The ultimate question this film challenges us with is what it means to be human, as this is the existential crisis that Kusanagi faces. It had a pretty good build-up and the story got more and more philosophical and had a good plot-twist. The mood throughout the film was melancholy but it was suitable for the theme. I was really sad for the poor guys that were ghost-hacked, especially when they told them that the memories they had were not real but were actually just implanted and there was almost nothing they could do. They traced down the source and a couple of suspects but sadly they were ghost-hacked as well. Shortly after ‘The Puppetmaster’ made his appearance, he ghost-hacked the Foreign Minister’s interpreter via telephone connection to perform assassinations. Also, the Kusanagi creation scene featured some wicked stuff as it felt like a ritual it made my hair stand on end. The intro gave a good insight into the Ghost in the Shell’s world and what to expect. The first half of the film is mostly a cop-criminal chase, dropping some hints here and there. From the get-go, I was already intrigued. It takes place in New Port city (a fictional city resembling Hong-Kong) and develops mostly around Kusanagi and her team, more specifically the second-in-command Batou, and Togusa. The tricky points are mostly in halfway of the film.

The story has a splendid pace, and I was in awe from the first minute. Major Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg agent working for the government, and her team have been given the assignment to track down the notorious hacker known as ‘The Puppetmaster’ and uncover his plans. Even the brain could be replaced with a cyber-brain with the ability to gain access to the Internet and different networks. In the year 2029, advances in cybernetic technology allowed people to replace body parts and organs for robotic ones. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest anime films of all time and was the start of a tremendous series. Apart from the classic cop vs criminal part, it covers many philosophical questions about humanity and individuality. But all this technology, all this computerization, does it leave anything ‘human’? Ghost in the Shell is a futuristic, psychological, cyberpunk film directed by Mamoru Oshii and based on the manga of the same name by Masamune Shirow. The story is set in a world where humans, cyborgs, and machines co-exist. What makes us human? Is it flesh and bones? Is it the soul? Is it just intelligence? What truly defines a person? Ghost in the Shell is about these questions and more. Warning: this review may contain spoilers

Ghost in the shell 1995 movie