Ghost in the Shell (1996, VHS)

For those of you who believe that we are slowly creating a world that at one point was only possible in our minds or told in an entertaining format. Look no further, Masamune Shirow s (creator of Appleseed), Ghost in the Shell deals with the possibilities of a world that has given beings of circuitry and synthetic a conscience.

The story is extremely complex and might require repeat viewings to totally understand. The year is 2029; the world has become boundless by the net. Humans have become cybernetically augmented beings that live, in a virtual world. Here they are monitored by law enforcement that has the ability to download themselves in a super powered, crime busting mecha. An agent created by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It s code name Project 2501 also known, as The Puppet Master is the perfect agent. The advantage of it not being human or in fact a physical being, allows it to roam freely through the net, hacking and manipulating information whatever and whenever required. Over time 2501 forms in its mind that it has sentience, born in a sea of information , defying its parents and requests political asylum and desires physical sanction.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs race against time to recapture the Top Secret Project, by any means necessary before it succeeds in finding a host body and escapes. The internal Bureau is unaware that the Puppet Master s persuasive abilities are able to seduce other semi-cybernetic human agents, giving them the opportunity to question their own sentence. Female agent Major Motoko Kusangi, a highly trained agent is sent to counter the Puppet Master s actions. The 2501 offers to Motoko that they should merge into one being.

Director Mamoru Oshii (Patalabor 1 and 2), and screenwriter Kazunori Ito (Dirty Pair, Patalabor 1 and 2, Patalabor TV series), have captured the surreal world that Masamune Shirow gave birth to in the world of Manga comics. A world with so much diverse and over whelming complexity, that you become part of it and never look back. The technical aspects of this film are down right amazing. From Motoko s ability to cloak, and watching her free fall from an extremely high building is simply breath taking. The makers of this fine production have not gone for the typical Manga look that is so prevalent in Japanese Animation.

The characters in my opinion are real; it s not just the animators who have given these characters life the voice talents make them whole. Very few films animated or otherwise have left me with so much to think about ( Memento is one of the ones that spring to mind). Questioning the direction we are taking as a modern world, who has just entered a new century.

Music director Kenji Kawai s haunting score adds to the surreal and sensual imagery that makes Ghost in the Shell a tantalizing viewing experience. When you think of any memorable moment in the film the score will linger in your mind. The Wachowski bros, which created The Matrix has admitted that Ghost in the Shell was a major influence for their big film. I don t doubt that other filmmakers would be inspired by this masterpiece of animation.

The DVD version of this masterpiece comes with the option to watch it in the original form of Japanese or to watch it with the English dub. My advice is to watch it with the original Japanese dub, the English dub isn t to great. It also contains a complete Movie Production Report and an additional 30 minute Programme The Making of Ghost in the Shell . It explains who different methods of animation were used to create the movie, it is quite interesting to watch.

This is a truly masterful movie. If you haven t seen this film yet, see it now. It will either confuse you, or leave you in deep thought. Or perhaps both.

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