# Ghost In The Shell Film 2017



## Bloody_Inferno (Nov 14, 2016)

Ghost In The Shell Official Trailer

It could go either way here. Visually it looks great, and while the whitewash is an issue, I'm more concerned on the director, who's other 1 movie cred was Snow White And The Huntsman.


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## KnightBrolaire (Nov 14, 2016)

yeah I was really bothered by the whitewashing at first, but remembered that Hollywood pretty much never puts asians as the lead character in a AAA film. The fact that mamoru oshii is helping them out gives me a little bit more hope. I agree that it could go either way, though I really hope it's good.


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## coffeeflush (Nov 14, 2016)

Or people could just bothering with the hollywood versions and see the animated version instead. Which has great and had none of the white washing.


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## KnightBrolaire (Nov 14, 2016)

coffeeflush said:


> Or people could just bothering with the hollywood versions and see the animated version instead. Which has great and had none of the white washing.



the problem is most people haven't seen the animated versions or even know about them unless they're already fans like me. At the minimum even if the movie sucks, it might encourage more people to watch the anime or read the manga.


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## cwhitey2 (Nov 14, 2016)

I thought I miss read my news feed this morning when I saw this...


Actually looks promising...even though it will be nothing like the animated version. 


Like others have said, I'm really surprised they are making a movie of this...It's kind of an underground thing in America


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## oc616 (Nov 14, 2016)

Even though I'm a cyberpunk nut, my sin is I can't stand Ghost in the Shell. I've tried each film and episodic incarnation over the years, and I just couldn't dig it. Not sure if it was the characters or the pacing.

Taking this film as it's own stand-alone piece, it looks more up my alley.


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## chopeth (Nov 15, 2016)

Where are my beloved Tachikomas?

wait... Scarlet Johannson as Kusanagi?


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## synrgy (Nov 15, 2016)

I'm skeptical.

Whitewashing aside, I had high hopes for Johannson in this role, especially after her performance in Under the Skin. That said, watching the trailer.. It just feels.. _Flat_? I mean, there are some nice visuals here and there, but none of it really feels particularly real/tangible, and - given the source material - I'm surprised how bland most of the sets seem to be.

Here's hoping the theatrical release proves me wrong..


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## setsuna7 (Nov 15, 2016)

Whitewashing. Typical Hollywood. Why can't they cast Rinko Kikuchi? I got nothing against Scarlette(she's a great actress), this is not the "Ben Affleck as Batman" type of argument, and being Asian, I will feel weird with a character named Major Kusanagi that is not Japanese? Visually it does look awesome,they even got those rundown apartments building looks just like the anime.. I'm with Synergy, gotta wait for the theatrical release to judge. At least they got that japanese dude from Johnny Mnemonic playing Chief Aramaki.


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## Ibanezsam4 (Nov 15, 2016)

setsuna7 said:


> I will feel weird with a character named Major Kusanagi that is not Japanese?



they whitewashed it a little better than that lol her character is only billed as "The Major" per IMDB


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## KnightBrolaire (Nov 15, 2016)

Ibanezsam4 said:


> they whitewashed it a little better than that lol her character is only billed as "The Major" per IMDB



to be fair, almost nobody calls motoko kusanagi by her name in the show. It's either kusanagi or major.


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## thraxil (Nov 15, 2016)

Suspect I'll pass on it. The whitewashing bothers me a bit. I also just don't feel like it was a movie that needed to be remade.


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## broj15 (Nov 15, 2016)

I'm a bit bothered by the whitewashing as well, but honestly I'll probably still see it. While I don't agree with whitewashing in the movie industry I can kind of see the reasoning behind it. Take an anime that, while not obscure, isn't really well known outside of the fanbase/anime community and cast a little known asian actress as the lead role; how much of the general public will go see it when they can see another sci fi movie with a cast that they're familiar with? They probably cast her just based on her credentials alone... Not saying it's right or that I agree with it, but it is what it is, unfortunately. Once again (whitewashing) but I've always thought Anthony Hopkins would make a great Chief Aramaki.


