Ghost in the Shell Review

The live-action film “Ghost in the Shell,” directed by Rupert Sanders, focuses on a cyber-enhanced city, taking place in Japan. For a majority of this film, the futuristic and technological elements provide an engaging viewpoint.

Throughout the film, Sanders emphasizes the use of robotic face masks, rain and the sound of echoes in the background of several scenes, which adds to the overall ominous feeling of the movie.

After their refugee boat was taken over, Major, played by Scarlett Johansson, was practically dead – except for her brain. A group run by the government, Section 9, put Major’s brain into a robot, and gave her a new body – with a shell.

With her new body, Major is devoted to stopping some of the world’s most dangerous criminals, including the villain of the movie – Kuze.

Kuze, played by Michael Pitt, stars as a mysterious, terrorist hacker that provides the edge-of-your-seat suspense throughout the movie. Kuze is disguised in a long black cloak that keeps his face hidden, probably for the best since his face looks like puzzle pieces with the coldest blue eyes and utters one saying: “Collaborate with Hanka Robotics and be destroyed.” How sweet.

The entirety of the movie revolves around the search and derail of Kuze through Major and her team members. Towards the end of the film, there are a few clever plot twists and acts of deception that kept me intrigued, however the ending of the movie was subpar at most.

Although the entire 106 minutes of this movie kept me interested and wide-awake, the utterly boring ending left me with a one-time see for “Ghost in the Shell.”