Review by Leonard Norwitz
Studio:
Theatrical: Production I.G.
Blu-ray: Kodansha, Bandai Visual / Manga Entertainment
Disc:
Region: FREE
Runtime: 83 minu
Chapters: 15
Size: 4 discs
Case: Three Standard Blu-ray cases in sturdy slipcover
Release date: December 19, 2008
Video:
Aspect ratio: 1.72:1
Resolution: 1080p
Video codec: AVC
Audio:
Japanese Dolby TrueHD 6.1. Japanese PCM 2.0
Subtitles:
Feature: Japanese, English. Bonus: None
Extras:
• Theatrical Trailer in HD (0:52)
• Promotional Trailer in HD (0:42)
• Disc 2: Ghost in the Shell (1995) on Blu-ray
• Disc 3: CD of music from the soundtrack (newly recorded)
• Disc 4: Reborn: The Making of Ghost in the Shell 2.0
(42:43)
• 24-page high gloss booklet
The Film:
7
Ghost in the Shell, a story set in 2029 about cyber-terror
and a special unit to fight it, began life as a manga by
Masamune Shirow, first published in 1989. In Mamoru Oshii's
imaginative hands, the manga became a feature film in 1995.
Kenji Kamiyama developed the concept into a popular
television series (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex),
starting in 2002. A second season (2nd GIG) finished airing
four years ago. The feature film has since spawned two
sequels: the first,
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence in 2004,
was also directed by Oshii.
Ghost in the Shell: Solid State
Society in 2006 was directed by Kenji Kamiyama. Ghost in the
Shell S.A.C. - The Laughing Man in 2006 is an OVA version of
the original TV series. The feature films (excepting
Laughing Man) and TV series have independent time lines.
So what's up with Ghost in the Shell 2.0? (an unfortunate
title considering the existence of Ghost in the Shell 2:
Innocence, which was better off without the "2" in the first
place.) The promotional materials declare: This is not a
remake. This is not a remix. This is another "G.I.S." It's a
"2.0" I, for one, am not convinced. Nonetheless, it is a
fascinating experiment, one that time and repeated viewings
will offer the perspective needed to judge.
Though I feel the movie has problems with consistency, my
feeling about the film is relatively positive – very much so
as for the new audio mix. But after watching just the
opening few minutes, I was convinced that purists wouldn't
care for it much. In preparation for this review I scanned a
couple of blogs and, sure enough, suspicions confirmed. To
take one example, while Todd Brown at Twitch had good things
to say about it, all eight of the comments were agin' it.
Devotees of the movie and the TV series will almost
certainly not be happy with two things about the new film:
it moves away from traditional manga semi-static drawings
and into 3-D CG animation. And it does this inconsistently.
The script seems more or less identical, as does the
scenario. Some of its scenes have been dramatically
reworked, many have not. The overall color scheme has been
shifted from blue to gold, and the overall impression is
than it is less drawn, more filmlike . Master shots permit
considerably more space, while most of the frames that
follow are cropped into the cell.
One striking difference is that, instead of the sparkling
clarity that informs the original, the image is often seen
through a dirty glass, reflecting Oshii's feeling about the
story, it's time and place. 2.0 is darker, grittier. And,
not unlike Blade Runner, it is also more beautiful.
Dimensionality is always more palpable: Sometimes this is
rendered with great subtlety, adding light to middle and
background planes; other times the layered effect is
stunning. The Major herself has been dramatically reworked:
She is more fluid, flexible, more human, if you will: she
appears to be her shell, rather than wearing it. When she
tears herself apart in an effort to obtain entrance to an
armored vehicle, the effect is heartbreaking in a way that
the original, for all its explicit horror, only suggested.
Image:
6/8
The first number indicates a relative level of excellence
compared to other Blu-ray video discs on a ten-point scale.
The second number places this image along the full range of
DVD and Blu-ray discs.
Very little of the film has been entirely reanimated, a good
deal of it feels more or less untouched (but isn't). The
color palette change from cool blues to warm golds and
bronze is dramatic. There is at times a considerable amount
of deliberate blowing out of the image, while in other
scenes, only a suggestion of shadow detail. The dynamic
range is greater than in the original film, which has more
consistent contrast.
There are many frames that a side-by-side comparison would
come down in favor of the original, if clarity of image was
the intention – which it was then, and, for dramatic
reasons, isn't now. On the other hand, there are fewer
instances of edge enhancement on 2.0, though, sadly, some
still persists. There is less noise - a cynical view of this
might be that the new darkness simply serves to hide the
pervasive noise that the original movie displays, as for
instance at the movie's start, during the slow pan across
the sky from the radar screens to the Major.