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## GodOfChugs (Nov 23, 2016)

Pretty excited for this! \m/


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## narad (Nov 23, 2016)

She has a full-body prosthesis, so while it's generally safe to assume that this prosthesis would be asian-inspired, it's not the full-on whitewashing of like... I don't know...the real life vs. film about the MIT blackjack team. It could plausibly be a caucasian-inspired body.

I don't know...I'm of two minds about it. Rinko Kikuchi would have been a great fit for the role, but it's almost worse than white-washing to have like a token Japanese actress do all badass Japanese actress roles. Would be great to get some fresh asian talent in Hollywood.


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## wankerness (Nov 23, 2016)

I'm more concerned about the lack of what made the original film so unique. I don't know if my reasons for liking it are the same as everyone else's, but I was struck primarily by how off the rails it went with getting all philosophical in the back half, to the point where the action seemed incidental. And, my favorite scene was that long section in the middle in which it was basically just a montage of setting.


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## CapnForsaggio (Nov 23, 2016)

I agree about the visual settings/ambience, but I find the "philosophical" stuff dated and simple. Maybe it is lost in translation, but it seems juvenile. 

That stuff is best left to the viewer to mull over, IMHO.


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## wankerness (Nov 23, 2016)

CapnForsaggio said:


> I agree about the visual settings/ambience, but I find the "philosophical" stuff dated and simple. Maybe it is lost in translation, but it seems juvenile.
> 
> That stuff is best left to the viewer to mull over, IMHO.



Do you think ditching that and turning it into a pure action movie will improve it?


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## CapnForsaggio (Nov 23, 2016)

No, but I think it should not be narrator dialog as it was in the English animated version....

just my opinion.


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## wankerness (Nov 23, 2016)

I haven't seen the english version, just the subtitled version. Guess I should rewatch it and alternate audio tracks!


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## CapnForsaggio (Nov 23, 2016)

Honestly, the English overdub version is probably the cause of my issues with the narrative. I suspect that there is more subtlety in the native language dialog.

I just can't watch such a stunning movie with subtitles on. Feels like I'm reading when I should be watching.


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## wankerness (Nov 24, 2016)

CapnForsaggio said:


> Honestly, the English overdub version is probably the cause of my issues with the narrative. I suspect that there is more subtlety in the native language dialog.
> 
> I just can't watch such a stunning movie with subtitles on. Feels like I'm reading when I should be watching.



I usually try out the dub track on animated movies, and if it is in any way cringeworthy or cheap sounding, I go to the original language. AKA, this tends to happen with all Japanese animation other than some of the Ghibli flicks.  The only time I put up with a subpar dub was Summer Wars, cause there was so much going on that there was no way to process it with subtitles!


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## Hollowway (Nov 24, 2016)

This would be awesome if it weren't whitewashed, and if it was done very much like the original anime. Or, if it was merely an inspiration for something, like how The Matrix was. But when it's a crappy remake, where it neither retains the character and timbre of the original, nor does it reformulate it as as a novel take, then it's just another lack of effort and grabbing for low hanging fruit by Hollywood.


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## synrgy (Nov 24, 2016)

The original's ideas are inherently dated. The manga started in 1989 and the film was released in 1995. At the time, very few were giving any thought to these subjects beyond the abstract. The Internet had barely made it's way into people's homes, and it's representation in (barely) popular media - think _Johnny Mnemonic, Hackers, etc_ - was mostly laughable. I think that may be much of why GITS endured: It's contemporaries treated the subject matter with typical Hollywood nonchalance, which left it a standout property that took the subject matter seriously.

Unlike many fans of the original, I tried but couldn't get into any of the various series within the franchise, and though I found the feature film sequel to be stunningly beautiful, I also found it staggeringly boring.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how much they update from the original, to potentially make some light of all the technical advances and limitations we've discovered during the interim. Otherwise, I worry it may end up more like the original's contemporaries, than the original itself.


