Customer Reviews

Ghost in the Shell 2.0 [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I'm going to break this review down into two parts.

The movie itself:
This is Ghost In The Shell in HD. It's beautiful, but for a smoother translation into the look of Innocence the greenish colors of the original film have been touched up and made to be more of an amber color like that seen in second film. This isn't really a change that I mind, and it's pulled off fairly well. I assume that several scenes were cleaned up digitally because the line art looks amazingly clean.

Sadly, someone felt it would be appropriate to replace some of the most iconic and stunning animation from the original with CG. A few scenes are done well like those where the CG is only helicopters or buildings, but whenever it replaces characters with crappy looking CG models it becomes stunningly bad. If you watch the making of the original movie you can see that their limited use of computer assisted animation was carefully planned and fit in with the other artwork and improved the film. The CG in 2.0 sticks out like a sore thumb in most cases. The only CG part that I liked was the pan over the cityscape at the end of the film.

If you have a bluray player and haven't seen GitS yet 2.0 isn't a bad way to see it, but fans of the original will probably be disappointed with the lack of any significant changes and the quality of what was changed.

The bluray by Manga:

Somehow Manga Entertainment never ceases to screw something pretty major up on their releases. The box lists a commentary with Oshii, an interview with Oshii and a making of GitS 2.0. None of these features are present on the bluray. You get throw away character profiles, glossary, and the old english trailer. The original making of GitS is here in VHS quality along with the unlisted bonus feature of the original cut of the movie. When I heard that I was pretty excited because in all honesty it's the only version I truly care about, but it looks to be taken from non-HD masters and only includes 2.0 audio tracks. If memory serves me correctly I believe that my GitS DVD looks better upscaled than this version does.

It would have been nice to do a re-dub of the film with the SAC cast, but I guess most of them were in the original anyway and it's a nice dub in it's own right.

This whole release just makes me want the original film untouched in HD. I can't give this less than three stars if only because seeing this movie this way is better than not seeing it at all because it's a one of my favorite films ever, but be aware of the problems with this release before deciding to buy it.

Ahh...Ghost in the Shell. The 1995 movie based on the manga that was called by some the second coming of Akira. I can't help but agree with that. So here we are almost 15 years later and we now have a sequel, a spin-off TV show, with a TV movie and it's influence is seen in movies such as "The Matrix." Now we have GitS 2.0, which is not a sequel (though I can see why people could be misled into thinking that.) but a redone version of the first movie. The colors has been changed and some CG has been brought in to replace the old animation. Its supposed to look more like the sequel, "Innocence," but honestly it looks weird since the original movie was made 9 years before the sequel. But I'm not going to review the movie itself, I'm just going to tell you why you should buy this on Blu-Ray.

The first thing all you purists need to know, the original Ghost in the Shell is included on the disc in HD. It doesn't look that great but it looks better than the DVD for sure. Also, the transfer is not the DVD master from the 2005 re-issue simply upconverted (contrary to popular belief), it is the Blu-ray master from Japan. They didn't really clean up the film but this is pretty much the best it's ever going to look unless Bandai, Manga or Production IG want to put up the money for a full re-master.

Which brings us into the new 2.0 version. This puppy has demo worthy video. The animation has been nicely cleaned-up, the new CG pops, and the re-mixed soundtrack (which I'll get back to in a minute) can bring the house down. This is one of the best animated Blu-rays out there, up there with "Cars," "Wall-E," and "Akira." While consistency is off thanks to the new CG, new colors and old animation, but this is not the fault of the transfer.

The soundtrack for the original Japanese version has actually been thrown out the window completely. Not only are there new sound effects, but the original cast has re-recorded all their lines, with one exception: the Puppet Master. The Puppet Master was originally voiced by a man, and has now been replaced by a woman. Also the song that plays in the background during the market chase with Batou has been removed. It is such a small thing that people probably won't notice (but I brought it up for a reason).

