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Ghost in the Shell
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Ghost in the Shell

1995
Sci-fi, Fantasy
1h 23m
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Avg Percentile 66.78% from 5727 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(5727)
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Rated 29 Mar 2007
96
99th
(After the uncounted rewatch) Now I know I'll never get over the amazement from this 80 minutes piece of animation. I don't care about it bridging Blade Runner to Matrix, it's complete and compact on its own. So complete that 2nd installment is just masturbatory override of the 1st. With the extended time I spent on Shirow's manga and tv series, reading and thinking on it I guess this is the only fandom of my life.
Rated 29 Mar 2011
90
90th
An obvious influence on The Matrix, it's also a critique of the hierarchical structure of the Japanese corporate structure, the collusion of international politics and technological ventures and humanity's flirt with technology. Oshii mixes and matches different religions, but the animistic 'Shinto' is the most important for understanding the film's point of technology as a means to spiritual growth. Also: the first anime to really incorporate CGI, it offers way better animation than say, Akira.
Rated 04 Mar 2007
6
99th
The breadth of its ambition, inspiration, and influence has been duly traced. An existential vision of overwhelming technological advent - the future wrought with genetic and social engineering - and solipsist speculations of unapologetic intellectual seriousness, immaculately rendered with architectural and mechanical detail. The only significant flaw is that, despite the material's generally post-gender attitude, there is an unfortunately adolescent male gaze with regard to the female form.
Rated 23 Apr 2009
100
99th
An almost perfect presentation of the Puppet Master arc from the original manga, with Oshii's trademark confusing plot structure and Kenji Kawaii's appropriately eerie soundtrack. It will probably not make much sense if you're not already familiar with GitS, but it stands cemented as one of the most popular R rated anime, certainly one of the most influential. Yet another example of the quality of animation that Japan is still unrivaled in and it took a year to make this.
Rated 03 Jul 2009
4
70th
An exciting and thoughtful action/sci-fi hybrid that takes more than a page or two from Blade Runner's playbook while simultaneously paving the way for The Matrix. As with any good cyberpunk anime, the highlight is its immaculately conceived vision of technologically-advanced-yet-dilapidated Tokyo. If there's anything to complain about, it's that its climax is a rather uncinematic monologue on identity and AI. That, and the unnecessary tits.
Rated 13 Jul 2015
75
65th
It's like the Matrix but you feel gross watching it. (Pretend the Matrix came out 5 years earlier)
Rated 20 Apr 2008
74
40th
There are plenty of reasons why I should like it, including the gritty setting the interesting story and the fact that it doesn't shy away from posing philosophical questions. The fact remains, though, that while I enjoyed it well enough I never really got into it.
Rated 18 Aug 2009
5
56th
Interesting themes and beautiful animation, unfortunately most of the time it is a boring convoluted mess.
Rated 23 May 2010
25
1st
Awful in virtually all respects: flaccid pacing, wooden voice acting in both Japanese and English soundtracks, and, every ten minutes or so, everything stops so that someone can give a puerile and shallow philosophical lecture.
Rated 18 Apr 2011
71
76th
This was my first exposure to the Ghost-in-the-Shell-Universe and to be honest, I was pretty confused. (I dunno if this film was intended for newcomers, but there's a surprising lack of exposition for a film about such a complex dystopian world). That being said, it's pretty engaging and has some great animation. (I should also note, it was the dubbed English version I saw; I heard it's not the best version.)
Rated 14 May 2012
88
81st
Intellectually stimulating but emotionally dead, Ghost in the Shell is enjoyable, and its influence is undeniable, but it's hard to feel particularly attached to the action when the characters rarely act like anything more than the hollow automatons that they are. A must see for the aspiring otaku, but far from the classic it is often billed as.
Rated 28 Oct 2013
52
29th
Never been a fan of the Ghost in the Shell franchise. It just feels like they keep saying the most obvious things in the most convoluted way possible. Music and atmosphere are great though.
