Ghost in the Shell |  | Director: Mamoru Oshii
Actors: Atsuko Tanaka, Iemasa Kayumi, Richard Epcar, Akio Ôtsuka, Tamio Ôki
Studio: Palm Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $3.94
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Rating:  471 reviews
Format: Anamorphic, Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), Japanese (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 83 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: RKOD6355292D
ISBN: 6304493681
UPC: 780063552929
EAN: 9786304493687
Theatrical Release Date: March 29, 1996
Release Date: March 31, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial 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
Product Description
Studio: Starz/sphe Release Date: 02/23/1999 Run time: 120 minutes
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 471
 Awsome February 11, 2010
Turquise
If you haven't seen any Ghost in the Shell material watch this movie before anything. It was very good.
 Classic anime movie February 6, 2010
A. LAZIN
This is a must see for any anime fan. This is a movie of Shirow Masamune's manga masterpiece. I am not too found of the soundtrack though.
better sci fi from Japan January 28, 2010
R. Bagula (Lakeside, Ca United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
In animation and in sci fi Japan has been leading.
Here ideas about the mix of computers and humans in the future
leads to a new concept in intelligence.
The sexy cyborg secret police agent of the future
is a introspective woman who has a devoted partner.
They run into the super hacker who turns out to be
the product of a another government department's research.
The death and rebirth of these two becomes the end issue?
Robot cartoon October 22, 2009
Ásgrímur Hartmannsson (Vestmannaeyjar)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The DVD extras: making of, in japanese with subtitles, loads and loads of text information on various topics related to the feature, the feature trailer, and a rather caffeinated preview of other products from Manga-video.
The DVD has two languages: Japanese with subs being default, but the subs can be removed, or the film played with the english dub.
The film:
The protagonist is a cybernetic denizen of the uncanny valley who is working for the government looking for hackers. These are not the sort of hackers that invade company home-pages and replace them with random images, and turn out to be overweight 14 year old kids when they are caught. These have a much cooler evil scheme.
The story goes about in the future, which happens to be rusty and used up, but unlike so many live action cyberpunk films the sun does shine in this one. Which is how we can see the rust. Then the sun goes down sowe can see the neon. Can't have cyberpunk without neon. Or at the very least a creepy guy called Neo.
Creepy things happen, stuff blows up, there is spectacle.
In the oriental style, the film states its message and ends. That makes the film feel cut off at the end, but it actually said what it came to say, and didn't bother going into fireworks or other showmanship to do it. It is more of an idea movie than an action movie - on the bright side it is an amusing idea you may have considered yourself or seen it on Star Trek. In which case this can add something new, or just a different point of view. Afterwards you could watch the series. They are good, if different in many ways.
 Same merits and flaws as 'Akira' October 17, 2009
H. Jin (Melbourne, Australia)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I saw this film around the same time as 'Akira', and was struck by the similarity between the two. 'Ghost In The Shell' has a similar sci-fi/cyberpunk atmosphere, and features outstanding animation and artistic quality. But there is also the same sense of style overcoming substance, and the whole experience left me feeling a bit flat.
First off, the animation: it was some of the best of its time, with a seamless integration of hand-drawn and CG elements. The anime really succeeds at bringing to life this futuristic, AI-dominated world. Just a pity it couldn't make a story to go with it.
Like 'Akira', 'Ghost In The Shell' is a compression of a very long manga, and again it feels too rushed and sketchy to satisfy. Apparently the story was taken from the very first and very last part of the manga, meaning the film has a first and third act but not a second. It really does feel as if the movie jumps straight from the set-up to the conclusion without much substance in between. At under 90 minutes, this film simply cannot do justice to its very complex, detailed story.
In a similar vein, the characters are given little room for development; they're all cold, ruthless, determined types, and the heavy focus on the Major means the remaining members of Section 9 are given cameo roles at best. Why does the Major look so different from her manga appearance? And all that nudity is just distracting.....yes, we GOT the point the first time....they overdid that concept to the point of it being gratuitous.
It's probably better to view the various television series first, or even better, to read the manga. Both of these do a much better job of fleshing out the story, environment and characters of this world. The film makes far more sense as an extension or conclusion to these series than as a stand-alone piece.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 471
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