Now, I'm going to be honest, I'm a fan of the English dub of GitS in all of its forms. When this was announced I thought for sure they would re-dub the movie with the new GitS: Stand Alone Complex cast. This is not the case. They used the original dub from 1995 for this version (So Mimi Woods is playing Motoko, not Mary Elizabeth McGlynn from the SAC dub.) with the new sound effects thrown in. Which brings us to a inconsistency because in the 2.0 version the Puppet Master is supposed to be played a female, but instead, is still played by a man, since this is literally the same dub. This isn't the only inconsistency, the song from the marketplace is now back in the movie. There some other small gripes but only the hardcore fan would notice.

Now onto the extras. They consider the old version of the movie as a extra, and it is a pretty cool extra, having both versions in HD. Then we come into a couple of weird quirks. On the box, it says there is a commentary with the director, as well as a making of feature for 2.0. What we get is a making of feature....for the original movie and a theatrical trailer...for the original. Along with come bios and glossary. The features on the box are no where to be found, which is quite a big gaff. Maybe future re-prints will correct this but as of now, the features on the box are not there. To me, it isn't a big deal, but it kind of sucks that we don't get what the box promises.

All in all this is a must buy for every GitS fan. Not only do you get the new version of this movie, you get the original in HD. That way, you get the best of both worlds. Everyone else, give this one a rental, because this is really for the fans.

EDIT: 9/29/11 - The included original version of Ghost in the Shell is not the HD master from Japan. It is a laserdisc master, upconverted to 1080i. Also, they've fixed the back cover in later prints to have the correct features on the back. I still recommend this if you're a fan.

Movie: 4.5/5 Video Quality: 4.5/5 Audio Quality: 5/5 Extras: 2.5/5 Overall: 4.1/5 (rounded down in total star ranking)

This was the second genuine anime film I ever watched, and even after repeated viewings I've been confused and confounded by it. It may be short and it may boast some cool action scenes, but for the most part it is a tight, complex, and highly cerebral thriller. The combination of philosophy, psychology, technology, and politics is often overwhelming in this film.

Only recently have I been able to understand the movie's plot and issues, and I must say that it is a very sublime picture with some very deep issues concerning the human soul, technology, and society. For that matter, each viewing does reveal deeper meaning. On this basis, the movie not only makes for quintessential anime, but it is also an essential (and influential) piece of cyberpunk sci-fi.

The movie's plot and characters may seem muddled, but they have nuances and complexities of their own. I do find that other features in the "Ghost in the Shell" series (namely, "Innocence," "Stand Alone Complex," and "Solid State Society") offer easier storylines and more understandable characters, but they are not quite as original or distinctive as what's in this film. The movie is slowly-paced, but has lots of interesting visuals and some brilliant action scenes. Production design features some very interesting and original sets, props, costumes, vehicles, and weapons. Music is interesting.

For better or for worse, this disc showcases the 2.0 version, which offers enhanced CGI effects to replace certain scenes, as well as an enhanced soundtrack and a new music score. These changes do offer a different color palette than the theatrical cut, and the image overall looks cleaner, sharper, and more detailed. Above all, it is visually and conceptually more compatible with other features in the "Ghost in the Shell" series.

This disc offers decent quality. The video looks very clean, with excellent color and contrast. It is sharp with plenty of details; textures are strong and pencil lines are thin. I saw no signs of visual noise, pixilation, or aliasing. The only issue worth noting is that some scenes may have bright auras, but this is notably less intrusive on Blu-Ray than it is on DVD. A few scenes showed some slight banding as well. Sound quality is excellent (DTS-HD MA 6.1, lossless), and you have a choice between English dubbing and the original Japanese, with optional subtitles. Extras include a making-of feature, character profiles, creator biographies, and a trailer.

One of the special features is the original theatrical cut of the movie. Video quality on the original film in 1080i is notably weaker, for it shows greater pixilation, aliasing, and film artifacts. Colors are also more washed-out, but some colors are notably different than the 2.0 version (more blues and greens in certain scenes). Regardless, it is still a sharp and clean image. Sound quality is good, and it has the same language and subtitle options as the 2.0 feature.

Let's get one thing clear: I love Ghost in the Shell. I have everything ever released on DVD. As far as Cyberpunk goes, this is it. Plain and simple.

