Innocence: A First Impression
"Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence" opened in Tampa last night. This film far outdoes
the original, melding elements of classical Anime with the very best in digital
animation, with the same dark, weighty realism that so characterized the first film.
The added detail with the somewhat more involved storyline takes you deeper into the character of Batou, and fleshes out the memories of his relationship with the Major. In the first film, Batou appeared more like a cardboard foil for Kusanagi. Here, he begins to take on real depth as a character, especially in the interactions with his basset hound, the most authentic character in the film, and one who remains Batou's last connection to his humanity.
The film is visually stunning, and is quite simply the most beautiful Anime I have ever seen. Transcending the genre, this film could easily be compared to a modern science fiction or art film, and would hold its own.
Aside from some humorous exchanges with the yakuza, the deep philosophical headiness of the film is rarely lifted to allow time to breathe. Additionally, like the first, many long spanning scenes are devoted to painting a complete picture of the seemingly endless metropolis. If the city was oppressive in the first film, the skeletons of the even greater generic metropolis are an image straight from a William Gibson novel.
The characters retain their habit of quoting great works, and doing so extensively. They quote everything from Milton to Psalms for their purpose. At times, these frequent references slow the pace of the film, but supposedly, with externalized memory, one can reference the great works with ease. Sadly, this seems to be the only method these cyborgs have of expressing their inner thoughts.
The obsession in this film is with the doll, and the desire of humans to recreate themselves, and to immortalize their soul in an image of perfection. This point hangs over the film from the first scene to the last cut. In truth, the basset hound may in fact have more of a soul than the mechanized humans searching for proof of their own existence in a world of dolls and the skeletons of humans striving to immortalize themselves.
The added detail with the somewhat more involved storyline takes you deeper into the character of Batou, and fleshes out the memories of his relationship with the Major. In the first film, Batou appeared more like a cardboard foil for Kusanagi. Here, he begins to take on real depth as a character, especially in the interactions with his basset hound, the most authentic character in the film, and one who remains Batou's last connection to his humanity.
The film is visually stunning, and is quite simply the most beautiful Anime I have ever seen. Transcending the genre, this film could easily be compared to a modern science fiction or art film, and would hold its own.
Aside from some humorous exchanges with the yakuza, the deep philosophical headiness of the film is rarely lifted to allow time to breathe. Additionally, like the first, many long spanning scenes are devoted to painting a complete picture of the seemingly endless metropolis. If the city was oppressive in the first film, the skeletons of the even greater generic metropolis are an image straight from a William Gibson novel.
The characters retain their habit of quoting great works, and doing so extensively. They quote everything from Milton to Psalms for their purpose. At times, these frequent references slow the pace of the film, but supposedly, with externalized memory, one can reference the great works with ease. Sadly, this seems to be the only method these cyborgs have of expressing their inner thoughts.
The obsession in this film is with the doll, and the desire of humans to recreate themselves, and to immortalize their soul in an image of perfection. This point hangs over the film from the first scene to the last cut. In truth, the basset hound may in fact have more of a soul than the mechanized humans searching for proof of their own existence in a world of dolls and the skeletons of humans striving to immortalize themselves.
