Kôkaku kidôtai 2.0 (Ghost in the Shell 2.0) (2008)

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  May 10, 2009

  skactopus

  The great original Ghost in the Shell movie from Mamoru Oshii returns in 2.0 fashion.

  Story wise, this is the same 80 minute film. The difference comes in the presentation. Certain scenes are redone in CG format, while the rest of the film looks similar, but sharper.

  ... read moreThe 1995 film is not a prerequisite, however most of the people that watch this 2.0 version will be fans of the original.

  The story is futuristic and science fiction heavy, which makes it highly interesting. This is a plus because the pacing is slow to moderate. One of the minor flaws with the story is that a lot of attention is required to follow along with what is going on. Lines of dialogue can be highly technical, which is why it is necessary to not take this movie lightly.

  Earlier, I mentioned that certain scenes are redone in CG. This may disappoint some people because the difference is huge. There are scenes that are CG and then all of a sudden the next scene is typical animation, which isn't that bad to begin with. The fact that the CG scenes are gorgeous and based off of the original designs, is enough to forgive this switching flaw though.

  The characters have matching voices and this is always a plus when it comes to non live action films.

  Ghost in the Shell 2.0 is a classic science fiction animation that pays attention to detail in many aspects of the film. This makes it worthy of a watch.

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• 
  
  October 2, 2010

  Zibbs

  "If we all reacted the same way, we'd be predictable, and there's always more than one way to view a situation. What's true for the group is also true for the individual. It's simple: Overspecialize, and you breed in weakness. It's slow death."
  
  
  
  I have to say, I am a bit surpri... read moresed at how much I enjoyed this flick compared to the original (I started watching just to see how long I'd be interested, and I ended up watching the entire flick with cheer). While I acknowledged in my original "Ghost in the Shell" review that the film was a bit slow and heavy in exposition, the same ingredients are still present in this remastered/remixed/reedited version of the same flick. HOWEVER, the animation is MUCH more detailed and vibrant than the original; this is largely due to the new color schemes replacing the old, "cold" blue/green color scheme prevalent throughout most of the original flick with brighter lighting/color and more detailed "futuristic" technology (the green holograms get old real fast in the original). Concurrently, the added CG elements may seem somewhat offensive to fans of the original film, but they immensely contribute to the overall pace/vibe of the narrative; backgrounds/objects are MUCH more animated which allows viewers to actively pay attention more to what's going on screen (i.e., MTV generation approved). About the only complaint(s) I'd have with the picture are that the CG elements override some of the original artwork and that a particular voice-over performance (that I am personally fond of) during Project 2501's first monologue is altered slightly (ruining the hauntingly, awe-inspiring fascination with that specific scene).
  
  
  
  "Cells repeat the process of degeneration and regeneration until one day they die, obliterating an entire set of memory and information, only genes remain. Why continually repeat this cycle? Simply to survive by avoiding the weaknesses of an unchanging system."
  
  
  
  After watching this movie on Netflix, I went back and rewatched both 2.0 and the original "Ghost in the Shell" JUST to see what the differences were (which aren't too extreme). I commented above that the pacing seemed MUCH better than the original, but after timing the two concurrent films, there really is only about a 40 second difference in terms of the overall feature running time (2.0 is in fact longer than the original due to the credits, but the feature is significantly shorter). HOWEVER, if you add up all the 1-2 seconds of lingering/awkward moments throughout the film, it's easy to notice just how many scenes throughout the original film create an almost uncomfortable experience for first-time viewers (which is most likely why director Mamoru Oshii went back and remastered this cult film). Also (I'm not certain), but I believe there is quite a lot more SFX in the background of the narrative throughout the picture, which (if true) greatly enhances the depiction of the story.
  
  
  
  "Your effort to remain what you are is what limits you. "

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• 
  
  September 10, 2010

  anthony587

  Not a sequel, just a modified version of the original, and amazing, GitS. The original cell animation will always hold up, and looks great in HD. The added 3D animation just doesn't work. I'll stick with the original, fully cell animated version.

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