Solid State Society is an action movie, with not much action; a philosophical movie, with no philosophy; and a Ghost in the Shell movie, without any Ghost in the Shell spirit. Having said that, as a standalone film, it's not that bad. The problem lies in how much it attempts to capitalize on the original 1995 film and the Stand Alone Complex series. There are so many references and tons of imagery that it's borderline ridiculous how much this movie is trying to be the original. Even the villain and plot premise are similar. I'm not saying that the movie does any of these things badly, however, I am saying that it lacks in substance significantly compared to the original; thus, a lot of these allusions end up appearing as baseless.
That rant aside, in all fairness it's a good movie. I liked it more than the second season of Stand Alone Complex. It does a lot of things well. The action sequences are well-choreographed and directed. The music and graphical design and integrity are impeccable. The story is good enough for an action movie. It has a little bit of mystery, but it's not handled whatsoever like the first season of Stand Alone Complex. It's handled more... generically. It's less satisfying, is what I'm trying to say. I'm not gonna talk about the ending because I think it's stupid. The characters are whatever. For a sequel, they are what they need to be.
With such a mixed review, you're probably wondering if I recommend this or not. I'm forced to give a complicated answer. The TL;DR answer is "I gave it a 6, it must be 'fair.'" For a more honest recommendation, you need to know how I feel about the series as a whole, and as this will be my last review for the series, I guess I'll talk about it here. I'll just make a note first that I wrote reviews for everything that came before this movie already, so feel free to read those for context.
The Ghost in the Shell 1995 Movie is amazing. The first season of Stand Alone Complex I hold in similar regard. Both of those have my highest recommendation. Everyone and their mom should watch them. Below that, I have this movie. I did not enjoy the second season of Stand Alone Complex as much, but I would say: still watch it if you need more Ghost in the Shell. Don't expect anything like the first season or the movie, but it's still okay. Lastly, Innocence. Don't watch that. If you liked the second season, watch this movie. If you didn't like the second season, don't watch this movie as it will be just as disappointing. That's the long answer. Enjoy!
