The Real World Of Tomorrow

RATING: A

Starring the voices of Akio Otsuka, Atsukko Tanaki, Koichi Yamadera, Tamio Oki. Orginal Music by Kenji Kawai, Edited by Sachiko Miki, Junichi Uematsu, Produced by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, Ryuji Mitsumoto, Toshio Suzuki, Based upon the Manga by Masamune Shirow, Screenplay by Mamoru Oshii, Directed by Mamoru Oshii.

Rated PG-13, Running Time 99 mins. 1.85 to 1 Academy Standard Aspect Ratio.

The Japanese Manga ‘Ghost in the Shell’ is one the most influential works of art of the past decade, but its pretty doubtful you’ve ever heard of it. The term ‘cyberpunk’ was coined in the eighties by William Gibson, creator of the popular novel ‘Neuromancer’. It refers to the physical merging of technology with that of human beings amidst our continually evolving environment. Until 1999’s ‘The Matrix’-- heavily influenced by ‘Ghost in the Shell’-- there had never been a cyberpunk live action feature. Masamune Shirow’s original manga was eventually developed into an animated feature that was not only an action adventure, but also a meditation on the human condition and the true nature of the soul or ‘ghost’.

The story is set in the not too distant future of 2029 when government agencies use lifelike cyborgs or "enhanced" humans for undercover work. One of the key cyborgs is the impulsive Major, Motoko Kusanagi whose quick to shoot first and ask questions later—a beautiful and obvious prototype for Lara Croft . As squad leader of the police department she finds herself caught up in a tangled web of espionage and counterespionage as she searches for the mysterious superhacker known as "The Puppet Master." Eventually she found a kindred spirit in this artificial intelligence, left her physical body behind and merged with "The Puppet Master", disappearing into the sea of information across the vast electronic network.

"Ghost in the Shell’ was one of those rare movies that successfully put together awesome animation, great music, a solid plot, intriguing sci-fi, and meditated on the importance of forgotten humanity--extended beyond the human as a unique physical entity. Director Mamoru Oshii really set the visual bar high in terms of colors, textures, illumination, sequences, and movement of animation making this anime an awesome visual and auditive experience. Now, Oshii is back with "Innocence", which picks up the story three years later. Instead of exploring the mysterious fate of Kusinagi as Shirow did in his Manga and the "Stand Alone Complex" t.v. series where she never left, Oshii decides to take this sequel in a different direction and pursue a new mystery through the eyes of her partner former Bateau. Once the lively yet no-nonsense cop of the Section 9 squad, Bateau has become a dispassionate and emotionless individual, clearly affected by the disappearance of his friend the Major. It’s impossible to get a read on any trace of humanity behind his cyborg bottle-cap eyes and it causes friction between his new partner Togusa, the only member of the squad who isn’t a complete cyborg.

Through the street of Hong Kong's Newport City to the towering skyscrapers of the elite, Bateau and Togusa find themselves in the middle of an investigation involving robot Geishas, specifically created for pleasure, who are now mysteriously murdering their masters before committing suicide. The relationship between Bateau and Togusa is defined not by ordinary cop conversation but meditations on philosophy that include quotes from Descartes to Confucius. There’s a hell of lot going on beneath the surface of this film and that fact that its presented in its original Japanese with English subtitles will frustrate the casual viewer. Despite the philosophical tone of the piece there is plenty of action as Bateau and Togusa investigate Locus Solus, the manufacturer of the robot Geishas and uncover a conspiracy with the help of a ‘ghost’ from the past. The action set pieces don’t disappoint—a shakedown of some yakuzas and the finale within a factory stand out—it just takes some patience with the slow pacing of the middle act to get to it.

The plot is well developed, with intelligent dialogue, well-defined characters, and a solid foundation of cognitive science, philosophy, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, psychology, neuroscience, and robotics. This movie is cyberpunk at is best, but its definitely not for the average viewer. If you were disappointed by the heavy dialogue and philosophical discussions within the Matrix films and only wanted pure action, this is not the pic for you because those films didn’t even scratch the surface. The biggest questions the film raises are whether or not it is possible for non-human entities to have humanity, particularly from a philosophical standpoint, and can an artificial organism be considered a living organism? "Innocence" is definitely a pic for the art house crowd but over time it may be considered one of those films, if not the film, of it’s genre with the most vision towards a very plausible future.