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Laramie Movie Scope:
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

Great-looking Japanese animated film

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by Robert Roten, Film Critic
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February 2, 2005 -- “Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence” (Kôkaku kidôtai 2: Inosensu) is a great-looking Japanese animated film which explores the nature of existence and consciousness in the year 2032 when people are blended with machines to such a point where it is becomes difficult to find anything human left in them.

In this largely dystopian future, most people have some cybernetic components, some are complete cyborgs, some are robots with human consciousness, others are called “dolls,” that is, robots which act like humans, but have no human consciousness. The main character in the story is Batou, a cyborg with an artificial body controlled by a computer-assisted brain. Working for a secret government agency called Section Nine, Batou is investigating the case of a gynoid -— a female robot created for sexual companionship -- who kills her owner.

As Batou delves gets into the investigation, Batou and his partner, Togusa, must battle organized crime thugs, hackers, the government and corporate criminals to get to the truth behind the crime. At the end of the original film, the hero, Major Motoko Kusanagi, abandons her body or “shell” to become a pure mental being, or “ghost,” existing only in cyberspace. In the sequel, the Major reappears from cyberspace.

Director Mamoru Oshii says, “This movie does not hold the view that the world revolves around the human race. Instead, it concludes that all forms of life—humans, animals, and robots—are equal ... We all need friends, family, and lovers. We can't live alone. In the year 2032, when this movie takes place, robots and electronic beings have become necessary companions to people. Actually, that time has come already.”

The movie reflects Oshii's philosophical preoccupation of what it means to be human, the nature of consciousness and why humans are so obsessed with re-creating themselves in the form of dolls and robots. Oshii says that the film's main character, Batou represents the director himself. The character's struggle to maintain his humanity in the shadow of technology represents Oshii's own struggle with technology. Oshii says, “With cell phones and the Internet, people's perceptions have expanded, but they're unaware of how this has made their bodies obsolete.”

The animation is the film is arresting. It is a melding of traditional hand-painted cels and computer animation. Some scenes have two-dimensional animated foregrounds with three-dimensional-type backgrounds. The so-called “festival” scene, which takes place in a kind of renegade city, has astonishing visual qualities. It took a year to complete the festival sequence. Another complicated scene has Batou's consciousness being hacked, resulting in false images and emotions flooding his mind, creating a deadly alternate reality.

At other times, however, the animation is flat and two-dimensional with a lack of color depth or variation. The characters engage in long-winded philosophical debates while nothing much happens on the screen. Only their mouths move in these scenes. In this regard, the film is a mixed bag. Doubtless the ideas in the film don't translate well for those who don't speak Japanese. I got the distinct impression that much was lost in translation, regardless if you listen to the English dub, or read the English subtitles, or both. In order to get all that you can out of this movie, you need to study the accompanying literature which informs the philosophy behind the movie, and you need know the background on which both “Ghost in the Shell” movies are based. You also need to see the film more than once. This film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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Copyright © 2005 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.
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Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at my last name at lariat dot org. [Mailer button: image of letter and envelope]

(If you e-mail me with a question about this or any other movie or review, please mention the name of the movie you are asking the question about, otherwise I may have no way of knowing which film you are referring to)