I offer a number of paired frames, using the Japanese
Blu-ray edition of the original movie, included with this
box set. While it was not always possible, I made every
effort to locate the precise analogous frame on 2.0. I think
you'll get the point quickly. The aspect ratio is less
rectangular (I measured it at 1.72:1 as compared to 1.83:1
for the original.) Yet the image is not expanded vertically
– that is, there is no more information. Quite the contrary.
I also referenced both the original Japanese DVD and the
most recent U.S. edition. I offer one comparative pairing
which is representative and fairly consistent throughout:
the U.S. version has deeper blacks and snappier contrast,
while the Japanese is flatter but with more gradations of
color, especially as to what might be called skin tones.
Original Blu-ray
(included in the set) LEFT vs. new 2.0
Blu-ray Rendition
RIGHT
Original Blu-ray
(included in the set) LEFT vs. new 2.0
Blu-ray Rendition
RIGHT
Original Blu-ray
(included in the set) LEFT vs. new 2.0
Blu-ray Rendition
RIGHT
Original Blu-ray
(included in the set) LEFT vs. new 2.0
Blu-ray Rendition
RIGHT
Original Blu-ray
(included in the set) LEFT vs. new 2.0
Blu-ray Rendition
RIGHT
Original Blu-ray
(included in the set) LEFT vs. new 2.0
Blu-ray Rendition
RIGHT
US DVD vs. R2 DVD
Original Blu-ray
(included in the set) LEFT vs. new 2.0
Blu-ray Rendition
RIGHT
Original Blu-ray
(included in the set) LEFT vs. new 2.0
Blu-ray Rendition
RIGHT
Original Blu-ray
(included in the set) LEFT vs. new 2.0
Blu-ray Rendition
RIGHT
Original Blu-ray
(included in the set) LEFT vs. new 2.0
Blu-ray Rendition
RIGHT
Original Blu-ray
(included in the set) LEFT vs. new 2.0
Blu-ray Rendition
RIGHT
Original Blu-ray
(included in the set) LEFT vs. new 2.0
Blu-ray Rendition
RIGHT
Original Blu-ray
(included in the set) LEFT vs. new 2.0
Blu-ray Rendition
RIGHT
Original Blu-ray
(included in the set) LEFT vs. new 2.0
Blu-ray Rendition
RIGHT
Audio & Music:
8/9
The audio mix has been expanded to 6.1 (from 2.0) in Dolby
TrueHD. Note that Manga's U.S. 2-disc Special Edition DVD of
the original film was offered in Japanese 6.1 DTS-ES as well
an English dub in 6.1. There is no English dub for the 2.0
Blu-ray. The original mix was uncompressed PCM, so you would
expect the main difference to be in the surrounds which
would come into play with some frequency. The surrounds are
here more for immersion and atmospherics than directionality
and, as such, are most effective. I found the original
soundtrack both thin and harsh, especially in the effects
and music. This has been corrected completely: the gunfire
is more realistic and the music far less mechanical. The
music under (or over) the titles is probably rerecorded, so
completely persuasive it is. Gone are those harsh gunfire
attacks - in their place, subtle helicopter effects and
awesome bass and silky trebles in the music. The music in
general is most subtly and effectively used throughout,
nicely supporting the new CG. Finally the entire dialogue
mix has been reconsidered for a more realistic impression of
internalized and externalized conversation. The resultant
mix compares more closely with Innocence, which is benchmark
for anime.
Operations:
7
The menu is in Japanese and English and easily understood,
unless you are bewildered by the chapter titles, which only
make sense if you're acquainted with the story and
background.
Extras:
6
On the feature film disc there are two brief trailers in HD.
In the third snapcase there are two discs: first, a mere
20-minute CD of 9 newly recorded tracks. I observed deeper
bass and more natural treble extension. Also included are
some meditative remarks by the Major and Batou that somehow
become a part of the musical fabric. The other disc is
Blu-ray and contains a single forty minute featurette about
the making of GITS 2.0. It is not subtitled, but is not all
that difficult to make some sense of if you know the
original film – which you will, or why would you be buying
this?
Bottom line:
If you're an anime enthusiast, prices like what is being
asked for this set should come as no surprise. I've seen
their like on Japanese DVD editions of television series.
Despite my reservations about the 2.0 version of Ghost in
the Shell (which might change in time), I have no regrets
about the purchase. It is a fascinating and absorbing
adventure to explore the thinking of this most fascinating
director. But beyond the question of what we see is the no
small matter of what we hear. And in this respect 2.0 is
most remarkably improved – not merely different.
Leonard Norwitz
January 3rd, 2009
