Japan, 2004
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Score: ***1/2
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A bit of background is required to bring the viewer up to par with what is going on in GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE.  Cyborgs are mechanized bodies inhabited by human spirits, dolls are robots with absolutely no human traits and humans are humans eventually forgetting who they really are.  In the first GHOST made in 1995, cybercop Kusanagi was the principal character but in INNOCENCE, she is reduced to a ghost in a shell.  Her side-kick the ever-so-boring Batou is elevated to prime anti-terrorist agent.  The gist of the plot is simple enough. The newly invented sex companions called gynoids are slaughtering their owners.  Batou and his new partner Togusa investigate and their journey concerns writer/director Mamoru Oshii’s outlook on life in the cyberworld.  Director Oshii brings the viewer up to date quickly in the film through voiceover.

Credit goes to director and writer Mamoru Oshii for knowing the updated technical computerized world and translating it into the plot.  For example, the gynoid malfunction is attributed first to the presence of human production errors and then to viruses.  But Oshii is neither interested in violence nor action packed sequences typical of a manga film.  Instead, he teases the viewer with philosophy (Descartes and Confucius sayings), logic and views of existence (Darwinism).  Though this computer animated sci-fi anime conjures up a spectacular display of colors (example: the interiors of a mansion glitters in gold then changes to a simmering turquoise green blending then into a dazzling array of tinted flushes), the film suffers from poor pacing resulting in a slow mid-section.  However, the soundtrack comprising digitally altered Cantonese dialogue, a mix of Latino and Japanese tunes is awesome.

If the viewer was to consider GHOST 2 to be a different kind of anime noir, with poetic musings (no matter how far a jackass travels, it will never return a horse) and some incredible computer effects (the rotating body machinery, for example), he or she will be in for a treat!

Bonus Features:
Bonus features include the lengthy Japanese trailer done to the song FOLLOW ME which lasts close to 10 minutes. The trailer is done in operatic mode without key plot points revealed.

For those especially interested in anime, the commentary by director Oshii and animation director Toshihiko Nishikubo is particularly enlightening. They speak for example of dolls being shot.  Being non-humans but with spirit, they are depicted to die without change in their facial expressions.When humans move one shoulder up, the other automatically goes down. But in this film, the norm is not practiced, in order to create a more realistic robotic atmosphere. The voice talents also put in their two cents worth, but they mainly discuss the characters portrayed.

Previews:

A bit of advertising is forgivable.  Other anime trailers include MILLENIUM ACTRESS and the first GHOST IN THE SHELL film.

Review by Gilbert Seah.