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## narad (Nov 24, 2016)

Hollowway said:


> This would be awesome if it weren't whitewashed, and if it was done very much like the original anime. Or, if it was merely an inspiration for something, like how The Matrix was. But when it's a crappy remake, where it neither retains the character and timbre of the original, nor does it reformulate it as as a novel take, then it's just another lack of effort and grabbing for low hanging fruit by Hollywood.



Racing to conclusions, no? I didn't catch any puppet master in the trailer, though it clearly sets the scene with the same truck driver guy.

EDIT: Yea, not sure if it's telling, but there's no mention of the puppet master in the IMDB page. The trailer made it sound more like exploring the major's past.


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## wankerness (Nov 24, 2016)

Hollowway said:


> This would be awesome if it weren't whitewashed, and if it was done very much like the original anime. Or, if it was merely an inspiration for something, like how The Matrix was. But when it's a crappy remake, where it neither retains the character and timbre of the original, nor does it reformulate it as as a novel take, then it's just another lack of effort and grabbing for low hanging fruit by Hollywood.



How do you know all this? Did you read the script?


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## Grand Moff Tim (Nov 24, 2016)

What actual Japanese people think about the whitewashing:



Cliffs notes: They don't seem to care. They didn't see it as an issue until they were prompted with the idea that it might be.

I'm not posting this to try to dismiss the concept of whitewashing in Hollywood, of course. I too rolled my eyes when I heard about the casting choice. I'm just adding some perspective, I guess.


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## narad (Nov 24, 2016)

Man, sensible stuff. Makes me regret leaving Japan!


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## Bloody_Inferno (Nov 24, 2016)

That's all well and good, but to be honest, Japan shouldn't really be considered a leading authority on the issue. And that's coming from me here. This movie was a golden opportunity for them (or Asia in general) to widen their Hollywood presence even further. 

One thing that been bugging me is that the manga creator, Masamune Shirow, has been dead silent on the whole movie. I get that he's been reclusive as of late, but being a big Hollywood movie would have got his attention to at least say boo.


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## narad (Nov 24, 2016)

Bloody_Inferno said:


> That's all well and good, but to be honest, Japan shouldn't really be considered a leading authority on the issue.



Who is exactly? Honestly it seems the biggest backlash comes from fans that don't feel that Scarlett fits the part, and blogs/tabloids that see something to complain about, not from Japan, not from asian actors.

I'm not super happy about her casting, but that's more to do with her closest role to this -- Lucy -- being a terrible movie. I mean it's not fanfare, it's a big budget film, it was going to get at least one A-list celeb in the lead with immediate name recognition. To get more asian stars in major Hollywood pictures, they need to be cast more in TV-series and independent films, in order for them to garner that kind of recognition and fanbase to pave the way for them to appear in these kinds of roles. 

It's hard to even blame that casting crew because this is just the way blockbusters are done, as a genre, tried-and-true: A-list star + lots of effects budget (with skin-tight suits to be risqué while maintaining the PG-13).


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## Grand Moff Tim (Nov 24, 2016)

Bloody_Inferno said:


> That's all well and good, but to be honest, Japan shouldn't really be considered a leading authority on the issue.



I was only posting that to show their point of view on it, not to present it as some discussion-ender. Obviously there are many facets to the discussion. When the facet I'm bringing up is "what do Japanese people think about it?" then Japan should absolutely be considered the leading authority.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Nov 24, 2016)

I say that Japan not being a leading authority due to their own culture being homogenous for more or less their entire history. To this day they have a few media portrayals that are straight up xenophobic. Anime has a chock heap of them: Mr Popo, all the Chinese in Code Geass, Lenora in Pokémon, G-Gundam...

