The loss of identity seems to be a recurring theme in many anime films. We have seen it in Akira and Perfect Blue, while in some of the other films peoples identity’s are different then what we expected. This week we watched Ghost in a Shell, a high suspense action and Sci-Fi thriller that deals with some of the most common question asked by humanity: Why am I here? Where did I come from? Where do I go after I die? Unlike other animes we have watched, the themes in Ghost in a Shell are not subtle but very prominent. The whole plot is driven by cyborg Motoko Kusanagi’s desire for answers. Most of the “Major’s” body is mechanized, which allows her to perform super human feats. The Major works for Section 9, a crime deviation that specializes in fighting technology. In the film Section 9 is after a virus/program called the puppet master.
There are many scenes in the film where The Major finds herself asking the same questions as every human does. In many ways this movie is also a question of what makes up a human. Even though The Major is basically a robot, she has a ghost, which is somewhat similar to a soul as far, as I can tell. The movie was very hard to follow at some points, but I did enjoy it over all. There was a fair bit of action, but a great deal more talking then anything else. I am not saying that this took away from the story, but made it feel a little slow at times. This film also shows a future where it is very easy to loose one’s identity because every one is so plugged in to their virtual worlds, as in one point of the film the puppet master actually implants memories into some ones mind.
I agree with you that lots of talking in a movie doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing, nor does it always have to slow down a plot. When I was younger I used to avoid movies with lots of talk rather than action because talk was boring to me. But now that I'm older, I appreciate dialogue-driven movies. The current standard for amazing storytelling through dialogue is last year's "The Social Network." That film was absolutely fantastic, and it's mostly just talking - interesting, ironic, humorous, intellectual talking. Now every time I go to see a movie that will mostly have talking, I compare it to "The Social Network."
ReplyDeleteRegarding your introductory paragraph in this blog post, I used to always ask myself the same questions: "Why am I here?" "Where do I go after I die?" I've concluded that I'm here out of pure randomness. I don't believe people are born and destined for greatness. The universe is random, and through a series of random events, I was born. I really wish there were a place after death, something like a utopian society. It'd be great to live a perfect life after life, but that seems highly unlikely. I'm pretty skeptic, and I rely on science rather than unproven stories. I believe we all die, and that's it. And no one wants to die because it's such a scary thing. To lose everything you've experienced and everyone you've ever known... in just a blink of an eye. It's really scary. Life is a wonderful thing, so one one really wants to lose it.