First Take: Ghost in the Shell 3D- decent enough for this sort of film

SYPNOSIS: In the near future, Major is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible crash, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world’s most dangerous criminals.

This film has recieved a considerable amount of criticism from the media due to its casting choices and general direction, but as a newcomer to the world of this anime, the latest adaptation from Rupert Sanders did enough to warrant the added ticket price for 3D.

Sanders directs the film with a unique sense of visual touches that really stand out in the stereoscopic version of the film, and with that focus on visual touches, that’s where the film excels. Unfortunately, for every great, colourful landscape, there are faults, most notably in the film’s pacing. Sure, it may differ from the original comics, but the script from Jamie Moss, Ehren Kruger and William Wheeler leaves a lot to the imagination. It is shot really well by Jess Hall, and the music from Lorne Balfe and Clint Mansell really made it feel like a comic book- the best way to describe the technical aspects is to say that if you liked the videogame Perfect Dark, you will know what to expect.

Scarlett Johannson puts in a passable performance as Major, and considering the fact that her casting attracted a lot of controversy, she was good enough for the film to be of a sufficient quality for a wide global release. The supporting cast, including Juliette Binoche, Pilou Asbæk, and Takeshi Kitano (the same Takeshi that UK audiences will know from cult gameshow Takeshi’s Castle), are actually more fleshed out than the lead roles, and they made sure that the cultural references that are deeply rooted in this franchise felt believable.

THE VERDICT

With enough fan service to appease fans of the source material, Ghost in the Shell does enough to save it from a full rant, but unfortunately the pacing and poor writing does ruin some key elements of the experience- but there is potential for more films if fans enjoy this one.

RATING: 3/5