The Attack On Titan live action movies have the same problem, but in reverse and a smaller scale. The list of ostensibly Western characters were casted as Japanese characters. Of course being a Japanese exclusive movie and it's production budget will show no control of that, but Japan themselves won't bat an eye when it comes to the "yellow washing" and was only raised when fans of the manga/anime outside Japan watched it. Of course that was also undermined by the fact that the Attack On Titan live action movie (like almost every live action anime adaptation ever sans Rurouni Kenshin) was a big bowl of wank. 

I understand the whitewash issue has been going on as long as Hollywood itself. Considering the signs of progress Hollywood has been taking, eg Idris Elba as Heimdall, or Michael B Jordan as Johnny Storm, are steps in the right direction (because both are outstanding actors), even if it means copping it from the hardcore comic fanatics (which funny enough, comics themselves have been experimenting with new race/sex heroes like Miles Morales, black female on an Iron Man suit, Jane Foster as Thor and an Asian Hulk). Of course, poor Michael B Jordan got the shaft because Fan4stic was, as everybody knows, a big bowl of wank. 

In terms of that vid, being a response to all the (rightfully) negative flak of Scarlet Johansen's casting, then it's a good and civil response, and a response I'd expect from Japan for reasons I said earlier. It doesn't fix the problem overall from a global standpoint but at least it's some baby steps. The media industry has moved since the days where John Wayne was Genghis Khan or bucktoothed Mickey Rooney, but it's been a slow crawl to get here and I'd love more diversity to show up every now and then, especially when it comes to lead actors. Sadly we'll be doing the same song and dance here with The Great Wall. 

End of the day, I just want to at least have hope that this movie will be decent at best. But as I said earlier, the director, who's known cred is Snow White And The Huntsman, and having a scandal with a slab of concrete with a frowny face drawn on it (doesn't really count I know) isn't doing me any favours....


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## wankerness (Nov 25, 2016)

Your heart is in the right place, but "Japan isn't a leading authority on the issue" when THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE "VICTIMS?" WTH? When identity politic people start getting offended on behalf of groups they don't belong to, and those groups didn't care in the first place, that's when I start thinking like an old conservative grump. "That's great that the Japanese don't care, but us white people know that they should be, and we are going to tell them to get angry about it!!!" Reminds me of the white people who got the yoga classes cancelled for "cultural appropriation" and all the Indians were like "uhh, why??"


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## Ibanezsam4 (Nov 25, 2016)

i agree with whitewashing being stupid, but continue to expect it on big budget films especially action movies. 

if Hollywood does start casting more Asian actors, expect them to be Chinese since China is a massive market for international films and casting choice will be made to cater to that market.

for example, the Red Dawn remake spent an extra $1 million in post production to turn the invading chinese army into a north korean army as to not turn off chinese movie goers. 

it was rumored the reason Tilda Swinton was cast in Doctor Strange was to avoid pissing off Chinese theater goers with an ethnically accurate actor.

long story short. chinese money matters more than white people feelings about ethnicity; get used to this kind of casting


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## chopeth (Nov 25, 2016)

I'm white (in my opinion, probably not in Trump's voters) and I don't care a heck about all this white-washing thing.


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## setsuna7 (Mar 16, 2017)

I'll leave this here.. practical fx for the film.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Apr 2, 2017)

Just came back from seeing this film. 

It certainly looks nice, and there's plenty of homages for the fans of the original, like key scenes done with care, the basset hounds Mamoru Oshii was so fond of, and even the Japanese folk choir of Kenji Kawai's original score. But as for the movie itself, it's so... bland. 

It didn't take long to figure out why. The original being so iconic, it's complex plot has been milked dry by future films that were influenced by it, the current plot feels so dumbed down and rather token, reducing this film arguably to some of it's lower tier imitators. Funny enough, a lot of the rowdy guys in my time of viewing ended up falling asleep and snoring loudly within 45 minutes. 

There's also a good chance that those who were annoyed with the whitewashing will get even more fired up with a certain third act reveal. While I was one, I've set my expectation bar so low it's caught on someone's private piercing, I've long since stopped caring. 

