Then the hot takes started pouring in. Accusations of racial appropriation and insensitivity started flying. I decided to skip the thing on its original theatrical run.
But then I decided to watch cyberpunk movies for this month.
And, for better or worse, Ghost in the Shell is a relevant piece of cyberpunk cinema. Even if it might be relevant for the wrong reasons. Let's take a look, shall we.
I. What is It?
This is the story of a woman whose consciousness, or "ghost," has been placed into a cybernetic body. She works with an elite team of law enforcement officers in a far future unnamed city (much of it is based on Hong Kong). A spat of murders sets her on a course of self discovery, as she tries to figure out why she keeps seeing glitches of memories from a life she doesn't know.II. Visually Stunning...
This movie has jaw-dropping visuals in spades. Jan Roelfs' production design is gorgeous to look at, chock-full of intricate details and bursting with color. Most cyberpunk films wallow in their blues or their muddy palettes, but Ghost in the Shell pops off the screen with bright neon colors and isn't afraid to feature brightly lit daytime scenes.
This film nails the cyberpunk aesthetic. There are cybernetically enhanced limbs (and eyes, and mouths, etc); there are large holograms dotting the cityscape; there are robot geishas. Ghost in the Shell spent its budget on providing a visual feast, and it doesn't disappoint.
This film nails the cyberpunk aesthetic. There are cybernetically enhanced limbs (and eyes, and mouths, etc); there are large holograms dotting the cityscape; there are robot geishas. Ghost in the Shell spent its budget on providing a visual feast, and it doesn't disappoint.
III. ... But Just a Shell
As pretty as this movie is, it does feel sort of lifeless. Perhaps the ideas and themes it wishes to explore are so old hat, now, that they don't resonate as forcefully as the film would like. Perhaps the film is both too short and too long: too short to do a deep dive on the philosophy of being a ghost in a machine, and too short to be a fun sci-fi actioner.
The script, written by a committee of three people, never allows The Major, or any of the other characters to have real character moments. There are one liners, sure, and moments of action hero bravado, yes, but The Major isn't a character as much as she is a plot device in her own story. Pilou Asbaek does his level best, as Batou, to inject some kind of quasi-romantic feelings for The Major, to give his character some stakes, but the script either doesn't have time for it, doesn't respect it, or doesn't know what to do with it.
The movie even wastes a game Michael Carmen Pitt in its thankless villain role. Kuze is also a white-washed Asian character, though. So the film is at least consistent in its callous disregard for actors of color (more on that below).
The world around which Ghost in the Shell is telling its story is more compelling than the story, at times, and that is a shame. A shame because the story needs to be more exciting, and a shame because you can't tease an audience with that world and explore so little of it.
But this film does both of those things.
The script, written by a committee of three people, never allows The Major, or any of the other characters to have real character moments. There are one liners, sure, and moments of action hero bravado, yes, but The Major isn't a character as much as she is a plot device in her own story. Pilou Asbaek does his level best, as Batou, to inject some kind of quasi-romantic feelings for The Major, to give his character some stakes, but the script either doesn't have time for it, doesn't respect it, or doesn't know what to do with it.
The movie even wastes a game Michael Carmen Pitt in its thankless villain role. Kuze is also a white-washed Asian character, though. So the film is at least consistent in its callous disregard for actors of color (more on that below).
The world around which Ghost in the Shell is telling its story is more compelling than the story, at times, and that is a shame. A shame because the story needs to be more exciting, and a shame because you can't tease an audience with that world and explore so little of it.
But this film does both of those things.
IV. The Soundtrack
Lorne Balfe and Clint Mansell's score is wonderful. The music is haunting throughout, thumping when it needs to be, and eerie in good measure. I really liked it. It might be one of the best things about this movie.V. Let's Talk About White Washing
Scarlett Johansson is doing great work. She is a wonderful actress. Her Major is constantly leaning forward, stalking, with tensed muscles. Scarlett Johansson's performance as the Major is fine.
But.
Why is she in this movie? Scarlett Johansson is playing a beloved Japanese character. And, if you hadn't noticed, she's a white woman. The thing that upsets so many people about this is the fact that Hollywood wants to trade on an influential Japanese IP, but won't commit to hiring an Asian lead actress. The argument seems to always be that movies like this need a star to anchor them (read: a white star (because Hollywood thinks white people won't see a movie without a white lead (no one told that to Black Panther, though))) so that the audiences will flock to the theaters and make the film a hit. But Ghost in the Shell flopped, so that proves the lie there.