Rated 26 Mar 2017
76
38th
I expected something less slight, but overall I dug it. Liked the themes and the way they were prioritised over the action, which no doubt the remake will change completely. Pacing isn't the best - feels like it speeds up a ton in the last 25 or so minutes. Or more like it's too drawn-out until then. Ending is great.
Rated 27 Mar 2017
42
17th
82 minutes is too short for a film like this, it easily could have added another 40 to pad out the rushed exposition & introduce the setting and characters properly instead of giving focus to their nipples & awkward, baseless philosophical monologues. What they did get right was stopping to take the time to bathe us in the brilliant cyberpunk, dystopian art direction.
Rated 14 Aug 2017
72
42nd
Beautiful animation and a distinctive soundtrack combine wonderfully to flesh out GitS's dystopian atmosphere, but the narrative moves far too quickly to allow for a proper digestion of its existential navel-gazing. Ultimately, it feels as if it presumes the viewer to already have knowledge of the original manga, instead feeling like an extended episode of its anime series thereafter than a full-fledged film.
Rated 25 Feb 2021
65
42nd
The atmosphere, rich in image and sound, is superb, but the story is too shallow and quick. The abhorrent English voice cast (which might have been computer generated for all their monotonous intoning) certainly doesn't help the brief attempts at characterization. The concepts and environments make the film easily worth watching, however.
Rated 13 Apr 2007
94
95th
Short, but densely packed with stylish action, cool technology, and interesting philosophical questions. Many other sci-fi action films could take a page from this playbook (The Island, I'm looking at YOU)
Rated 02 Sep 2008
90
79th
Action packed and has great animation. Stunning.
Rated 24 Nov 2008
95
95th
One of the great cyberpunk anime films because of it's high philosophy content. This film is more than a story, it is food for thought.
Rated 22 Mar 2009
75
54th
Boasting the biggest budget ever afforded an anime feature -- a record previously held by the pioneering _Akira_ -- this supplies a sensory feast of dizzying high-tech imagery and exotic music. Ontological explorations aside, most of this is given over to actionful battles between the competing security agencies, along with elaborately animated virtual-reality displays and visual odes to Kusanagi's flawlessly sculpted, frequently naked cyberbody.
Rated 01 May 2009
86
87th
Original ideas, mainly great visuals, beautiful score and a thrilling plot. It felt like it assumed the novel to be read, or maybe that's just as disjointed, I don't know.
Rated 06 Jun 2009
9
90th
I had to look up some info after watching it, for I'd be lying if I said I understood it all. 'Ghost in the Shell' is an enigmatic, thought-provoking sci-fi actioner, maybe overshadowed by a slight wave of self-centeredness, but still wildly imaginative and entertaining. Visually, it seems to have drawn a lot of inspiration from 'Blade Runner' and other dystopian films. Japanese animation will never cease to amaze me. P.S. I watched the dubbed version, which apparently is not recommended...
Rated 26 Jan 2010
50
28th
Great concept, but the movie's a bit on the shitty side.
Rated 21 Sep 2010
90
75th
Now here's a movie that creates a believable, fascinating, iconic, influential and gorgeous universe in like 1 hour and 20 minutes. Precision!
Rated 25 Sep 2010
65
45th
I am no fan of anime. I can appreciate the stunning artwork and visualization, but the stories usually seem as if they are secondary and this is no exception.
Rated 11 Dec 2010
1
4th
I knew right from the start that this movie and I were not going to be friends. It comes across like it was written first on a public anime forum by some fourteen year old with only a hard drive full of hentai and a pack of redbull for inspiration.
Rated 14 Jul 2011
74
48th
It's like "Blade Runner", but anime. Just as slow feeling, but just as enveloping and beautiful at times. The last about ten minutes or so didn't quite sit well with me, it was too intentionally existential and in a shallow, porous fashion.
Rated 01 Aug 2011
80
84th
Follows in a nice trend of japanese cyperpunk speculations about the nature of the individual and its relation to others, as also masterfully done by Akira and (after repeat viewings) Neon Genesis Evangelion. While all the sepculations may seem too Philosphy 101 to western audiences (especially those that disliked the Matrix for these excact reasons) I find these are excellent for cinema to explore, especially in animation.