Better luck next time.


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## KnightBrolaire (Apr 2, 2017)

I think I'm just going to go back and rewatch all of the anime/animated films. The trailers made it look good but I don't think they can bring anything new to the the ghost in the shell franchise with this film.


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## MFB (Apr 2, 2017)

I watched the original last night, and after possibly the most underwhelming resolution, I'll probably skip this. I'm sure visually it's great and all, but that doesn't change that it'll be asking the same questions and hit the same marks, just in non-anime form.


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## wankerness (Apr 2, 2017)

MFB said:


> I watched the original last night, and after possibly the most underwhelming resolution, I'll probably skip this. I'm sure visually it's great and all, but that doesn't change that it'll be asking the same questions and hit the same marks, just in non-anime form.



Several of the reviews I read suggested it didn't even try to hit many of the same ideas, and thus shouldn't really be considered as trying to be like the first movie. Like, instead of seeming like a dumbed-down version of the classic first film, it was trying to do its own thing which happened to be much less interesting, but should be viewed as sort of a standalone.

It sounds dumb. If anyone else asks me to go, I'll watch it, but I don't know anyone who wants to see it at all, so I'll probably end up renting it for 1 dollar somewhere way down the line!

One thing I'm seeing in some of the reviews is that Ghost in the Shell 2 is quite good. I might have to check it out? I absolutely do not have the patience for the series, but I can do another movie!


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## chopeth (Apr 3, 2017)

wankerness said:


> Several of the reviews I read suggested it didn't even try to hit many of the same ideas, and thus shouldn't really be considered as trying to be like the first movie. Like, instead of seeming like a dumbed-down version of the classic first film, it was trying to do its own thing which happened to be much less interesting, but should be viewed as sort of a standalone.
> 
> It sounds dumb. If anyone else asks me to go, I'll watch it, but I don't know anyone who wants to see it at all, so I'll probably end up renting it for 1 dollar somewhere way down the line!
> 
> One thing I'm seeing in some of the reviews is that Ghost in the Shell 2 is quite good. I might have to check it out? I absolutely do not have the patience for the series, but I can do another movie!



Both the series and the second film are great


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## Bloody_Inferno (Apr 3, 2017)

chopeth said:


> Both the series and the second film are great





The second film, like the first challenges your patience but it's also great viewing. The SAC series, while more light hearted to the films, was a lot better than they had the right to.


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## Rachmaninoff (Apr 3, 2017)

Just saw this film yesterday. Visually reminded me a cross between The Matrix and Blade Runner. The story seemed a bit... previsible. I don't know anything about the original, though. It's a good action film, and that's all.

And the Hollywood whitewashing sucks!


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## wankerness (Apr 3, 2017)

I'm so sick of hearing about whitewashing in this movie. It's dumb, but getting mad about it should have been over months ago, we've known about the casting since then and it's not like they were going to change it. I think the movie's going to flop hard anyway, so those groups can pretend it was their victory.

From what I've heard about spoilers, though, it really makes it even stupider that they cast a caucasian in the lead. Apart from being white, Scarlett Johansson also just has a totally wrong* look *for the character. It sure fits in with her previous roles, though. This is what, the fourth movie where she's not really a human and is exploring her consciousness/humanity? (Under the Skin/Lucy/Her)


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## Cheap Poison (Apr 3, 2017)

I haven't seen it.
But besides it being an anime there was nothing that ever made the Major Japanese. Hell, she is a robot body, One might even be able to explain it away by saying that a caucasian model has a higher status and is prefered by some. (Would go against tryign to blend in though)


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## MFB (Apr 3, 2017)

Cheap Poison said:


> I haven't seen it.
> But besides it being an anime there was nothing that ever made the Major Japanese. Hell, she is a robot body



Fvcking THANK YOU.

