Ghost In The Shell 2.0 Redux [Blu-ray]

One of my all time favourite films on blu-ray - nerdy heaven right?...well, only sort of...this 2.0 redux edition makes a number of George Lucas style alterations which simply don't fit in.

VIDEO:
Clean, crisp and superb transfer with nice clean subtitles (if like me you prefer to watch the film in it's original language) but this great transfer is somewhat ruined but the addition of brand new CGI segments in most of the scenes. While this does help to intergrate the film into the look of the sequel and the series "Stand Alone Complex" is does stand out like a sore thumb and for those "MENT TO BE" purist, this will be a major source of message board flameing.

AUDIO:
Both Japanese language track and the Manga English dub are beautifully presented in glourious digital surround sound with a great mix. Not much else can be said.

EXTRAS:
There are the usual mix of extras that one has come to expect from Manga releases and they will stand on their own for those who are interested.

SUMMARY:
I personally don't like the CGI alterations, however I'm not going to let it ruin my enjoyment of the rest of this amazing film in full HD. I live in hope of a second release which will feature the original verison of the film, but this one will do for now.

I'm a great fan of GITS, and have seen most of its incarnations. The digitally-remastered version of the original is available as an "extra" on this DVD, and I think I prefer it to the "Redux" version, although the new CGI is interesting. It doesn't fit all that well with the original cell animation, though. For fans I'd say it was still worth a look, especially at a reduced price. But if you've never seen the original I'd go with that.

I agree with several others that, whilst the improved sound and visual resolution (and colouring) is welcome, the CGI just distracts from the flow of the movie. Don't be too put off though: it is worth watching, as the visual quality of the original was fairly low compared with current standards and it's nice to see it all looking brighter and clearer.

Note that Amazon have (as of Oct 2010 anyway) put the Synopsis for GITS2: Innocence rather than for GITS2: Redux, i.e. they give the impression that this is the recent sequel, whereas Redux is a re-working of the original movie. Not surprising given the obviously confusing names: both are called GITS 2 despite being a different product altogether. There are also several rather confusing editions of the two films: for example a Blu-ray double box set of both Innocence and Redux, which adds nothing to the individual DVDs except a bigger sleeve; the two movies, individually packed; the original is still available; and the separate Blu-Ray versions of each film. All appear to have the same review and synopsis regardless of which is which!

If you've never seen 'Ghost in the Shell' then please do one of two things. Either buy the DVD version of the original film or, if you can, import the Japanese Blu-Ray of the same. Do NOT under any circumstances buy this item instead unless you've first watched the original and want to compare the two. Here's why:
I have every GITS incarnation in print, audio, games and film. I'm a collector because I love the concept and execution. I have a very extensive selection of collectibles too (figure models, Tachikomas etc) so I know the full context. The reason I can review the 2.0 version of the first GITS film is because I spent £100 on a Japanese set containing 2.0 AND (thankfully) the original version on Blu-Ray. I have watched 2.0 and apart from the English dub (that might not appear anyway) the film is identical to the UK/USA releases.
It doesn't work!
I really wanted to like this release. I'd hoped it would be similar to the recent Star-Trek Blu-Ray set that incorporates new SFX scenes that actually work and seem to belong in the original footage. That isn't the case here. The opening sequence of Kusanagi (or a Kusanagi type prosthetic body, it's never clear) being built is flawed from the off. It's been redone in CGI but there are major (no pun intended) continuity errors, mainly involving missing hair. The scene when Motoko is atop the building and then dives into combat works as a standalone (no pun intended) clip and looks great BUT it doesn't smoothly fit into the existing cell animation at all. It's a radical as two different movies bolted together such is the difference and it completely detracts from the experience. I ran the original to compare it straight away and THAT works beautifully. In fact, because it fits the film, it looks better than the new CGI work! Also, there's an unhealthy amount of overscan on the image at times. Again I compared the original and some scenes have been cropped for no obvious reason and to the detriment of the composition. The audio IS much improved but my version has only Japanese dialogue. The Dolby True-HD soundtrack is glorious and significantly better than the stereo of the original version. That's the only gain here, everything else is either pointless or just plain wrong and I can't recommend this release to anyone other than collectors. You will get a better experience by watching the original version than this one with new graphics because the enhancements detract from and often ruin the mood of the story.
I wanted to like this but I don't.