Ghost In The Shell
Cert: 15A; Now showing
First there was Under The Skin. Then came Her. Next, we got Lucy. At this rate, Scarlett Johansson is at risk of becoming one of the most enigmatic sci-fi actresses in modern cinema. Ghost In The Shell, director Rupert Sanders’ live-action Hollywood update of the classic Japanese anime franchise, feels like a culmination of her success in the genre, perhaps a lavish sendoff before she takes a break from aliens, technology and dystopia?
Each of these vehicles has seen her depict otherworldly characters undergoing varying degrees of disconnect between mind and form, and this outing as Major Motoko Kusanagi is no different. She is a creation of Hanka Robotics, a human brain and soul perfectly integrated into a cybernetic body. She leads a special-ops task force fighting cyberterrorism in a futuristic Japan where everything is digitally connected, and “cyberpunk” is de rigueur. She has emotion and independent thought, and is maintained with affection by company scientist Dr Ouelet (Juliette Binoche), but begins seeing strange glitches in her surroundings around the same time that Hanka comes under attack by a mysterious terrorist.
Corruption and a revelation about the past all bring proceedings down an avenue somewhere in the neighbourhood of Robocop, The Matrix and, naturally, Blade Runner. Anime purists may moan at the simplified plot but newcomers to the brand are unlikely to care given how smoothly all the customary sci-fi action elements fit together. Most of it is aesthetically arresting, partly thanks to DOP Jess Hall.
Ultimately, this is the ScarJo Show however, and she is as transfixing and potent as ever.