As I said, I just watched the movie the other night, but I grew up watching Stand Alone Complex as a pre-teen and never once did anything about the major jump out and scream, "SHE DRAWS INFLUENCE FROM HER SURROUNDINGS!"


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## wankerness (Apr 3, 2017)

Cheap Poison said:


> I haven't seen it.
> But besides it being an anime there was nothing that ever made the Major Japanese. Hell, she is a robot body, One might even be able to explain it away by saying that a caucasian model has a higher status and is prefered by some. (Would go against tryign to blend in though)



Well....



Spoiler



I heard that it's revealed towards the end of the movie that she's got the soul of a Japanese girl, so...what?!


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## Bloody_Inferno (Apr 3, 2017)

Cheap Poison said:


> I haven't seen it.
> But besides it being an anime there was nothing that ever made the Major Japanese. Hell, she is a robot body, One might even be able to explain it away by saying that a caucasian model has a higher status and is prefered by some. (Would go against tryign to blend in though)



Correct. Having said that...



wankerness said:


> Well....
> 
> 
> 
> ...



...and since the film is apparently bombing, and nobody here seems to want to watch this, I'm just going to straight up spoil the movie's reveal:

DON'T READ if you're actually planning to see the film...






Spoiler



The major IS Motoko Kusanagi. Originally a human Japanese girl abducted by Hanka Robotics to be used for cyber enhancements. Meaning, they killed a Japanese girl and literally put her consciousness into a white woman. Tada! 

What makes all this completely baffling is that the movie is so deaf about it, completely unaware of it's own implication. The reveal isn't meta, nor satire, but a completely misguided way of fanservice trying to bridge this movie's references to the original. At least somebody during development should've at least saw this and question it, did they?



Oh well. It's not like my DVD copies of SAC nor the 2 films are going away any time soon.


EDIT: You know what, let's turn this thread into the awesomeness of the soundtrack of the source material. At least the film gave a bit of Reincarnation during the credits.


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## MFB (Apr 4, 2017)

That's ...pointless?

Like, literally has zero logic behind it and I'm sure if someone grilled the writers, their only way out would be to say, "Well it's all we could think of to avoid the white-washing comments!" Just nut up and say you couldn't find anything specifically Japanese in the characters (not to mention they live in a place called New Port City, so even their setting is Asian themed - not actually called any specific part) so the color didn't matter to us


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## wankerness (Apr 4, 2017)

Thanks for the more detailed explanation, I guess I really had heard the right thing.

How good is SAC? Is that the one that has robots with little squeaky voices for some reason despite being super grim in all other respects?

I might be able to get into it if I really love the second movie and it's really good!


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## MFB (Apr 4, 2017)

I don't remember SAC being really dark and grim, it was actually kind of slow from what I do remember, since it's chasing a political hacker called The Laughing Man. 

I'm tempted to rewatch it, and even to this day, the opening theme gives me goosebumps and flash backs to watching it in my old room at my dad's house after the divorce. Crazy how .... like that gets engrained with stuff, but I don't know if it'd have the lasting impression it did without those events going on.


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## russmuller (Apr 4, 2017)

I just watched the film earlier today. Here are my thoughts:

Scarlet Johansson was definitely the wrong actor for the role. She seemed like she was sleepwalking through the plot. While that may have been somewhat intentional


Spoiler



with the memory-suppressing drugs and to contrast her robotic circumstance with her search to discover her humanity,


 I didn't find her performance to be compelling.

Visually it was beautiful, and I appreciate the persistent parallels to iconic scenes and shots in the original. But the predictability and lack of depth in the plot was a real letdown to me. Things like this are why I don't want a live action Evangelion movie. They're only gonna screw it up.


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## chopeth (Apr 5, 2017)

wankerness said:


> Thanks for the more detailed explanation, I guess I really had heard the right thing.
> 
> How good is SAC? Is that the one that has robots with little squeaky voices for some reason despite being super grim in all other respects?
> 
> I might be able to get into it if I really love the second movie and it's really good!



