Ghost in the Shell film might be the most disappointing live-action reboot ever
Found on Ars Technica on Friday, 31 March 2017
The producers of this week's new Ghost in the Shell film must really believe nobody has seen its source material. That's the only way to enjoy this live-action reboot: oblivious to 1995's original anime film or its manga comic-book precursor.
Every bit of social commentary and science-fiction mystique that made the Japanese film and books so stunning has been wrung dry. Respect for the viewer goes into the garbage, replaced by an obnoxious, paint-by-numbers plot of good versus evil.
But this live-action reboot doesn't just miss the subtle interactions, buried beneath the basic-plot surface, that made the original such a remarkable film. It also nukes the entire plot structure.
That was more or less clear at the moment the live action remake was announced. First, remakes are very rarely at the same level as the original, and even more rarely better; and currently, the entertainment industry is recycling comics because of a lack of new and good ideas. Instead it is only good versus evil with a simple black and white plot, as if they want to avoid putting in something subtle that might challenge the viewer's mind. Just another example that the big media industry is going downhill fast while being fully aware of it.