Ghost in the Shell 1995 - 5/10 (average)
Having just finished reading the original manga, I was disappointed in the film. Not disappointed in the way I was with the
Stand Alone Complex anime I dropped three years ago, or the live action adaptation with Scarlet Johansson last year, but disappointed in how it missed the mark, disappointed in how dull it was. It's amazing to see how Ghost in the Shell appears in the popular conscious as some sort of deep, high art story about the nature of humanity and the soul, but in actuality the original manga is basically a black comedy about overzealous operatives who are having way too much fun with their jobs blowing hostiles up, being condescending towards civilians, and disrespecting authority, with a side plot about their silly robot slaves plotting to rise up and start the robot rights revolution. Yes folks, the Ghost in the Shell franchise is a victim of Warhammer 40k syndrome.
Watching the film was tedious. The character's souls had been sucked dry in the adaptation, having been transformed from delightfully entertaining characters to bland mouthpieces for exposition. The film spends more time expositing about the metaphysical ideas that were observed in the manga than actually demonstrating those ideas in action, and unlike the Fate series, it's not thought provoking or a form of story progression. I never realized until now how bland the protagonist, Matoko Kusanagi, was outside the manga: they're two completely different characters, and I need not explain which one has more depth. No, speaking in an unemotive and monotonous voice for ninety minutes doesn't make for a compelling character. There is also very little story here, with the bulk of the scenes having been cut. Ultimately feels like a very dry adaptation that missed the point. I'd give it a lower score if it wasn't for the art and the animation.