Rated 29 Aug 2011
40
15th
The wet dream of a pimple-faced Japanese teenage pseudo-intellectual.
Rated 04 Mar 2012
65
25th
Some neat ideas, but they don't hit particularly hard in the 21st century, and they're not enough of a payoff for a slow movie that has pretensions of being more than it is.
Rated 25 Jan 2013
11
25th
Great art, great characters, but too short and not dense enough. I was left wanting for closure. I really liked the soundtrack as well as some of the quiet, meditative shots of the environment. It's a shame we don't get those in Western moviemaking very often.
Rated 28 Jun 2013
8
86th
What is so distinctive of Ghost in the Shell, so utterly awe-inspiring is the construction of an intriguing and founded atmosphere. The film succeeds as both an action sci-fi movie and an inquisitive pondering; I am sure Mamoru Oshii loved Blade Runner. I do have a complaint with the essentially immortal protagonists because it steals so much of the danger from the otherwise perfect action scenes. Neverthless, Ghost in the Shell is intellectually and aesthetically appealing, memorably so.
Rated 28 Dec 2013
70
69th
Anime meets Kierkegaard. Maybe the pace is a bit too fast, though.
Rated 29 Jan 2014
90
80th
One of the most aesthetically fascinating movies I've ever seen with an abundance of rich themes and ideas that - provided you have no prejudice against anime - will have you returning to its fleshed out cyberpunk nightmare to indulge again.
Rated 20 May 2014
74
85th
Visually arresting, thematically intriguing, narratively unsatisfying.
Rated 07 Jan 2015
90
90th
As opposed to its cerebral anime counterpart, Akira, it holds up really well. While its story is not the greatest anime or in general, movie plotline of all time, it does deliver some thought-provoking and interesting stuff. The tone is deeply cerebral and beautiful, but aesthetically, the movie shows off not only fantastic animation but great cinematography, for an animated film. A really well done anime film.
Rated 07 Apr 2015
60
43rd
It has some pretty cool concepts and ideas about technology and the future, but that was about it, for me. I didn't really care about the characters or the plot. The animation is pretty nice; I particularly liked the backgrounds. You can easily see the influence the film had on The Matrix. So, yeah, it's decent for what it is, but I prefer something like Paprika or even Akira.
Rated 17 May 2015
80
79th
Like the evolution chart in the museum this movie has an idea of teleology which alludes to different philosophies starting from Herakleitos and ending at Hegel I think. Like the evolution of Lang's Metropolis and preceding the "Matrix", "Ghost in the Shell" asks whether an authentic existence per se is possible at all or it may claim that existence as machine is just the continuation of a dialectical process according to which even the organic existence we know functions like a machine.
Rated 12 Sep 2015
6
70th
I know people who worship at the altar of this film - I've never really been one of them. But I do admire and respect its innovation and imagery and imagination and influence on cyberpunk themes/ideas/storytelling. There are individual scenes that stand out as so memorable I've never forgotten them, although the overall narrative strokes always seem to wash away for me quickly after watching the film.
Rated 24 May 2016
66
30th
Didn't like it as much as I though I would. The animation is nice, particularly the backgrounds, but the plot felt rather bland. It's really far too short to cover the ideas it tries to cover. And what's with all the unnecessary nudity?
Rated 21 Sep 2016
60
28th
Not sure what to think. Probably my expectations were too high. The backgrounds, design, atmosphere and music are great, but the story isn't exactly very compelling. It is definitely confusing though! The main character gets naked all the time, which is cool if you don't have internet acces or something, but for now I thought it was kind of weird.
Rated 06 May 2017
88
95th
Not every day you get to experience such an excellent worldbuilding as you witness in Ghost In The Shell. Every tiny detail is centered around humanity and existence in the world of tomorrow: a world that is engulfed with technology to the point where we start to adapt our bodies to it.
Rated 29 Jan 2018
50
22nd
I was pretty bored for most of this movie (everything bar the first 30 minutes), it tries to say a lot of things about the nature of humanity but it doesn't feel fleshed out enough. Unsatisfying ending.
