The revolutionary franchise that inspired the Matrix and many other cyber-punk movies, Ghost in the Shell is receiving a live-action adaptation. Ghost in the Shell is an iconic Japanese comic book series (manga) that has had several adaptations including 1995 film, which I will be reviewing soon, and the popular Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex series. Unfortunately however, Rupert Sanders, director of Snow White and the Huntsman, is taking the helm to direct the movie, and considering his previous work, he is certainly not the best choice. Maybe he will surprise us, but Ghost in the Shell might end up in the long line of mediocre anime to live-action adaptations. My hopes for the film is that it does not directly the follow the first film since it was a loose adaptation of the manga, and instead do something like the series, which I have only seen an episode of thus far. Also, the first movie was only 90 minutes long, therefore this live-action adaptation will have more time to explore the plot and characters. My main concerns are that the movie will not have an Asia cast, the source material will be completely butchered, and that the thought-provoking commentary on technology will be replaced by a stupidly simple plot with too mind-numbing action. On a side note, the franchise stars a female Major Motoko Kusanagi, and if adapted well, should could be the one of the best sci-fi heroines since Princess Leia and Ellen Ripley (Alien franchise). Overall, I am skeptical, but hopeful that the movie will turn out well, despite the unlikelihood of that actually happening. What are your thoughts? Please comment below. Also, please check back next week for my full review of the original Ghost in the Shell movie. If you are interested seeing more of the franchise, you can watch the first episode of the Standalone Complex series in the video below. The entire first season is uploaded officially on YouTube. Also, be sure to check back tomorrow for a rundown of the Super Bowl movie trailers.
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| This picture is from the series Standalone Complex |
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I have mixed feelings for this. It's good that it does open GITS to a larger audience (by introducing the people to the franchise). But I can't help but feel that this will be more on the action side, instead of the thought-provoking side.
ReplyDeleteI agree that they should do something like Stand Alone Complex. SAC may not have the thought-provoking feel of the GITS movie, but its plot lines feature the societal/familial effects of cyberization. It's more on the action-side, but it's not the dumb kind of action.
I'm still looking forward to this. After all, it's still GITS. Hope it turns out good.
Same here, I am not certain about the movie, but at the worst, it will introduce western audiences to GITS and that is never a bad thing.
DeleteEven though I have not seen a lot of the series yet, that is what I have heard from reviews and that is the impression I got when watching the first episode. Hopefully it will be a smart action movie, like The Matrix.
Exactly, its GITS, so I am definitely excited for the movie!
-James
Ghost in the Shell is something that shouldn't be translated unless they were going to have it done by people who were going to respect the source material, doubtful that will happen.
ReplyDeleteExactly, if they are not going to respect the source the material, which Hollywood also never does with manga/anime adaptations, they shouldn't make the movie.
Delete-James