Also worth watching, you probably mention the tachikomas, or however you spell it, they are the healthy innocent fun moments in SAC.


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## Ralyks (Apr 8, 2017)

I'll wait until it cheap to rent. While this remake looks like it would be visually pleasing, I'd rather wait than spend too much on a ticket to have my view of the original tainted.


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## stuglue (Apr 9, 2017)

not overly bothered about the whitewashing thing, this is Hollywood and the presumption is that western audiences couldnt or dont want Asian actors which i think is a wrong assumption on their part.
What bothers me is how desperate Hollywood has become for source material and the lack of imagination and writing talent . Its all remakes and reboots (i hate that term). I wouldn't be surprised if Ghost is a success to see Hollywood dig up Akira and do a live action version.


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## wankerness (Apr 9, 2017)

stuglue said:


> not overly bothered about the whitewashing thing, this is Hollywood and the presumption is that western audiences couldnt or dont want Asian actors which i think is a wrong assumption on their part.
> What bothers me is how desperate Hollywood has become for source material and the lack of imagination and writing talent . Its all remakes and reboots (i hate that term). I wouldn't be surprised if Ghost is a success to see Hollywood dig up Akira and do a live action version.



Ghost is a big flop, but live action Akira is already a go, with Jordan Peele of all people tapped to direct. Get Out was a really great movie (which he wrote and directed), and he seems to be passionate about the source material, but I'd rather see him do more low-budget stuff that he'd have more control over. 

PS - I really didn't like Akira


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## KnightBrolaire (Apr 9, 2017)

wankerness said:


> Ghost is a big flop, but live action Akira is already a go, with Jordan Peele of all people tapped to direct. Get Out was a really great movie (which he wrote and directed), and he seems to be passionate about the source material, but I'd rather see him do more low-budget stuff that he'd have more control over.
> 
> PS - I really didn't like Akira



it's going to flop like ghost in the shell. I have no faith in a good live action version of Akira, whether Peele is directing or not.


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## Grand Moff Tim (Apr 9, 2017)

Is GIC an international flop, or just a flop in the US? We all know by now that doing poorly in the US market is no longer the end for a movie, now that Chinese moviegoers are a factor.

Then again, China and Japan haven't always been the best of friends, so a big budget action movie based on a Japanese IP might not have the same success as the latest pile of Transforming garbage would.


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## KnightBrolaire (Apr 9, 2017)

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Is GIC an international flop, or just a flop in the US? We all know by now that doing poorly in the US market is no longer the end for a movie, now that Chinese moviegoers are a factor.
> 
> Then again, China and Japan haven't always been the best of friends, so a big budget action movie based on a Japanese IP might not have the same success as the latest pile of Transforming garbage would.



apparently it just bombed hard in the US, but made 41 million overseas, with 21.4 million USD coming from the Chinese box office
https://variety.com/2017/film/box-office/ghost-in-the-shell-box-office-1202027114/


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## gunch (Apr 9, 2017)

Even without the whitewashing drama the movie was still tonedeaf, poorly interpreted and bland as hell

Hopefully this finally gets through to Hollywood that live-action adaptations of animated productions aren't really anything anyone wants or cares about.


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## Xaios (Apr 9, 2017)

silverabyss said:


> Hopefully this finally gets through to Hollywood that live-action adaptations of animated productions aren't really anything anyone wants or cares about.



The box office returns of The Jungle Book and Beauty & the Beast would beg to differ.


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## gunch (Apr 9, 2017)

Xaios said:


> The box office returns of The Jungle Book and Beauty & the Beast would beg to differ.



Disney gonna Disney, sure, I'm talking Dreamworks, etc.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Apr 9, 2017)

Well, on the bright side, there's a new Ghost In The Shell anime in the works. 

http://nerdist.com/ghost-in-the-shell-new-anime/



Xaios said:


> The box office returns of The Jungle Book and Beauty & the Beast would beg to differ.



