GITS 2.0 is an unnecessary mess by comparison; a film that seeks to unify the worlds of GITS and Innocence, two films that exist on different planes. 2.0 is a huge step backward for the integration of CGI and hand-drawn images. Innocence’s convenience store scene was an extremely successful use of the stylistic shift from Batou’s perceived vision and the reality of what actually took place in the store. So in 2.0 when we get knock-offs of SAC’s opening sequence whenever is seems like it might be “pretty” to do so, it strikes an empty chord.

The orange interfaces fit the warm aesthetic of Innocence and some of that film’s nostalgic sensibilities (old-timey cars, cop partners on the beat, etc). The green computer interfaces of GITS lent it to have a colder more mechanical feel, more distinctly and definitively cyberpunk. To “warm-up” GITS in 2.0 is standing in total contrast to the aesthetic of the hand-drawn animation and moody synthetic tone that makes up the bulk of the film.

Having said all this, I thought I’d at least give the English dub a try with this version, though I don’t know if I’ve ever watched that version before. Nonetheless, the dub is embarrassing. I don’t care if all the audio has been remastered and I can hear bullet’s from behind, this dub is trash. Why go through all the work of an audio remaster if the default language setting still remains so horribly acted.

Needless to say, 2.0 not only holds up poorly in comparison to the original and on its own is a less successful film, but as an “update” in 2008/9 it shows no real progress. In a film about a future wold and humans’ relationships with technology, this is an absolute crime. Avoid this shallow cash-grab.

The scene in the end where the strange feather creature was replaced by a flowing river of light indicating data made that scene so much clearer. And after the first few minutes, the occasional visual differences of the CGI versus the retouched hand drawn cels didn’t bother me.

I think the UI designs were a bit overflowing, but that’s the point: in contrast with the person above who states the original look ” provides much clearer tactical information, and only the information required” I think the 3D superclutter indicated the reality of tactical maps; the information doesn’t need simplification for cyber-brain people. In fact , they need as much data as possible about the environment in case the suspect were to go in an unexpected direction. This was an artistic choice to to go towards “in world” realism, and it made sense. Not to mention that much of the UI and environment redesigns tied the film closer in visual chronology to Innocence.

I hate to be a dissenter here, but I think this “upgrade” edition really does go against the grain of “special editions kill films” and proves that films can now be improved like the final draft of a novel, in the multimedia sense. In the end, I think the changes won’t diminish the original, but were definitely a nice addition.

Of course, I really want to see more Ghost in the Shell films/series anyway.

It’s got Oshii’s pinpoint accuracy. Everything that is on the frame… is all that needs to be on the frame. I’ll write about this on length as a blog post soon… It’s something that’s been festering on my mind.