Member FieryReign Posted April 4, 2017 Member Share Posted April 4, 2017 Who's angry? If I want to watch GitS then I'll watch the real film. Not some corny live action remake. More original scripts and films. Less recycling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted April 19, 2017 Member Share Posted April 19, 2017 (edited) I finally saw this and unfortunately found it terribly mediocre. Since I haven't read the manga or seen the TV series, my comparison point shall be Oshii's film. I have no fundamental problem with Johansson's casting - she looks the part and the film would've been an instant half star up had she done nudity in it - but I couldn't help but to think she talks too much and acts too emotional. Which brings us to the first problem. Oshii's film was a wonderful mix of juvenile nudity, philosophical discussions with subtitle overkill, and extended atmospheric audio-visual sequences. The live action lacks the fist and has no patience for the other two. When characters should be silent they keep babbling (not to make American mass viewers uncomfortable?) and when philosophical topics are explored it's 15 seconds and cut to the next scene. The pace also means there is little time for visual treats. Considering how good some of the early teasers looked, the film is a disappointment. There is a pretty 3 second shot here and there, but one wishes the filmmakers had slowed the fuck down. The score is pretty dull as well. Action is pretty standard and boring until the climax, which is genuinely exciting. The same goes for the storyline and characters, which get better towards the end. Supporting cast is alright. Takeshi Kitano (a major supporting character) and Kaori Momoi slightly stand out from the rest. Not terrible by any means, just underwhelming. Edited April 19, 2017 by Takuma 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Karlos Posted April 19, 2017 Moderator Share Posted April 19, 2017 Sorry to hear you didn't dig it much, Takuma. Coincidentally, I am half way thru the new UK blu of the original GitS anime and I have to say, I'd forgotten what a beautiful looking bore it is at times. The philosophical discussions are mostly embarrassing, too. God, was I ever impressed such simplistic meanderings? I honestly think the live-action adaptation pulled that aspect off better, if only slightly. I'm also rethinking my angle on the whole "whitewashing" row, too - but I need a rewatch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShaOW!linDude Posted April 20, 2017 Member Share Posted April 20, 2017 On 4/19/2017 at 8:00 AM, Karlos said: Coincidentally, I am half way thru the new UK blu of the original GitS anime and I have to say, I'd forgotten what a beautiful looking bore it is at times. Yes, exactly! Yea! It's not just me! GitS is beautifully animated and boring as all get out at times. I remember the end feeling a bit anticlimactic, too. Yet it's an interesting premise story-wise, and at the time anime was breaking out in US, it was essentially a "must see". Later renditions, like the GitS: Standalone Complex series was pretty good, I thought. I'm looking forward to seeing this. I get the pros & cons, and the "whitewashing" argument, and the studios wanting a bankable star. And I'm bored with it. The same people crying about that are the same ones crying that Iron Fist should have been cast as Asian because...well, just because we need prominent Asian characters in franchises. So they were obviously okay with "yellow-washing" that character. Seems hypocritical to me. (Hey, where'd that soapbox come from?) I want to see this on the big screen, but with GotG 2 hitting theaters here the beginning of next month, I'm holding out for that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member laagi Posted May 6, 2017 Member Share Posted May 6, 2017 Finally got the chance to watch this. To put it plain and simple I liked it. Visuals are gorgeous. Especially the city with it's shining lights and holograms. Adds a lot to the cyberpunk feel. The story while obviously altered to make it more approachable to people who are not familiar with the Anime, still has enough refrences who will put a smile on the face of die-hard fans. For me the movie could've even done with a bit of more time. As I felt towards the second half everything was a bit rushed. It's very unfortunate that the movie most likely was a box office failure because of the "white washing" controversy. Which after having it watched myself, I really don't understand. Only complaint I have is that it starts out strong and loses a bit of steam towards the end. Also the twists and turns you can see coming like a mile away. One last thing... Spoiler Why is Kitano's character speaking japanese while all