Amazon.co.uk Review
The skilful blending of drawn animation and computer-generated imagery excited
anime fans when this science fiction mystery was released in 1995: many enthusiasts believe
Ghost suggests what the future of
anime will be, at least in the short term. The film is set in the not-too-distant future, when an unnamed government uses lifelike cyborgs or "enhanced" humans for undercover work. One of the key cyborgs is The Major, Motoko Kusanagi, who resembles a cross between The Terminator and a
Playboy centrefold. She finds herself caught up in a tangled web of espionage and counterespionage as she searches for the mysterious superhacker known as "The Puppet Master."
Mamoru Oshii directs with a staccato rhythm, alternating sequences of rapid-fire action (car chases, gun battles, explosions) with static dialogue scenes that allow the characters to sort out the vaguely mystical and rather convoluted plot. Kusanagi's final quote from I Corinthians suggests that electronic evolution may compliment and eventually supplant organic evolution. The minor nudity, profanity, and considerable violence would earn Ghost in the Shell at least a PG rating. --Charles Solomon
Synopsis
Set in the year 2029 where a notorious computer criminal, 'Puppet Master', is suspected of many offences including stock market manipulation and terrorist acts. Japan's elite secret service, Section 9, is called in to capture this elusive criminal... but not all is what it seems...