Ghost In The Shell - The End Of The Arcing Rainbow
Quick Thoughts: Ghost In The Shell (2017)
A human brain in a cyber-enhanced body, the first of its kind, battles terrorism, coming into conflicts with questions of her own identity.
Cutting straight to the chase, this is an ok film, but not really one worth seeing. Everything about it is just good - apart from the narrative arc and certain visuals. The visuals are spectacular in certain parts, especially the intro. And the narrative arc... wah, wah, wah. In short, this film is about what it means to be human. But, it offers absolutely nothing of worth on this subject, simply stating something about souls and then repeating (at the very beginning and end) that we are our actions. This incredibly weak narrative message would be acceptable if this was a huge action, sci-fi fantasy. However, Ghost In The Shell is deliberately character centric and has an intentional anti-climax that is not the huge action set-piece you may be expecting. There's one great shot in this 'climax', but visuals are not supposed to be the element that sells it. Instead it's the arc that Major, our main character, goes on that is supposed to be the final beat of this narrative. However, and without delving into spoilers, this is just a simple repetition of the opening words that state that we are defined by our actions. This comes with no weight or emotionally resonant impact - the film just ends. So, without a satisfying end to physical conflicts or inner conflicts of our main character, and without an end that says anything in terms of the entire narrative arc, Ghost In The Shell is a pretty meaningless, rather boring, dud.
With great to ok visuals, mediocre action sequences, all right writing and a terrible ending, Ghost In The Shell wasn't worth the bother. But, what are your thoughts? Did you see this film differently? If so, how?
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A human brain in a cyber-enhanced body, the first of its kind, battles terrorism, coming into conflicts with questions of her own identity.
Cutting straight to the chase, this is an ok film, but not really one worth seeing. Everything about it is just good - apart from the narrative arc and certain visuals. The visuals are spectacular in certain parts, especially the intro. And the narrative arc... wah, wah, wah. In short, this film is about what it means to be human. But, it offers absolutely nothing of worth on this subject, simply stating something about souls and then repeating (at the very beginning and end) that we are our actions. This incredibly weak narrative message would be acceptable if this was a huge action, sci-fi fantasy. However, Ghost In The Shell is deliberately character centric and has an intentional anti-climax that is not the huge action set-piece you may be expecting. There's one great shot in this 'climax', but visuals are not supposed to be the element that sells it. Instead it's the arc that Major, our main character, goes on that is supposed to be the final beat of this narrative. However, and without delving into spoilers, this is just a simple repetition of the opening words that state that we are defined by our actions. This comes with no weight or emotionally resonant impact - the film just ends. So, without a satisfying end to physical conflicts or inner conflicts of our main character, and without an end that says anything in terms of the entire narrative arc, Ghost In The Shell is a pretty meaningless, rather boring, dud.
With great to ok visuals, mediocre action sequences, all right writing and a terrible ending, Ghost In The Shell wasn't worth the bother. But, what are your thoughts? Did you see this film differently? If so, how?
Previous post:
Doctor Strange - Fantasy, Realism, Genuity, Experimentation
Next post
Kong - Digital Aesthetics
More from me:
amazon.com/author/danielslack
