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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Absolutely gorgeous sequel to the 1995 cyberpunk anime classic "Ghost In The Shell", itself based on a manga by Masamune Shirow.
Once again we meet up with the members of Japan's "Public Safety Section 9", a special Japanese government anti-crime agency. Major Motoko Kusanagi, who was the first movie's main character, has seemingly disappeared after the events in that movie, and focus has shifted to her old comrade Batou, teamed up with agent Togusa, investigates a series of incidents involving androids gone berserk.
The visuals are beautiful, very rich & detailed 3D CGI backgrounds combined with more traditional cell animation, while the atmosphere created by Kenji Kawai's haunting score is incredible. His score for Innocence was meant as an extension of the original movie's score, which is by no means a bad thing.
People expecting an adrenaline-pumping action fest might be disappointed. There is action, and when it comes it is fast, brutal & violent, but this is not what the movie is about. It moves at a very slow pace, while characters indulge in heavy-handed dialogue, waxing philosophical and quoting sources ranging from biblical psalms to Milton and Confucius, among others.
This will no doubt put off some people, but it's refreshing to see a movie that doesn't regard its audience as brain-deads who can only understand one-liners.
On a more negative note, this American DVD has annoying subtitles, that take up too much space, getting in the way of the image; what's more, they seem designed for the hearing-impaired, which I guess is most considerate, but which is normally saved for a separate sub track. It's just annoying for everyone else.
Still, this movie is well worth it.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Without a doubt this is the most visually impressive animated film that I have ever seen. I'm studying Japanese so on a whim I thought I'd go and see it in the cinema, neither having seen the first installment, nor being a fan of Japanese animé or Manga by any stretch of the imagination. But from the first few seconds until more or less the finish, I was watching this film with my mouth wide open; the visual effects are astounding, an intelligent mix of CGI and traditional 2D character animation, at times I actually forgot I was watching an animated film; the opening sequence (despite the rather ear-piercing music) and the carnival in the northern city are perhaps the best examples. I've since been to watch it all over again.
As for the story, while about 70 percent of the dialogue consists of proverbs and philosophy, it retains the viewer's interest and is naturally very thought-provoking; I understood all the aspects despite at this point not having watched the first Ghost In The Shell; any missing information is explained in a prologue before the opening shots (namely the disappearance of The Major).
I've now seen the first installment, and it's fair to say they are both very different kinds of film; the first has perhaps a simpler, more traditional and more obvious story-line, whereas Innocence is much more visual and after getting over the excellent animation you are left thinking about the many interesting and moral dilemmas long after the film is over. In short, Innocence:Ghost in the Shell 2 is truly an amazing piece of intelligent animated cinema - and you don't need extensive knowledge of the series nor an interest in animé in order to enjoy it. Phenomenal!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I put this dvd in my player having no idea what I was about to see. I've seen the original film and the first volume of Stand Alone Complex which I really enjoyed but THIS...THIS is absolutely gobsmackingly brilliant. A real powerhouse of a film. It's story and images left my brain reeling for the rest of the day. The surround sound really is surround and the music is beautiful, staying in my mind long after the film had finished.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Don't read - if you think this movie is mediocre...
If you think this movie is average - skip my review. I guess nobody will spent the additional money for a Blu-Ray if he/she owns the DVD and find this movie just average. Read more
Published on 8 Sep 2009 by Mabuse
Absolutely AMAZING!!!
I love all the ghost in the shell series, but Innocence is on a whole other level.
The story takes place after Motoko dissapeared into the net. Read more
The story takes place after Motoko dissapeared into the net. Read more
Published on 29 Sep 2005 by Ms. Rhonda M. Palmer
WOW
Words cannot begin to describe how well this film was done. For starters, it has THE best CGI animations I've ever seen that completely out-class any other film yet, like the... Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2005 by Takaharu
Great movie, Bad subtitles....
Dreamworks released this in the united states on December 28 of 2004. When they did they released it with only subtitles for the hearing impaired. Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2005
Faultless Animation, a must for all Shirow fans
I'm a big fan of the first Ghost in the Shell and a recent fan of the new TV series Stand Alone Complex based on the same Manga. Read more
Published on 12 Jan 2005 by Mr. R. Iddon
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