Rupert Sanders' Ghost in the Shell surprised me by having more depth than most of its femme bot competition. Accused of racism because of its casting of Scarlett Johansson in the lead and an under performer at the till, the film is a lost critical cause that has eye popping visuals and character development. Producer Avi Arad's commitment to the project has paid off with a futuristic Tokyo that sparkles with color and detail. Mr. Sanders gets finely etched turns from Pilou Asbaek, Michael Pitt, Chin Han and Takeshi Kitano who, blessedly, speaks mostly Japanese. Johansson nicely underplays the lead who (mostly) spurns carnage to find her true identity. A difficult task in a society that is able to brand one's identity through media. Sanders is able to inject some Cronenbergian notes on the interface between devices and human forms.
However, the film is largely mindless piffle. Juliette Binoche is wasted giving Ms. Johansson physical rehabilitation and bad advice. The villain, a suitably clenched Peter Ferdinando, is reduced to moving a giant spider on a virtual reality chess board. Sanders handles the character interactions better than the violence. Ghost in the Shell succeeds more as a mournful character study than an action flick. (1/22/18)
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