Rated 12 Aug 2018
84
84th
Visually stunning. Although the narrative and philosophy brought into it was less appealing to me. My favourite moment by far was the musical interlude with gorgeous slow tracking shots of cityscape and water, which beat the hell out of the long-winded monologues scrambling to contain deep philosophical insights on existence.
Rated 17 Apr 2020
69
21st
Considered a classic, the TV series is a much better example of the promise of the premise and what GITS can be. The original movies sometimes odd pacing and random visuals make it a bit more of an experimental film and detract for the overall substance.
Rated 22 Dec 2020
70
49th
Beautiful action sequences, but quite ironically GITS is missing its "Ghost" - that is, emotion. Characters will espouse philosophy at each other without ever demonstrating it emotionally. The closest we get to something interesting is the idea that hackers can spoof memories, but that's left to one unsettling scene and then forgotten about to continue treating consciousness as a black box system. A lot of style with some great animation, but the substance is a let down.
Rated 18 Mar 2021
97
95th
I loved it. I guess it never occurred to me that I was missing out on something so influential all of this time. Probably one of the best thinking-persons sci/fi's I've ever seen. The detail to the storytelling, animation, and world-building is incredible. I'm sure I'll grow to appreciate it even more with repeat viewings. Living proof that the world animation in general is most definitely on par with some of the biggest cinematic classics in my opinion. Most definitely worth seeing.
Rated 03 Aug 2021
40
77th
introspective and quietly haunting. did you see what I did there? I should give up the ghost
Rated 07 Aug 2021
60
34th
Meh, some cool visuals, but the plot is garbage.
Rated 31 Oct 2021
73
65th
Nice imagery, atmosphere and music. I appreciate the film for what it's trying to do and injecting philosophy in it the way that it did. I didn't really connect with it on that level though, it didn't feel very profound or insightful. The plot isn't great either and can be hard to follow. So I do think it's a bit overrated, but clearly it has inspired other, in my opinion better, media and that's worth something. I also think the aesthetics and atmosphere are nailed pretty well.
Rated 17 Feb 2022
60
35th
The animation is still incredible. It's just that asking existential questions without strong (and deep) characters doesn't really make a compelling movie.
Rated 13 Dec 2006
88
77th
Good story, animators got a little lazy and freezed some frames to fit lengthy lines of dialogue.
Rated 28 Dec 2006
88
75th
totally great if you're a dork.
Rated 03 Jan 2007
85
78th
O Fantasma do Futuro estreava há 25 anos em Tóquio. Excelente e influente anime, mas eu nunca fui realmente uma devota do gênero (genre) para me sentir suficientemente entusiasmada, embora não há como negar sua pós-modernidade especialmente me questões de gênero (gender). BlurayRip UHD REMUX FGT.
Rated 18 Jan 2007
63
35th
Very nice. Now what's going on.
Rated 21 Mar 2007
74
48th
Impressive animated movie that is both visually stunning and action packed.
Rated 25 Mar 2007
84
84th
Art. Absolutely amazing to watch. I prefer the Stand Alone Complex series to this movie, but the movie itself is classic. If you want to see what inspired the Matrix trilogy, watch this.
Rated 09 Jul 2007
85
78th
Great film.
Rated 12 Jul 2007
95
93rd
A classic anime.
Rated 10 Aug 2007
76
64th
Overrated but good
Rated 14 Aug 2007
78
82nd
Gets weaker the closer we get to the end, but still very good and one of Oshii's best movies.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
90th
One of the best examples of quality cyberpunk anime, and THE movie to start with if you're into the genre... A must see for all anime fans
Rated 14 Aug 2007
69
59th
Stylish to a fault, it has moments that overexceed its capacity for storytelling and just buries itself in philosophisms which serve only as filler. Definitely worth viewing, however.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
66
48th
Great animation and a confusing ass storyline.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
75
48th
If you love the Matrix and have not seen this, then you don't know anything abou the matrix. Stunning animation pulls you in, a f-ed up story about how disposable life really is, is what keeps you.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
85
91st
really cool, I wanna see the sequel and soon
Rated 14 Aug 2007
89
73rd
Great anime.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
87
62nd
So sweet. Captivating. Great animation and story (although it was a little confusing the first time through).
