Ghost in the Shell

Seems the best stuff got lost in translation.

The characters in this movie just repeat themes and explain plot points to each other, all in the same flat, droning monotone.

This is an exciting, fun, futuristic thriller that, like its main character, has a probing mind. It will make you think.

Ghost in the Shell feels hollow nonetheless, due in large part to its overreliance on standard Hollywood tropes.

Johansson emanates a dogged vulnerability that's supremely human.

Sadly, as the plot proceeds, Sanders begins to duck ... bothersome concepts. He picks a more sentimental path, which leads Major, following the example of Jason Bourne, on a quest to discover who she truly is.

Unlike in the anime, this version of the Major is more of a renegade than a leader and cares far more about herself than her teammates. She spends a large chunk of the movie pitying herself.

Overall, Ghost in the Shell pales in comparison to the 1995 film by lacking a cohesive, well developed plot, substantive themes and a captivating pace.

The presentation has been shaped to Hollywood specifications and robbed of its potential uniqueness, insight, or innovation.

Although the density of the source is lost among so many action sequences, the provocative ideas and the philosophical substrate of Masamune Shirow's work continue to inhabit the background of the film [Full review in Spanish]