Let's talk about what's wrong with GITS: 2.0

They took the 2008 Japanese Bluray and ran a blur filter over it. Want your DVD to look the same? Turn the sharpness down to about 20%. Ta-da!

Added in new 3d animation that looks like something from a Playstation One or 2 at best. Low rez, crap quality that has artifacting and residue. We're talking Youtube video quality. I'm not impressed. Going from one type of animation type to another in mid movie is really painful.

On top of all that, deciding to change entire color pallets, substituting Amber for Green. Ya that's great. Thanks.

This is worse than what Lucas did to Star Wars. Far worse.

It's crap.

I am very disappointed.

You can not talk about cyberpunk without bringing up this one! This is the movie that even anime haters have seen and liked. Mamoru Oshii, director of Sky Crawlers and Patlabor pioneered anime sci-fi in the 90s with this film adaptation of Masamune Shirow's manga series.

Set in a future where androids and cyborgs are commonplace, a special Japanese enforcer unit called Section 9 gets called into handle cybercrimes and sticky foreign affairs. Matoko is a major on this team, and she and her partner Batou get called into handling a case on the illusive hacker known as the Puppet Master. After trailing some unsuspecting garbage collectors, they think they have their man, but he turns out to be another puppet himself. Then, a robot body escapes from a government cybernetics lab, and is brought into Section 9 headquarters. Two agents from the rival Section 6 show up to claim it saying that was now hosting the cybernetic essence referred to as a "ghost" of the Puppet Master. It reveals itself to be a living entity that was created by Section 6 to control people's ghosts, and its come to Section 9 seeking asylum. Commandos make off with the body, so Matoko and Batou take off after their getaway car. Matoko corners them in an abandonned church, although the car is protected by a robot spider tank(not a Tachikoma, BTW). She almost gets crushed by the tank, but Batou manages to stop it with a bigass gun. Matoko then dives into the Puppet Master, and he reveals to her that arranged all this in attempt to merge his programming with her ghost in order to create an entirely new lifeform. Matoko doesn't get a chance to disagree as both she and the Puppet Master's body's are totalled by Section 6 agents. Hours later, Batou was able to salvage what there was of Matoko's ghost into the robot body of a young girl, although she claims she is now longer Matoko or the Puppet Master, but their composite prodigy. She then leaves planning to spread herself throughout the net.

This movie was one of the few to actually be released in U.S. theatres in the 90s. The blend of computer graphics with Oshii's dynamic animation direction is superb. It's influence is apparent in several other American productions like Batman Beyond, The Matrix and Equilibrium. The film itself spawned off a sequal, Ghost In The Shell: Innocence, plus the Stand Alone Complex anime TV series which has a movie followup and two compilation movies. The original was recently redone in a new version, Ghost In The Shell 2.0, which is the same film, but now with new 3D graphics which add a definate bonus to it, and not in some lame Star Wars: Special Edition way. The dub is pretty good, although most U.S. otaku probably ally themselves with the English cast from the TV series instead. All in all, the 2.0 version is a paramount acquisition for your personal anime ark!

I am reviewing the DVD release, so I won't comment on Blu-Ray picture quality. As noted by others, the changes to the original film are not earth-shattering, and they aren't all improvements.

New computer generated 3D animation is substituted for some of the old cell animation. But the transitions are jarring. The change is hard to justify. The old animation was good, and the style was more or less consistent.

I personally think the English dubbing should have been re-done. Just something about the Major's voice has always been a little too deadpan. But basically the same old voice tracks are used.

The color of the whole film is shifted toward sepia. Everything is more washed-out and more brown than before. It doesn't look good to me.

I bought the 12" laserdisc of GITS when it came out. The first DVD release of GITS was quite good. Maybe you will prefer 2.0, but for me it is change for change's sake. The film is worth multiple viewings, but I'll stick with 1.0, thank you.

