This film just didn’t sit with me the way the original Ghost in the Shell or the anime did.
![ghost in the shell 1995 english cast ghost in the shell 1995 english cast](https://s.movieinsider.com/images/ytimg/tRkb1X9ovI4/mqdefault_m1487726217.jpg)
Beyond that, however, I felt a little underwhelmed. There was also a great sequence with Batou and Togusa that repeated itself no less than three times (with some slight variations) that played up that whole feeling of déjà vu in a very dream-like manner (much like how Inception tried to invoke everything we know about our own dreams). I was interested to see how the film managed to not include the iconic Major Kusanagi for most of the story, putting more focus on Batou’s own issues. After the Major left at the end of the first film, Batou and Togusa have had to manage Section 9 in her place. In Innocence, Section 9 has to investigate a string of suicides by female robots, or gynoids. It also carries on the puppetry motif from the first film, whose antagonist was the “Puppet Master,” while here actual puppets are employed. The sequel to the original 1995 film visually resembles the 2008 remake of that film: a blend of traditional anime style and obvious CGI. Part II: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence(2004) Copyright © 2004 by Masamune Shirow and Production I.G. It just didn’t thrill me the way Yoko Kanno‘s music did in the anime. As for what I didn’t like, I’d have to say it was the soundtrack. So what did I like most about the original film? It had a great story and I loved the opening title sequence depicting the creation and refinement of the Major’s synthetic body. I also watched the CGI-updated version, Ghost In The Shell 2.0, and while the added CG effects were good in and of themselves, they were still jarring with the rest of the traditional animation. Also, for anyone who’s watched the anime, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn does not voice Major Motoko Kusanagi in the English dub for this film (the voice actress here is Mimi Woods), but the rest of the cast remains unchanged. I will admit that I found the beginning and end very exciting, while the middle just plodded on for a bit. Copyright © 2008 by Masamune Shirow and Production I.G. Of course, just like with the Laughing Man of Stand Alone Complex, the truth behind the Puppet Master is far more complex, who’s only pointing out the real threat to Section 9. We’re introduced to Kusanagi, Batou, and the rest of Section 9 as they take on a ghost-hacker who calls himself “the Puppet Master.” What makes him such a threat is that he can implant false memories into people without them realizing it, turning them into tools to sow international chaos. Even so, the story is just as strong and, if anything, even darker than its successors. Since it was created in the Nineties, the animation of this film seems quite a bit different from what you might expect in the more recent films and anime.
![ghost in the shell 1995 english cast ghost in the shell 1995 english cast](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2017/03/10/zrotxhyyh3c8hfhdmkr9.jpg)
Part I: Ghost in the Shell (1995) Copyright © 1995 by Masamune Shirow and Production I.G. That said, I have caught up with some of the films of this franchise, so today you get a three-part rapid-fire review of the Ghost in the Shell film series. Of course, I’ll admit to being something of a Johnny-come-lately since my first glimpse wasn’t the original 1995 film, but rather the first anime series, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, which was followed by the second series, 2nd GIG, both of which I’ve already reviewed.
![ghost in the shell 1995 english cast ghost in the shell 1995 english cast](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71zTX9zy+HL.jpg)
It’s still amazing to me that I’ve become such a huge Ghost in the Shell fan over the past few months, what with its dark cyberpunk atmosphere, its awesome soundtrack, and its colorful cast.