow. The science fiction manga describes a situation in the future in which human mind and body are intertwined with artificial intelligence leading the search of identity of each individual. Fast forward to 2017, Hollywood eye the story to be adapted into a live action movie and the news broke in 2016 showing Scarlett Johansson portraying the main character in the film. The announcement met with several responses from the media as well as the manga fans who were disappointed that once again Hollywood whitewashed the casting. The role of Motoko Kusanagi or simplified as Major in the motion picture was given to a high prolific white actress instead of Asian actress, since the producer is afraid of not gaining a high revenue if it’s done otherwise. The movie was directed by Rupert Sanders who is known to direct “Snow White and The Huntsman” in 2012 (poorly executed as well). With all of its controversy, the fans are still eager to find out the live action adaptation of the manga. Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures and Reliance Entertainment set the film to be distributed in March 2017 and the final result is far from what we hoped for.
The story begins with Major (Scarlett Johansson) who regains consciousness after a fatal accident. She is the first of its kind who has been successfully cyber enhanced to function as a crime stopper. As the leader of Section 9, she sets out to investigate a series of murder under the order of counterterrorism chief played by Takeshi Kitano. The movie tries to closely reinterpret the manga but some part of its adaptation falls short in our opinion. The scenes in the beginning amazed us with the futuristic CGI that portrays the process of artificial intelligence planting process on Major’s body. It also shows lavishly the situation of the city where she lives in. As the story unfolds, we find it hard to follow the plot which goes less attractive from the beginning. The twist in the film is also predictable and lacks the power of surprise.
Sanders in this movie often showcases attention grabbing scenes like a slow motion or any other big and bold scene, but they lack essence. Sure it might look cool for some people who enjoys it, however we’re hard to please. Scarlett Johansson saves the show with her understanding and good portrayal of the character. Other actors seem to be forgettable and when we heard that the sequel for this movie is highly likely, we sincerely wish for a better director and a more engaging plot. If you are an avid fan of Scar Jo, “Ghost In The Shell” might satisfy your need.