Rated 14 Aug 2007
60
23rd
Not as good as I'd hoped it would be.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
56th
Eye candy to be sure, but it's also intelligently written and conceived, and should please cyberheads to no end with it's atmosphere and concepts fleshed out on the screen.
Rated 18 Aug 2007
80
48th
Classic anime.
Rated 19 Aug 2007
85
43rd
Freaky like a train wreck, especially if you've not seen manga before. One of the few manga films I will watch.
Rated 13 Oct 2007
100
96th
My favorite anime movie of all time the animation is great so is the story highly recomend it
Rated 15 Oct 2007
65
26th
blade runer wanna be film
Rated 26 Oct 2007
44
18th
Epic and interesting.
Rated 08 Nov 2007
74
49th
Difficult to get anime, but a good watch nonetheless.
Rated 11 Nov 2007
55
35th
worth experiencing
Rated 12 Nov 2007
90
72nd
naked invisible androids never looked so good
Rated 25 Mar 2008
80
91st
not being a fan of anime myself, i was pleasantly surprised with this. its gloomy overtone, supported with a highly memorable theme song that fits the dystopian future perfectly. the subtext of the story is original and thought provoking, quite a daring move into existantialism by a sci-fi/action anime.
Rated 18 May 2008
90
86th
Charmingly bizarre. Wildassed like only anime is, yet depicting a future that doesn't seem all that farfetched as computers get more and more advanced and human biology gets more and more deconstructed. One truly memorable image -- of The Major making that huge crater on the roof as she jumps upon it
Rated 01 Jun 2008
90
97th
One of my favorite animes. And the sequel is just as awesome!
Rated 03 Jun 2008
75
33rd
nothing really happened in this movie.
Rated 28 Jun 2008
45
12th
I guess I'm just not a fan of anime's.
Rated 29 Sep 2008
85
91st
Animation at it's most intelligent and idea driven. A must see.
Rated 14 Oct 2008
88
52nd
Love main character women.
Rated 27 Nov 2008
60
39th
Overrated!
Rated 09 Dec 2008
100
95th
I love this anime!
Rated 20 Jan 2009
80
65th
Top quality animation, and a plot line out of a top-draw Dystopian novel.
Rated 25 Jan 2009
90
80th
Yup, it's good.
Rated 26 Jan 2009
70
54th
Pff, overrated for an anime movie. There are tons that are better, go watch those!!
Rated 15 Feb 2009
90
43rd
Cool movie. Animation is cool, great feel.
Rated 28 Feb 2009
85
46th
A non-Hollywood (read: intelligent) story, great animation quality. A classic both in anime and sci-fi.
Rated 05 Mar 2009
90
88th
I loove ghost in the shell!
Rated 14 Mar 2009
75
88th
Great animation, especially for 1995. The story wasn't as rich as the series, but with an 82 minute runtime, it does a pretty good job.
Rated 15 Apr 2009
82
46th
Pretty decent anime film. It makes a good attempt at a deeper, more philosophical undertone (though I think it ultimately fails). That said, the animation is pretty good in this one. Worth seeing if you're an anime fan.
Rated 14 May 2009
93
99th
The peak of cyberpunk cinema. The cyborgs feel perfectly cold and distant in every way; from their dull eyes, to their monotone speaking patterns. This film does its best to intentionally alienate you, and it succeeds incredibly well. It takes the philosophical ideas of the genre and delves into them further than most anything else, while still keeping it all relevant to the narrative. On a technical level, the background art is gorgeously detailed, and it has some legendary animation sequences.
Rated 21 May 2009
90
99th
A dark and gritty philosophical Sci-Fi thriller. Probably the best Cyber-Punk movie ever made!
Rated 10 Jun 2009
78
93rd
Great graphics, complex plot. Anime for grown-ups.
Rated 02 Jul 2009
90
88th
Highly cerebral, but also highly entertaining
Rated 20 Jul 2009
2
39th
I can never connect with Oshii's stuff. There are plenty of impressive moments, though.

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