Name(s): Ghost in the Shell / Koukaku Kidoutai / 攻殻機動隊
Format: Movie
Studio(s): Production I.G
Related: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)

The original Ghost in the Shell (GitS) feels more like proof of concept than anything really exploratory. With a mere 80 minutes and a large portion of it needing to be spent on exposition and thrills, GitS only touches the surface of the themes that pervade the entire franchise.

It’s influential no doubt, but I’m not a machine so I don’t judge things off how they made other people at the time feel. Still, I love the Ghost in the Shell world, and it and all its characters are here as I recognize them, the atmosphere is possibly the best it’s ever been for the franchise, and it’s an entertaining tale while it lasts.

This may still be a good introduction to the franchise, but it’s the strong characters and worldbuilding that are at the heart of it, and we get little of those here relative to what came after, such as Stand Alone Complex, or even the movie’s sequel, Innocence.