"Ghost in the Shell" to be made into live action film

[ClockworkCupcake]

Following on from my last post, I watched the 2017 film again tonight.

I have to say that it has improved enormously on 2nd viewing. Having the original in my mind far more than when I saw it at the cinema, I've found new appreciation for it and enjoyed it far more.

It's far from perfect, and the plot follows what is now a well trodden path, but I thought it was actually very good and captured far more of the original anime and manga than I had given it credit for.

I also noticed far more nods to the original than I had done the first time round too. Minor things like the Beagle.

Edited by ClockworkCupcake on Tuesday 19th September 09:58

[ClockworkCupcake]

Jonesy23 said:

I thought the live action film did a pretty good job of recreating the memorable bits of the animated version.

I never really rated the story in the film to begin with. Stand Alone Complex was always much more interesting.

I'd be inclined to agree. I was rather struck with how badly the 1995 anime had aged.

Mind you, SAC isn't without its faults. By the end of 1st Gig I was getting increasingly weary of the endless earnest exposition and never actually got round to buying 2nd Gig. Maybe I should revisit it at some point.

entropy said:

Actors picked up their paycheck and cruised their performances

I thought the guy who played Batou did a really good job.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

This afternoon I watched the "making of" featurettes from the BluRay.

The director, and everyone involved, seem so very respectful of the source material. There were also more practical effects than I had realised.

They're worth watching if you haven't already.

Edited by Clockwork Cupcake on Sunday 29th October 16:26

[Clockwork Cupcake]

I missed this the first time, but just stumbled up on it now:

http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2017/03/31/ghost-in-the-sh...

Some interesting observations, although I don't share the negativity of it - I thought the live action film had some redeeming points.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

JagLover said:

Leaving aside this issue there was not enough of what makes this different to any other sci-fi thriller. More action scenes using the technology of this movie would have been welcome.

Thought as well the whole thing felt a bit rushed and the main story needed more time to properly develop.

That's the biggest issue that I have - they took a very rich and detailed source material and then ignored most of it and churned out a standard sci-fi thriller. It could have been so much more.

But then, on the other hand, it could have been so much worse. I get the impression that the people involved had respect and reverence for the source material, even if they couldn't fully translate it to the screen.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

Veeayt said:

But the spider tank sequence was ridiculous. It defined the original to me

I think someone earlier in the thread (who had only seen the film and didn't know the source material at all) summed that up pretty well - to paraphrase, they said they said that the spider tank seemed totally shoe-horned in and incongruous, and could only assume it was in the original and was put in for fans.

Who knows what meddling the studio had in that? Having the spider tank empty completely missed the whole point. Perhaps it wasn't originally, and it was changed by the studio so there could be a "bad guy show down" at the end. I certainly agree with you that what we saw on screen was ridiculous.

If you watch the bonus features on the DVD/BD it certainly seemed like everyone involved was really invested, but we all know that what makes it to the final cut is always a compromise.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

Clockwork Cupcake said:

This afternoon I watched the "making of" featurettes from the BluRay.

The director, and everyone involved, seem so very respectful of the source material. There were also more practical effects than I had realised.

They're worth watching if you haven't already.

Just watching this featurette again, and it's really clear how invested and respectful everyone was of the source material, to the point of holding it in awe, and trying so very hard to make it as faithful as they could.

So I just can't understand how they ended up with such a generic story in the final theatrical release of the film. Studio interference?