others speak english BUT obviously can understand japanese when conversing with him I say give it a chance if you like a modern scifi adventure with great visuals I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted May 6, 2017 Member Share Posted May 6, 2017 (edited) 2 hours ago, laagi said: Finally got the chance to watch this. To put it plain and simple I liked it. Visuals are gorgeous. Especially the city with it's shining lights and holograms. Adds a lot to the cyberpunk feel. The story while obviously altered to make it more approachable to people who are not familiar with the Anime, still has enough refrences who will put a smile on the face of die-hard fans. For me the movie could've even done with a bit of more time. As I felt towards the second half everything was a bit rushed. It's very unfortunate that the movie most likely was a box office failure because of the "white washing" controversy. Which after having it watched myself, I really don't understand. Only complaint I have is that it starts out strong and loses a bit of steam towards the end. Also the twists and turns you can see coming like a mile away. One last thing... Reveal hidden contents Why is Kitano's character speaking japanese while all others speak english BUT obviously can understand japanese when conversing with him I say give it a chance if you like a modern scifi adventure with great visuals I'm sure you won't be disappointed. I respect your opinion. I watched about 5 mins of this before clocking out. It just feels flat. Yeah it's visually gorgeous but isn't every Hollywood blockbuster the same way? I don't find that entertaining nevertheless. Look at Ex-Machina for example, it had a shoestring budget but yet it so engrossing and marvelous, why? Oh I know cause it feels fresh and unique and it looks incredible. I'm sad because I didn't get to watch it long enough for Kitano and he rules. Did he have any good parts in it? I guess I'll fast forward to those scenes If I may? Edited May 6, 2017 by OpiumKungFuCracker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member laagi Posted May 6, 2017 Member Share Posted May 6, 2017 45 minutes ago, OpiumKungFuCracker said: I respect your opinion. I watched about 5 mins of this before clocking out. It just feels flat. Yeah it's visually gorgeous but isn't every Hollywood blockbuster the same way? I don't find that entertaining nevertheless. Look at Ex-Machina for example, it had a shoestring budget but yet it so engrossing and marvelous, why? Oh I know cause it feels fresh and unique and it looks incredible. I'm sad because I didn't get to watch it long enough for Kitano and he rules. Did he have any good parts in it? I guess I'll fast forward to those scenes If I may? No sweat. To each his own. I thought the visuals were more of a great setting for the story. I'm not or at least I try not to be easily impressed by some pretty images. Sure the story is fairly simple, nothing mind blowing. But at least to me it covers similiar aspects the Anime did. And maybe makes it even more approachable to other people. I mean let's be honest the original Anime wasn't really an easy pill to swallow. I'd say for what it is Kitano has a fair amount of screen time and some pretty decent scenes. At least he got the best haircut that's for sure I'd recommend while you've been put off by the first 5 minutes, give it a second chance and even if it's just for the sake of Kitano watch the whole thing. Who knows you might end up liking it more than you think 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted February 7, 2022 Member Share Posted February 7, 2022 I watched this back to back with the original animated film over the weekend. I thought this was decent: pretty good, but nothing special. The use of a human brain in a cybernetic body to promote the "humanity is better" theme seems to be a rip-off of the 2014 Robocop remake. This approach is far shallower than the original's exploration of "what does it mean to be alive" and dealing with computer code gaining sentience. It also has fault of making the villain an EVIL CAPITALIST and dolling the trite CORPORATIONS ARE EVIL trope. The original movie had a more original approach...thirty years ago. I liked the visuals and effects, although the the climax with the spider tank felt ill-lit. The action scenes were passable; I'm glad that Richard Norton is getting work on big projects. I'm glad that Takeshi Kitano got to shoot someone. Why would you hire him otherwise? And his hair is up there with Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's do' in Tekken. I did enjoy getting a fair amount of ScarJo pseudo-nudity. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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