Ghost in the Shell

1996 • 82 minutes

About this movie

In the year 2029, the world has become interconnected by a vast electronic network that permeates every aspect of life. That same network also becomes a battelfield for Tokyo's Section Nine security force, which has been charged with apprehending the master hacker known only as the Puppet Master. Spearheading the investigation is Major Motoko Kusanagi, who - like many in her department - is a cyborg officer, far more powerful than her human appearance would suggest. And yet as the Puppet Master, who is even capable of hacking human minds, leaves a trail of victims robbed of their memories. Motoko begins to ponder the very nature of her existence: is she purely an artificial construct, or is there more? What, exactly, is the "ghost" - her essence - in her cybernetic "shell"?

Ratings and reviews

The movie itself is great. It's like the Ship of Theseus but with our bodies: if we gradually replace our body parts with robot parts, when do we stop being ourselves? Moreover, if our arms, legs and torsos are artificial, how can we know our brains are not? And does it matter? The central theme seems to be this last question: can a sufficiently advanced artificial intelligence be called alive? The movie offers three view points: the protagonist, Major Motoko Kusanagi, hints that she believes artificial intelligence is not truly alive. At the very least, she is clearly troubled by the possibility that she is fully mechanical and not organic. She has two foils: one is Batou, a half-cyborg soldier, who argues that the distinction is meaningless and the question is moot. The other is the Puppet Master, a shadowy hacker, who argues artificial intelligence is as deserving of the status of being "alive" as any human intelligence. Anyway, I love this film and I would give it five stars if not for the bad subtitle situation. Mainly, their timing is all wonky. It's unfortunate that google play has us choose between a horrid dub and these wonky subtitles.

Very Intricate and engaging futuristic sci-fi vibe. Plus, there's not just one part. Luckily there are multiple episodes and parts to this story.

The movie itself is good but the subtitles suck. They are awfully located and hard to read