And then there's the fact that The Major, before she was The Major, was a Japanese woman. That woman was abducted during a raid, and her consciousness was installed into a cybernetic body. THEY LITERALLY TOOK AN ASIAN CHARACTER AND PAINTED HER OVER WITH A WHITE WOMAN'S BODY! And do we ever get to see the actress that plays Motoko Kusanagi? No. Not really. At least in Netflix's Altered Carbon (2018), we get to see extended scenes of Takeshi Kovacs in his original body: a whole episode, in fact. Ghost in the Shell acknowledges that Motoko was Asian, but never allows an Asian actress to portray the character in any meaningful way.
"But wait, Jordan, transhumanism is a cyberpunk thing!" you are likely yelling at your screen, hoping I will hear it. But I don't. But I have anticipated your protestations. Yes, transhumanism is a cyberpunk thing. Transferring the consciousness of a human, against their will, into a robot body and making them a tool of the state is definitely a cyberpunk thing. An argument can be made that you could lean into how offensive it is to steal a person of color's identity and thrust them into a white body (again, a thing that Altered Carbon actively wrestles with), but Ghost in the Shell doesn't even want to touch that with a ten foot pole. One of the most interesting themes the film could have explored winds up being the most shocking reminders of how lazy this adaptation is.
Representation is important, and this movie rather callously, and without good reason, robs an actress of color a major shot at representation.
But.
Why is she in this movie? Scarlett Johansson is playing a beloved Japanese character. And, if you hadn't noticed, she's a white woman. The thing that upsets so many people about this is the fact that Hollywood wants to trade on an influential Japanese IP, but won't commit to hiring an Asian lead actress. The argument seems to always be that movies like this need a star to anchor them (read: a white star (because Hollywood thinks white people won't see a movie without a white lead (no one told that to Black Panther, though))) so that the audiences will flock to the theaters and make the film a hit. But Ghost in the Shell flopped, so that proves the lie there.
And then there's the fact that The Major, before she was The Major, was a Japanese woman. That woman was abducted during a raid, and her consciousness was installed into a cybernetic body. THEY LITERALLY TOOK AN ASIAN CHARACTER AND PAINTED HER OVER WITH A WHITE WOMAN'S BODY! And do we ever get to see the actress that plays Motoko Kusanagi? No. Not really. At least in Netflix's Altered Carbon (2018), we get to see extended scenes of Takeshi Kovacs in his original body: a whole episode, in fact. Ghost in the Shell acknowledges that Motoko was Asian, but never allows an Asian actress to portray the character in any meaningful way.
"But wait, Jordan, transhumanism is a cyberpunk thing!" you are likely yelling at your screen, hoping I will hear it. But I don't. But I have anticipated your protestations. Yes, transhumanism is a cyberpunk thing. Transferring the consciousness of a human, against their will, into a robot body and making them a tool of the state is definitely a cyberpunk thing. An argument can be made that you could lean into how offensive it is to steal a person of color's identity and thrust them into a white body (again, a thing that Altered Carbon actively wrestles with), but Ghost in the Shell doesn't even want to touch that with a ten foot pole. One of the most interesting themes the film could have explored winds up being the most shocking reminders of how lazy this adaptation is.
Representation is important, and this movie rather callously, and without good reason, robs an actress of color a major shot at representation.
VI. Beat Takeshi
Beat Takeshi is a bad ass. Watching him waste a bunch of superior foes with a six-shooter, dumping his spent shell casings on their bodies, and saying, with maximum action pomp, "Never send a rabbit to hunt a fox," is legitimately awesome. It's too bad the movie wasn't more invested in having that kind of fun the entire time.
VII. Should You Watch It?
I picked up the anime and will retroactively add it to my December watch list, just to have a proper point of comparison.
Miscellany
- For the Japanese dub of the film, the original voice actors from the anime reprised their roles.- For his part, Mamoru Oshii, director of the original 1995 anime film, was not bothered by Johansson's casting. He even said that she was "the best possible casting."
- The bartender at the yakuza bar has a robotic arm and is a reference to a character (Ratz) from William Gibson's seminal cyberpunk novel, Nueromancer.
- The Major's name, Mira Killian, is a play on the word, "miracle," as The Major is seen as a miracle of modern technology and human evolution.
- An official soundtrack of the film's score was slated for release, but was cancelled. No one has ever explained why the release of the score was cancelled. Fans of the score petitioned to get it released to no avail. As a New Year's Eve gift, composer Lorne Balfi released 18 studio-quality tracks on his Twitter as a thank you to fans.
- The film had a budget of $110 million and garnered a worldwide gross of about $170 million. This film opened in third place to Beauty and the Beast (2017) and, embarrassingly, Boss Baby (2017).
Comments
Post a Comment