Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)

Strong and Moving!

Don't listen to the negative reviews

It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Many reviewers make mistake by judging this movie with their limited human brains but this movie thinks forward about depicting future where Cyborgs can have access to all the worlds information in the blink of an eye. Therefore some reflections between characters can be sometimes quite hard to grasp if you don't have the basic philosophical, theological or historical knowledge. And even if you will not understand everything, the beatiful noir-ish hypnotic atmosphere with its georgeous art will swallow you anyway and you''ll come back to it finding something new each time watching it. I think, this movie is a timeless classic and the best movie Mamoru Oshii ever did, even surpassing the original.

As difficult as it obviously is to live up to the original, Innocence is a worthy successor to a masterpiece. This one was a little more cerebral and trippy than its predecessor, and features less of The Major (Motoko) than most other Ghost in the Shell entries, focusing on Bato, who does a great job of filling her shoes. Top notch animation and visual style again (the reflections on the windshield of the car, in an anime, oh my!) The more I watch the various different entries in the Ghost in the Shell series, the more I become convinced that this is IP should be a viable live action product here in the west, done properly, NOT the half-assed Scarlett Johanssen live action cash-out that disgraced the beloved name of the series. I wish Netflix or some great director would give this series some live action love... sigh...

Despite the critical and commercial success of Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell, an adaptation of the equally-popular manga by Masamune Shirow, it took a whole nine years for a sequel to arrive. Without Oshii's involvement, a spin-off series entitled Stand Alone Complex was launched, which satisfied fans despite having very little connection to the movie, but shared many of its themes of cyber-punk futurism, perilous technological advancements, and philosophical pondering. Oshii's sequel, Innocence, which picks up the story of the original some years later, was what the fans really wanted. But does it live up to the legacy left by Ghost in the Shell, a film now considered a classic of the sci-fi genre, animated or not? It's focus is slight, but the ambition remains lofty, however Innocence certainly cowers in the presence of its towering predecessor.Huge advancements in cybernetics now mean that the line between human and technology is more difficult to decipher than ever. Humans utilise robotics to increase their physical and mental potential, and your soul (or 'ghost') and memories can be downloaded, stored and transferred. Batou (voiced by Akio Otsuka), more cyborg than human, works for Section 9. One of his few memories is that of his former partner Major Motoko Kusanagi (Atsuko Tanaka), whose ghost disappeared into cyberspace at the end of the previous film. Now partnered with the mostly-human rookie Togusa (Koichi Yamadera), the bickering cops start to investigate a series of murders committed by malfunctioning gynoids, or sex bots. The trail leads them from the yakuza to a popular robot manufacturer, who provide a certain service for those with the money to pay for it.The plot is be relatively straight-forward and carries the tone of a buddy-cop noir for the most part, although there's an occasional detour into mind-f*****g 'ghost-hack' territory. But Oshii is less interested in the narrative driving Batou to get where he needs to be than the philosophical questions raised by this beautiful, terrifying future. The dialogue, which pulls quotes from various obscure philosophical texts, becomes increasingly difficult to keep up with, especially when the majority of the characters spend more time debating their place in the world than doing their actual job. And if you're watching with subtitles, like I did, then good luck to you. To compare it to The Matrix Reloaded may be somewhat harsh, as Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence boasts some stunning animation (a blend of hand-drawn and computer animation), and a collection of well-staged, bone-crunching action scenes. Some of the imagery is genuinely haunting, and it's in these moments that this sequel feels like it may live up to its predecessor.

It's been an extremely long time since I last laid my eyes on the awesome Ghost in the Shell, and while a sequel and an animated series have spawned a much wider universe, it is up until now that I've finally picked something up to continue where I left off. Written and directed by Mamoru Oshii, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence just about shows why Japanese Anime remains a cultural force to be reckoned with, boasting fantastic looking visuals, and a deeply engaging storyline that just begs to be watched multiple times in order to appreciate it.There's something keenly missing from this film though, and that's the presence of Major Kusanagi, who had disappeared at the end of the first film. I suppose it's a tremendous void to fill and thought she was primarily what was interesting as a character, and not to forget her prowess during action sequences, and this sense of loss gets translated wonderfully by Oshii into the character of Batou her cyborg sidekick, who becomes the protagonist we follow in Innocence. Being very much his story and his piece of investigations, together with new partner Togusa, we journey once again into the fictional Japanese city of New Port, which is modelled more after Hong Kong, and what more, Cantonese seems to be the order of the day as well in the finale action sequence.The main plot here involves the investigations into a series of gruesome murders by what would be illegally made sexbots known as gynoids, which have gone berserk, killing their principals before committing suicide. Made by the company Locus Solus, it brings Batou and Togusa up against the Yakusa as well, which provides for some crazy gun battle sequences, as they get close to the truth behind what these gynoid dolls seem to possess - a ghost - that demands attention to what goes on behind the scenes.And what is a Ghost in the Shell movie, or a Mamoru Oshii film, without a dabbling in philosophy that almost always boggles the mind and in some ways, bogged down the film unnecessarily. Some dialogue felt forced, especially when the two investigating partners address their testy relationship, with Togusa constantly doubting his own abilities, and trying hard to measure up against Kusanagi in being the perfect partner for Batou. They exchange sayings and philosophies as quoted in famous books, sayings and philosophers, and will probably pique your interest enough to find out more on your own, and their relevance to the context of the film.In addition, there's the usual talk about hacking, and an incredible sequence involving Batou's routine in an old supermarket involving revenge hacking and some good ol' slow-motion shoot-em-up, while giving us a first glimpse into Batou's oft-touted guardian angel which suggested the return of an iconic GITS character. And any GITS film will not be complete without the mind-numbing portions of the narrative, which involves repeated sequences with a dash of subtle changes that will keep your mind on its toes in deciphering the many layers or reality and fantasy that Inception did best in.A challenging film brought to another realm by music from Kenji Kawai, the visuals here are a mix of the traditional hand drawn, as well as computer generated CG and 3D, which I think will be gorgeous if transferred into the 3D picture format of today, a technology that has been used by lesser films to milk more money at the box office. They are extremely detailed, especially a phenomenal sequence involving an extended showpiece of a Taiwanese-inspired festival somewhere in the middle of the film that razzled and dazzled, presented together with a haunting piece of music that will make your hair stand on its end.