It's weird. Both those movies are better than they deserved to be. One could guess that it's due to those movies following the same formulas of what made the originals successful, eg the latter's songs certainly helped immensely for the nostalgia crowd, being grown up and now taking their kids to see the new remakes. 


I've said this in the anime thread, but when it comes to live action remakes, Japan do this with their own property all the time, and has been going on for yonks. Most of them being inferior to the originals (coughDevilmancoughAttackOnTitanuncongvincingcough) with a few diamonds in the rough (Rurouni Kenshin trilogy remains my standard of best anime to live action adaptation). Japan's a bit more positive with the GITS reception, but my guess is that it's because they're used to seeing that. GITS however gets the luxury of a much larger budget, so it's much prettier than any of Japan's efforts that's for sure. Shame the movie was watered down and bland as all hell. 

As for Akira, that's been in development hell forever ago. It's release now with today's climate is inevitable, but I'd be surprised to see it come out in this decade at least.


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## wankerness (Apr 10, 2017)

KnightBrolaire said:


> apparently it just bombed hard in the US, but made 41 million overseas, with 21.4 million USD coming from the Chinese box office
> https://variety.com/2017/film/box-office/ghost-in-the-shell-box-office-1202027114/



That's still a hard bomb, considering international box office counts for less in calculating whether it broke even or not, and the budget here was 110 million USD. They'd have had to make ~220 million in the US, or considerably more than that combined US/international, to be a success. Ouch.



> It's weird. Both those movies are better than they deserved to be. One could guess that it's due to those movies following the same formulas of what made the originals successful, eg the latter's songs certainly helped immensely for the nostalgia crowd, being grown up and now taking their kids to see the new remakes.



Beauty and the Beast was...not very good. The fact it got lukewarm reviews speaks volumes, considering those disney things tend to get positive reviews by default. 

Pete's Dragon was weirdly the best of these things so far IMO. Didn't see Cinderella, but a lot of people said it was considerably better than Beauty and the Beast since it actually did something other than being a dull retread with creepy steampunk characters and an autotuned non-singer in the lead.


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## Alborz (Apr 12, 2017)

um i heard it sucks but honestly gits is hard to screw up


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## setsuna7 (May 4, 2017)

Finally saw this. IT ....ING SUCKED!!! God, why do Hollywood always mingle in .... they don't understand???


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## narad (May 4, 2017)

Agreed. 

Also didn't appreciate the ham-fisted repetitive tie-ins to the title....

Your body was destroyed, we've built you a new one... a new...shell. You're still in there. Your soul's still in there. Your...ghost is in there.


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## NotDonVito (May 4, 2017)

I liked the movie  The only bad parts were the villain(actually I would just recast every character from the robotics company), and the early 2000's CGI, although I thought that element was strangely appropriate given the source material.


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## A-Branger (May 21, 2017)

Since I saw this movie about to hit the cinemas I went and watched the anime movie so I could know what I was going to see. I liked the anime, more like "meh", but its was cool, not my cup of tea really but ok enough. Maybe the plain awful voiceover acting in english had to do a lot with it.

I didnt wanted to see this movie in the cinemas as it wasnt appealing enough for me so I waited till I could see it online. OMG such a disappointment. I knew they were going to change some things here and there, as they cant really leave all that slow pacing and "arty" stuff of the anime, but wow they really made a mess with the story. They left couple of scenes from the anime, the rest its gone. The whole story and plot/mood went out of the window. Like WTF that ending with her mom???, like seriously, I know its "hollywood" but do they reaaly needed to cramp a "happy ending" in there??? WTF why???? *facepalm* 



russmuller said:


> Visually it was beautiful, and I appreciate the persistent parallels to iconic scenes and shots in the original. But the predictability and lack of depth in the plot was a real letdown to me. Things like this are why I don't want a live action Evangelion movie. They're only gonna screw it up.



100% agree there. Pleaaaaaaaaaase leave Evangelion alone!

stupid hollywood


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