Ghost In The Shell 2 - Innocence (DVD)

...
[Sequel]
of Ghost in the Shell 1

[Story]
It is the year 2032, and the world has changed to one inhabited by humans, androids and cyborgs. The detective Batou (voiced by Akio Ohtsuka) is a cyborg - almost all of him is articifial - his humanity is defined by only traces of his brain in his titanium skull and by his memories of Motoko Kusanagi, who was Batou's partner in the police force and disappeared in the Ghost ...
...I have also seen ghost in the shell 1, and thought Innocence was better (although I saw that after Innocence and on the laptop, so might not be a fair comparison with Innocence which I saw in the cinema). I am sure many people will disagree with me on this opinion... I think the general opinion is that the first film had a better storyline, and the second was better animated. It is up to you to decide.

The characters are well developed, ... more

[Director; writer]
Mamoru Oshii

[Starring]
Akio Ohtsuka as Batou
Atsuko Tanaka as Motoko Kusanagi

[Sequel]
of Ghost in the Shell 1

[Story]
It is the year 2032, and the world has changed to one inhabited by humans, androids and cyborgs. The detective Batou (voiced by Akio Ohtsuka) is a cyborg - almost all of him is articifial - his humanity is defined by only traces of his brain in his titanium skull and by his memories of Motoko Kusanagi, who was Batou's partner in the police force and disappeared in the Ghost in the Shell (the first film).

Batou is investigating the murders of 8 men, who seemed to have been killed by their sex androids, or gynoids. The company LOCUS SOLUS who made these gynoids appears to have broken the law as they have infused a 'ghost' into each of the dolls, making them more desirable to their customers. Due to these ghosts in the gynoids, they have turned into killers. Through Batou's investigations, we come to know where these ghosts come from, and witness a reunion of Batou and Motoko.

[Music]
The music of this film is to be highly recommended. Kenji Kawai composed the score for the film, and it is a wonderful mix of Japanese and Chinese classical and operatic music. It has a taste of the future in the music, although not without fusion of the past. I thought it had a taste of folk music at parts. It complements the film perfectly, and scenes with spanning camera angles over beautifully CG scenery of Chinese and Western fusion (e.g. in the scene of the Doll House), along with the music, is just perfect. These are the scenes that will stick with you. I think the music just added so much into the film.

[Graphics]
The graphics were amazing. There were times I was so sucked into the film that I thought those places could be real. CG has really come a long way. The graphics were special in the sense that the film didn't seem CG'ed (not like Shrek - now the whole of that film is just CG'ed quite obviously). The characters were anime (2D), the scenery was also anime, but added to the scenery (and not to the characters) was that element of CG which added to the style of the film. This is a great fusion between 2D and 3D - of course, we are still talking about anime here, and I certainly wouldn't like it as much if the whole thing was animated completely in 3D.

[Thoughts]
This film is just wonderful and is one of my favourites. I have also seen ghost in the shell 1, and thought Innocence was better (although I saw that after Innocence and on the laptop, so might not be a fair comparison with Innocence which I saw in the cinema). I am sure many people will disagree with me on this opinion... I think the general opinion is that the first film had a better storyline, and the second was better animated. It is up to you to decide.

The characters are well developed, and those who watched the first film will welcome the return of Motoko. She is still as cool as always and one wonders who/what she actually is after the film... Batou's dog has to be the cutest character in the film - he really brings out the humanity in the cyborg that is Batou.

There is a lot of philosophy in this film - the merging of reality and imagination, as shown in the Doll House. Batou and his partner Togusa were unaware that they were stuck there - and the film questions how acute are our own senses in perceiving between reality and imagination, especially now that we have advancing technology and virtual reality. Another notable philosophical topic will be the classic AI question - can AI have ghosts? Are ghosts a property reserved for humans? Is it OK for us to make Ai as human as possible, but not thinking about the consequences to the AI when they are made? The film addresses these questions, and you will come out of the cinema / switch off your TV, still thinking about the film and the thoughts that it has provoked in you.

Innocence is not your average anime film. It has philosophy and a really gripping storyline. It makes you think and I love this sort of film. 

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