Film Review - Ghost in the Shell
March 30, 2017
The drive to bring “Ghost to the Shell” to the screen isn’t perplexing. What began life as a manga series graduated to a respected animated film adaptation in 1995, which launched its own universe of sequels and reimaginings. It’s juicy fantasyland material with velvety sci-fi edges, making it catnip for a director who’s skilled at bringing out rich futureworld detail to help backdrop an intimate saga of identity. Sadly, the producers landed on Rupert Sanders, a visual wizard but a storytelling snoozer, who’s already displayed his allergy to cinematic momentum in 2012’s inexplicably successful “Snow White and the Huntsman.” Sanders delivers urban sweep with “Ghost in the Shell,” and his command of design elements is appreciable. However, the feature is a leaden, bizarrely uneventful blockbuster that’s heavy with CGI and light on dramatic content, attempting to dazzle instead of engage, leaving it all cold to the touch. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com