Premise Research: Ghost In The Shell Film Review

 Today I watched the 1995 Japanese animation, Ghost In The Shell. The film is set in a 2029 Japan and follows the character Motoko Kusanagi an augmented-cybernetic human who works for the anti-cybercrime department, known as section 9. The anti crime unit is investigating a case which involves a mysterious entity known as the Puppet Master and they try to uncover their motive and person/s behind it. 

The film opens with the audience hearing muffled bits of information before the camera pans down and presents the character. As the camera works its way closer to the character, the muffled voices become more clear. By doing this it establishes the most important part of the film, the character, before presenting information which hints at the purpose of this characters place in the world. The information is confusing to the audience as they are yet to find out what is going on in the world, much like the character herself, who is new to the case and is trying to unwind its mystery. As the audience and character are at the  same point in terms of information, it allows the story to present itself so that both parties learn the information together. 

I especially like the location in which the opening shot takes place, on  a rooftop overlooking the city. I like this as the audience can clearly see this is a world different to their own and by having the character up high you can establish the scope of the city which surrounds her. 

The film presents the flaw in which humanity has when it comes to technology and does this throught the inclusion of section 9 and The Puppet Master. 

The Puppet master enters peoples minds and forces them to carry out his actions. This is unknown for the greater part of the film until it is found out that The Puppet Master is a rogue spy program which was developed by the government in order to gain private information. Upon the government using the program,  The Puppet Master gained a conscious after being exposed to an overwhelming amount of information and was able to be set free. 

The film uses the idea that conflict develops human history and can be seen multiples times throughout the film in different instances. The more obvious interpretation of this is humans vs technology and is presented to the audience throught Motoko's (human conscious) conflict with the puppet master (robot), which ends with them merging to create a new being. The two merge after realising that they both have what the other needs. 

The realization by the end of the film is that both factors are depended on the other in order to thrive. This is explored throughout the film with a good example being at the beginning exchange between the characters Motoko and Togusa. When asking why he was picked for the team, Motoko responds "There is always more than one way to view a situation" and that "Overspecialise and you breathe in weakness". This is due to predictability, something Togusa does not have as he is a human who has the free will to make decisions of his own based on factors more than a 1 or 0. He is a family man and has a ranking of a cop, which play into this idea as he has a different outlook on life. This need for someone who is referred to as a rookie cop, explains the importance of this idea as Motoko is seen as a specialised ghost who is able to successfully complete the tasks handed to her. However she believes that this is not solely due to her own skills, but those around her who help influence the outcome of a case. 

I was surprised to find that the film was only 120 minutes, however I feel like this played to the films favour. It was fast paced which worked well for the fight scenes and did not overstay its welcome. Concepts presented to the audience were done so in a way in which you felt intrigued to learn more and the want for answers led their to being a deeper response to the ideas the film was trying to convey. Due to the fast paced nature of the action scenes, it makes you appreciate the world more when their is no action taking place. My favourite parts of the film where the sections in which nothing took place and instead their are long shots of the world showing off those who inhabited it. Their was no dialogue, allowing you to focus on the information which drew you in and it was accompanied by intense music. I found from my research that the music was a traditional Japanese wedding chant and the music director chose it to "signify the marriage between man and machine".  This allowed the tone of the world to be felt by the audience, something which could only be conveyed by seeing rather than telling. 

Ghost in a shell raises the question on what it means to be human. When The Puppet Master is confronted by humans, he explains that;

"It can also be argued that DNA is an assigned programme designed to preserve itself. Life has become more complex in the overwhelming sea of information and life when organised as a species relies upon genes to be its memory system. So man is an individual only because of his intangible memory and memory cant be defined, but it also defines mankind. The advent of a computers and the sustainment accumulation of incalculable data has given rise to a new system of memory and thought, parallel to your own. Humanity has  underestimated the consequences of computerization". 

No one can prove what life is, so what makes man different from machine if they both the the ability to experience life. I like this way of thinking as it adds an additional layer to the cyberpunk genre as to what happens when technology is at a point in which it is independent from humans. 

Overall I feel like by investigating Ghost In The Shell, I have been able to identify the importance of how the cyberpunk genre impacts those who live within it. By researching about the anime it has opened my mind of the type of problems which can arise when machine is developed past human requirement. I like the more philosophical take Ghost In The Shell presents towards the genre and want to include this concept in my own work to create something just as compelling.