Ghost in the Shell

I know anyone who likes anime or is interested in it and knows of Ghost In The Shell's reputation is looking at my score and thinking I'm a contrarian ass sitting on a high horse, trying to convince the world that something with near universal praise is bad. I promise, I'm not trying to "WeLl AcKsHuAlLy" you about this. I recognize Ghost In The Shell is an achievement in animation. But I'm not also not going to say this landed with me as much as it did for others. Or even as much as I wanted it to. I don't even have a glaring criticism of the movie. I like the idea of the concepts its exploring -- themes of identity and self, what defines a person as a person. The animation is stunning, and even though the CGI is old, it works within the context of the movie. The plot is perhaps a bit murky and not really allowed to fully spread its wings, but it isn't ruined by that. I even sort of admire that the climactic showdown in the movie isn't guns and explosions but a debate. It's transgressive in a way I can appreciate; it feels like the right way to go without feeling like the creators were trying to get one over on me. But for some reason I can't put my finger on, this just didn't land for me like I was expecting. For the vaunted reputation it has, I was expecting something like Akira or Vampire Hunter D, a landmark movie that would leave me breathless, and instead I felt like it was one of the many in a crowded landscape of 90's cyberpunk thrillers. I'm not saying it IS that, but I didn't get anything from it that made it stand apart from the crowd. Maybe that's my fault for expecting something amazing. Maybe you should go in with lowered expectations. Or maybe don't listen to me at all. All I know is, I expected to watch one of the greatest animes of all time, and instead I walked away with the feeling that the title described the movie perfectly.