Editor Reviews:

Amazon.com essential video:
The skillful blending of drawn animation and computer-generated imagery excited anime fans when this science fiction mystery was released in 1995: many enthusiasts believe Ghost suggests what the future of anime will be, at least in the short term. The film is set in the not-too-distant future, when an unnamed government uses lifelike cyborgs or "enhanced" humans for undercover work. One of the key cyborgs is The Major, Motoko Kusanagi, who resembles a cross between The Terminator and a Playboy centerfold. She finds herself caught up in a tangled web of espionage and counterespionage as she searches for the mysterious superhacker known as "The Puppet Master."

Mamoru Oshii directs with a staccato rhythm, alternating sequences of rapid-fire action (car chases, gun battles, explosions) with static dialogue scenes that allow the characters to sort out the vaguely mystical and rather convoluted plot. Kusanagi's final quote from I Corinthians suggests that electronic evolution may compliment and eventually supplant organic evolution. The minor nudity, profanity, and considerable violence would earn Ghost in the Shell at least a PG rating. --Charles Solomon

Rating : - A film that transcends it's genre
I'm not usually a big fan of anime, sure, I was into it for a year or two but after that it wasn't a real draw. Revisiting Ghost in the Shell however, I was surprised to find that I actually liked it more than the first time around. Maybe it's because I can appreciate the philosophical and psychological ideas presented or maybe it's because I have a more experienced eye for what makes good cinematography.

Philosophically this definitely isn't the deepest examination of the concepts of self, sentience and life but it's very effective in the way it presents these questions and it doesn't try to hand you any answers in gift wrapping like many similar films.

From a cinematography and animation standpoint it certainly is one of the best of it's kind in the genre of anime and rivals many of the best western 2D and 3D animation in that sense. In particular, I think it's great edit, very effective music and superb camera shots shine so vividly.

However, I don't actually feel like the narrative of the story is particularly good, the pacing is okay but I never really felt like I identified with the characters--which I think is really important for this film--and I certainly didn't believe they could be real. I'm often a fan of movies leaving things wide open but this one didn't even feel like there was any ending, maybe it was just it's short length.

Ghost in the Shell is a shining example of an anime that I think transcended the genre, but I'm not sure I would really want to sit through it again.