DVD Review: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

In 1995 the Japanese feature-length anime Ghost in the Shell was released worldwide. Mamoru Oshii's adaptation of Masamune Shirow's popular manga did not spark the interest of the general North American public during its theatrical release, but it became a cult classic. It was one of the first films to combine CG effects and traditional cell animation, and if I remember correctly, it was one of the more costly animated films of its time. The story focuses on Motoko Kusanagi, essentially a human mind in a robot body; a secret operative built for combat, called out to handle technology-related crime. In Ghost in the Shell, she is involved in the hunt for "The Puppet Master," a criminal who commits his crimes by hacking into the conciousness of humans. To quote Wikipedia: The setting of Ghost in the Shell is distinctively cyberpunk, similar to that of William Gibson's sprawl trilogy, though Shirow's work is more focused on the ethical and philosophical ramifications of the widespread merging of humanity and technology, the development of artificial intelligence, and an omnipresent computer network, in particular related to human identity and uniqueness. The manga, in particular, tackles these questions head on, as Kusanagi and her colleagues face both external threats and puzzles, and internal conflict over their own nature, being more machines than humans.

Which brings us to 2004. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, both written and directed by Mamoru Oshii, is produced. It furthers the first film in just about every way. It features more CG, more emphasis on thematic elements, and cost a lot more to make. In fact, it took the financial backing of two major Japanese studios - Production IG (Jin-Roh, Patlabor, Ghost in the Shell, Sakura Wars) and Studio Gibli (Nausicaa, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Laputa) - to bring the film to life.

Innocence takes place some time after the original story. Much more serious in tone, Innocence explores the themes of the first movie more fully as Batou asks himself many of the same questions that his former partner, Kusanagi - who has since gone missing - asked herself in the first film. The overarching themes related to the meshing of technology with organic life dominate Innocence: questions of what defines consciousness, life, and humanity. Batou finds these questions very relevant to the situation at hand as he investigates a series of grisly murders committed by gynoids (female robots) created for pleasure. More of a suspense/mystery/thriller set in a cyberpunk setting than an action movie, Innocence is thought-provoking and well-crafted.

The film suffers from a few flaws in its narrative, though. I personally feel that its 99-minute runtime could have easily been expanded to two hours. Extra time could have been spent fleshing out Batou's investigation, because as it stands, the plot becomes a bit lost in the midst of the abundant symbolism and philosophical discussion. I have no problem with the film being complicated and demanding of my attention, but I would have appreciated more time to absorb what was going on while I was watching the movie, rather than needing to mull it over after the fact. Having said that, I think this is a film that will get stronger over multiple viewings.

Even if you're not particularly interested in the philosophical side of Innocence, the film has plenty to offer. The visuals are absolutely jaw-dropping, as is the animation. It is a lush, well-designed piece of art. The score is also impressive, the haunting main theme in particular. Truly epic. There isn't an abundance of action sequences in the film (only two, I think - one at the middle and one at the end), so those expecting plenty of martial arts and gunplay should skip this movie in favour of something else. In any case, I really enjoyed Ghost in the Shell: Innocence, and since I'm still thinking about it two days after watching it, I'd definitely recommend it.