Action takes place in near future. Year 2029. Technology has advanced to a point where we cannot distinguish a human being from a cyborg. And that is probably the main question of the whole movie. It tries to answer it the whole time. What is life? What do we consider life? What defines life and human beings? These are the questions asked by the great philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Sigmund Freud.
The way the questions are being answered is quite original and not too harsh for a casual viewer who can still enjoy the movie without straining his brain. Generally speaking - the plot. The development is really thrilling and unpredictable. It begins with a terrorist disarmament and a car chase. And ends up with an epic battle which shows us the limit of humans. What should and should not be done by us. What can we decide ourselves, and what is determined by something we will never understand. And it is not meant for us to understand.
Throughout the movie we get to see few episodes that are a combination of several landscapes of the city and an appropriate soundtrack. This builds up an excellent atmosphere. Makes us believe we are actually living in such a city where humans have advanced technology but are not living happily. This moots us another deep question. What is the purpose of technology? To make our lives easier? Then where is the limit to it when it only makes it more complicated? Haven't we already passed that limit?
So to speak, the plot is amazing, it has nice unexpected twists, action, atmosphere, dives down deep into human psychology and tries to answer philosophical questions asked since 600 B.C.
Art 9/10
I have to say I was really impressed. If we take into consideration the fact that the movie was made in 1995, it is outstanding. Probably the best art I have seen in such old anime movies. Character movements are really natural, I did not see flaws in there. But then again, I was too concentrated into the plot to catch a lot of details. The surroundings were detailed, but not perfect. I liked the views of the future cities. They were not too modern and polished like we imagine our future. It was realistic. Back alleys, thugs, trash old billboards. All of it created an amazing atmosphere where you can actually submerge into the world. All the action scenes were well drawn. The gun fights, car chases, etc. The background was not forgotten while concentrating on the rapid focal point like we see in many new animes. The nudity was done very well. It was not conspicuous. It was really subtle and pat. It is another detail that build up the atmosphere.
Sound 10/10
I really loved the songs. Especially the ones played during those scenes where we got to see the city imagery. The sound made me draw a parallel between the future world and prehistory. Meaning that we only advanced technologically but not morally and mentally. It is still the same world. And humans have not changed inside.
I have watched in the original Japanese Audio like everything else, therefore I will comment on the voice actors. I think they fitted characters well. I particularly liked the voices of Makoto and Bato, main characters. I don't know why but it kind of fortified their personality.
Character 8/10
Makoto was a very well designed character. Even though it seemed that she had a ghost, she seemed emotionless when she needed to be. A sharp-witted mind of her lets her complete missions flawlessly. I don't how are all the cyborgs in that world but she seemed to think quite deep while not working. The conversation with Bato on the boat showed her true self, and emotional and confused creature. She is questioning herself the purpose of life, her origins, adaptation into the society and if she is human enough. And the fact that she is actually questioning herself like that makes her a human being.
I am giving character development only 8/10 because it seemed that Makoto was the only one that was actually developing. All other characters were quite straightforward or pretty shallow. And Makoto herself was not a masterpiece.
Enjoyment 10/10
Now this is another part that Ghost in the Shell truly shines at. I really loved the way this movie tingled with my mind. This is not a movie that you can just sit back, relax and watch. It's an intelligent and complicated movie. And that is what I like. It might not be for everyone, especially the casual viewer. But even they will enjoy a movie as a pretty good Sci-Fi action thriller.
Overall 9.4/10
Ghost in the Shell. Probably the best Sci-fi anime there is. It also surpasses many live action movies, like Matrix. Yes, it does not have as much fighting scenes as other movies we see, but that's why it is great. Anime is deep. It asks us what life is and many other philosophical questions. But it missed something to be a masterpiece in my opinion. A longer plot would probably drag it to a 10.
