Live action never looked this professional, From the director of Snow White and the Huntsman, and The Life, Rupert Sanders’ newest film, a reboot of the classic manga and anime Ghost in the Shell, takes place in the future where cybernetic enhancements are the mainstream quality of life. The movie features the beautiful Scarlett Johansson as the Major, a highly skilled killing machine, fighting terrorism and her own memories throughout the film. The main reason the movie did so poorly, was because of a reasonably known problem involving racial differences, especially in regards to the lead actor.

In response to the whitewashing controversy of the movie, there aren’t many female actors that can get the attention of a film quite like Scarlett Johansson, If there was a more popular Asian actor to fill the role, the lead actor would have been changed, but Johansson plays the role quite admirably.The special effects  within The Major’s fight scenes were brilliant; however they drew attention away from the core story.

What this movie really needed was a more experienced director. Although Sanders did a good job, I feel like there could have been a better person with improved qualifications and more experience with the original anime to truly capture the history and magic of The Ghost in the Shell.  

Although this film does not cater to the long loving fans of the anime, it pleases the eyes with it’s bright colors and fluid action. The ten million dollar budget spared no costs in fine acting and excellent special effects. The actors played their roles well, but besides all of that, the story melted into another copy of the Bourne Legacy. I rate it 4.5/10, would watch again for the aesthetic, but I wouldn’t pay movie theatre price just to watch it again.