STACK #153 Jul 2017

DVD&BD FEATURE

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Based on the manga – and 1995 anime film – of the same name, Ghost in the Shell stars Scarlett Johansson as Major, a cyber-enhanced human crime-fighter. And its technological advancements are all too prescient. Words Adam Colby

M asamune Shirow’s original Ghost in the Shell manga (Japanese comic) was first published in 1989, and went on to receive its inaugural animated film adaptation in 1995. 13 years later, producer Avi Arad pitched his own idea for a live-action adaptation of the film to none other than Steven Spielberg, but it was Rupert Sanders instead who signed on as director. Best known for his work on Snow White and the Huntsman , Sanders’ vision for the film was for it to be as close to the manga as possible. “I wanted to return to the original world of Ghost in the Shell,” he explains. “The visual language of the manga really caught my imagination, so I used many images from the original in that rough collage of the story. “We kept the Geisha as our opening sequence,” he notes. “We kept the trash truck. We kept some of the Hanka Corporation, and many, many little things that as a fan I was obsessed with.” Arad believes that the new interpretation of GitS will resonate with people around the world, regardless of their familiarity with the source material or past exposure to the film. He acknowledges the technological advancements and how they help to ground the film in what many predict to be humanity’s near future. “[What’s in the film is] not

optimistic outlook for us and our humanity. “Technology can’t just override the soul. Our self will still exist in some form. Major’s

about humanity’s eventual and inevitable augmentation. “Technology is already penetrating our lives in different ways. Here we are literally

Technology can't just override the soul. Our self will still exist in some form

character goes through a subtle metamorphosis, a process of understanding and coming to terms with whatever’s happened to her, the good and the bad. There’s a really strong message in that and I wanted to put it out there: whoever we are and whatever’s happened to us, that is what has forged us. That is our strength and that is our power.”

mixing man and machine together. But however little of Major’s original physical self is left, she is still profoundly

human. Rather than a story about fearing the future, it is a film about finding a way through a complicated future.” Sanders, however, has a more

a huge leap from what a smartphone, an advanced hearing aid or state-of-the art pacemaker can offer today,” observes Arad. “Technology to improve our physical well-being already exists in medicine. Amazing things are happening. But if world- changing technology falls into the wrong hands, it can cause a lot of destruction.” According to the producer, GiTS is ultimately a story

The film was shot primarily in New Zealand Margot Robbie was considered for the role of Major It was the first anime film to be released at the same time in the US and Japan When the original movie was released, it was the most expensive anime film ever made

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JULY 2017

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