Ghost in the Shell
Director: Rupert Sanders
Year Released: 2017
Rating: 2.5
"Cybernetic human" Major (Scarlett Johansson) - "created" by combining a female brain with a mechanical body - struggles with her own (distorted) memories while working with hulking buddy Batou (Pilou Asbæk) for the mysterious "Section 9" (commandeered by the fantastic Takeshi Kitano) to stop cyber-terrorist Kuze (Michael Pitt). I actually like how they treated the source material (by Masamune Shirow), simplifying what I always thought was a convoluted storyline (I read the manga and saw the anime versions) and the visuals are spectacular - the fictitious Niihama looks like an amped up version of Blade Runner's Los Angeles (William Gibson and Philip K. Dick are obvious influences). Sadly, the second part lags significantly in terms of pacing before it gets to a lackluster tank battle and rushed conclusion. Between this and Lucy, ScarJo is making a name for herself as The Queen of Cyberpunk.