This blu-ray actually has both the newly remastered version of the movie and an uprezzed version of the original movie. The remastered version of the movie which has been considerably enhanced with CG looks and sounds fantastic. The original version however looks terrible. If you are looking for the original version of the movie you might as well stick with the DVD. The English dub for the new version is a remix of the original one with new sound effects added in. Although the acting is a little flat, the sound quality of the dub is excellent. The Japanese audio sounds great too.

There's nothing compelling here, neither for old fans of the movie, nor for people who've never seen it.

For old fans: All they've done to "update" the movie is replace a few scenes with ReBoot-quality CGI animation. Most of these updates focus on Major Kusanagi's breasts. If you're not a 12-year-old boy, you may not find much benefit here. As other reviewers have pointed out, the original version carefully balanced CGI and hand-drawn animation. This version chucks that out the window. Fortunately, the original version is on this disk, under the Bonus Features. Though it doesn't seem to have been cleaned up, it's still the superior version.

For people who've never seen it: I first watched it about 15 years ago. The dialog hasn't gotten any less stilted in all that time. Both the screenplay (which is less "dialog" and more "people talking near each other") and the flat line readings from the actors (which, unfortunately seems to be representative of too much anime) make it hard to invest fully in the characters. The animation is beautiful, and the story is interesting. But if you don't have a compelling reason to watch it, you might find it hard to stay invested.

K

This movie was great, the animation, action, art style, and overall story were all great. This was my first time seeing it since i was only four when it first came out (95' i believe). The visual quality on blu-ray is top notch. As other reviews have stated the CG is a little distracting, but doesn't take away from the overall experience of the movie. The sound and visual quality are impeccable. Overall this was a really good movie and i fully recommend this to anyone who is interested in anime.

First of all - props to Anchor Bay/Starz for bringing this title out at a very reasonable price. Most Anime Blu-Rays tend to retail at 2-3 times what a "hollywood" movie do (Bandai, I'm looking at you!) - Anchor Bay released this at a fraction of what a hollywood movie costs (it tends to go on sale often, but even at its retail price it's a great bargain!)

On to the disc though.

Ghost in the Shell - it seems to go along with Akira as most peoples' first introductions to anime and still stands up today as a great movie. I'm not so great at going into the plot points of movies, so I usually leave that to the other reviewers. Overall I still love this movie.

Rather than a straight "clean up" on the movie, the creators went back and basically re-did a lot of it. This is done either by new computer drawn-animation (similar to Stand Alone Complex) or by adding CG. While the original does show its age in some of the CG used at the time, and it was nice to see that cleaned up with some modern graphics, I found the choices in switching animation styles throughout camera cuts to be odd. You'll see classic hand-drawn animation one second, then crisp computer-drawn animation the next, then CG models the next, then back to hand-drawn. They don't do a terrible job of pulling it off, but it's very obvious. The characters themselves "look" different from cut to cut, and while the CG looks great as a background it looks odd when the characters are CG models (everything looks very flat, almost amateurish but with very nice shading - hard to describe). I liked watching the 2.0 cut, but I still love the original.

As for the Blu-Ray itself:
Video was obviously very nice for the 2.0 version - everything was cleaned up nicely or recreated to give it a very crisp look. No flaws that I could notice.
Audio was also very good - if you have a nice audio system it'll make nice use of it!
Extras were perhaps the best part.. the original GitS movie! While quality isn't the greatest (I didn't notice much of a difference between the DVD release and this 1080i version), it's fantastic that they included it. Best part, it's cheaper to get this package than it is to buy GitS separately on DVD! Other extras were alright, but nothing outstanding.

Overall a very nice bundle at a great price. Ghost in the Shell + Ghost in the Shell 2.0 with great video and audio. If you don't own GitS already, pick this one up! If you did and are curious to check out 2.0, it's cheap enough that you can buy the disc and not invest much money into it.


To make it a 5 star disc, I would've liked to see some more effort put into 2.0 (the CG models were a bit "iffy", same goes for the blending of all 3 styles of animation), GitS (original) could have been cleaned up much nicer, and it would've been great to see some behind the scenes on the 2.0 version (maybe even an in-movie-experience letting you see both versions side by side?).