Ghost in the Shell (2017)

When Ghost in the Shell, the live-action version of the 1995 Japanese anime film of the same name announced that its lead character would be played by Scarlett Johansson, there was some concern in the social media and regular entertainment media circles about having a white woman play what was traditionally a part played (or voiced) by a Japanese actress--which is where the term ’white-casting’ comes into play. And I could certainly understand the feeling, since there are plenty of superb Asian actresses (both in Hollywood and aboard) who could easily have played this part.

But the new Ghost in the Shell, directed by Rupert Sanders (who directed Snow White and the Huntsman), had chosen its actress. And Johansson is very good in the part of a dying woman who gains a second chance at life when her brain is placed within a sophisticated android body. But the corporation that performed the procedure is not working for free; they expect Johansson’s character to use her newfangled android body for them as a cop/assassin within a special police force. As if dealing with regular crime wasn’t enough, Johansson and her comrades come up against a terrifying hacker/terrorist who seems to know intimate details about her.

Sanders does a spectacular job at making this movie as visually stunning as possible, with large, 3-D advertising hovering over the city day and night, giving us plenty of eye candy that’s somewhat depressing when you realize that this type of in-your-face ads may well be in our future (look at New York’s Times Square, and downtown Tokyo, and it’s obvious that the age of intrusive advertising is practically here). And as I’ve noted before, in addition to the sharp visuals, Johansson’s performance is excellent, managing to create intricate layers of her character as she tries to peel back the layers of the mystery behind the film’s villain.

But where the new Ghost stumbles is in how it’s directed. The story is presented in a straight on, bloodless style that seems devoid of any emotion whatsoever. There’s no steady build up of suspense, there’s no real sense of fear during scenes that are supposed to be frightening--nor is there the sense of being caught up in the story. The new Ghost in the Shell isn’t a terrible movie, not by any means. It’s directed in a good, workman-like fashion by Sanders, and the visuals are pretty. But it lacks the spark and the sheer passion that a director like James Cameron or Peter Jackson would have brought to it. Scarlett Johansson’s good performance centers an otherwise off-kilter film, but the live action version is really a mere ghost compared to the far superior anime. --SF

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