Ghost in the Shell

Simplified? Yes. Stupified? No! imho a beautifully crafted cyberpunk movie that while it does not reach to the levels of complexity of the original anime, it stand it's ground and deliver a great audiovisual experience with a story that is sophisticated enough to rise above most Hollywood movies today but not that much to alienate more mainstream viewers. This is greatly underrated because it had to stand in the unfair comparison of the anime. I don't believe it is possible to replicate animes so just go and see it for what it is. A great cyberpunk Hollywood production. It is rare for Hollywood to treat it's original material with respect while trying to simplify it to reach a bigger audience.

I won't go into the main plot. But I just say that if one has not any background related to the original manga japanese animated movie perhaps one can really enjoy this film afresh and see how awsome it is. Obviously because of the powerful original history, which is tranformed into a hollywood production quite well. As a proof, just compare this film, its plot, with any other Hollywood 100-200 million production, and you will see the risk they have taken to show this sci-fi history in a non-animated fashion, with incredible special effects and not losing the original track at all, although simplified.

The film plays like a six, in that the story line is good but maybe not top-notch, but the ending is spectacular, and by spectacular I mean better than your average excellent film out there.

So this is a seven to me, and recommended to all my friends and family.

Seriously disturbing trend with these reviews. If you love the original, you write a bad review. If you you know nothing of the original, this is a great movie. What I do not understand is why you would expect this to be a copy of the original. This is a big Hollywood movie. The campaign against it is idiotic. Go watch the original and stop leaving reviews that add nothing to the conversation except "oh it's not anime so it sucks". It is made for the masses and not fanboys. Sorry.

I don't know what's all about the negative reviews. Go make your own movie and stop whining like dishonest little brats! I'm not saying it doesn't have flaws, it's just a great sci-fi movie, again, IT'S A MOVIE, it's made to be entertained.

It's a perfect adaptation of many scenes from the 1995 anime and others with some ideas from the manga. It is anime translated into a live-action big buster Hollywood movie, get over the false drama queens that say it is white washing as there is even Beat Kitano, a renown Japanese actor and he is only speaking Japanese with English subs! I would add that the result is a good example on how to "Hollywood-wash" an entire anime series better than anything else. Great stuff overall, go see it, if you like sci-fi, it won't be disappointing!