To continue the Sci-Fi trend of recent movie reviews, this week’s review is 1995 film adaption of Masamune Shirow’s Manga Ghost in the Shell. This franchise may well become more well-known in the coming years as Scarlett Johansson is due to star in a live-action remake.

The story focuses on Kusanagi Motoko (the Major), leader of an elite special forces team tasked with thwarting cyber-terrorism. In the film, they have the goal of tracking down “The Puppet Master” a mysterious hacker responsible some high-profile diplomatic assignations through brain hacking attendants and bystanders. The film being set in a future were the majority of people have some kind of cybernetic implant, and in the case of the Major being just a brain implanted a full cybernetic body.

Bearing in mind the film came out in the mid-1990s, it’s remarkably how prescient it is on a number of today’s hot topics such as government surveillance via internet technology and the dangers of AI.

I also particularly enjoy the Major’s character. At this time (and still somewhat today) it’s usual to see a female lead in such role. She is also quite unlike traditional action stars, introverted and often brooding on complex existential questions.

While GITS is a cult favorite, it does have some dictators. I think this is largely due to a plot that can be rather obtuse on first viewing and the dialogue that does get rather philosophical at times. I found the film improves significant with re-watching and I actually quite enjoy the shifts in tone from all out action to angst-ridden self-reflection.

I’d say a good way to approach the film for the first time is to either check out the manga first or reading a synopsis online. Just bear in mind the comic has a much more irreverent tone than film. It’s definitely worth checking out and I’d recommend watching it with the Japanese audio and subtitles.

The second feature length film from Spike Jonze (his first being the excellent Being John Malkovich). Set in the not too distant future, Her’s protagonist (played by Joaquin Phoenix), divorced and emotionally disconnected, installs a new “OS” and gradually falls in love with the AI (excellently voiced by Scarlett Johansson).

Being a bit of a sci-fi buff, I was keen to check out this film and I was not disappointed. While far-fetched, the plot works extremely well, it really feels like Spike Jonze (who also draft the script) thought through the story and visuals for the film long before making it.

I find his treatment of the AI theme particularly interesting as well. Generally, films that have anything to do with AI treat the subject very seriously and the setting has an apocalyptic atmosphere (think Blade Runner or that rather unrated Tom Cruise movie Oblivion). Here the setting is sunny and beautiful for the most part, it appears to have been filmed in LA and Shanghai, and the tone has more in common with a romantic comedy than the Terminator.

At more than two hours it is a long film, but I found it captivating from start to finish. Brilliant executed and I should appeal to a large audience.