Ghost in the Shell (2017) Opening

Ghost in the Shell (1995) is one of my favorite films of all time; despite the fact I am not a crazy huge fan of the other films in its sub genre (i.e. Blade Runner). However, I do not feel comfortable talking about the opening sequence of the original anime because of how much nudity is in it – seriously, it’s a lot. In comparison to the newer American live action adaptation which released in 2017, the openings are very similar; with the main differences between the two being the style (as in animation vs live action) and how much nudity is shown. That being said, while I highly recommend the 1995 original, I’ll analyze the recent American live action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell solely because it is less weird for me to have on my blog and discuss at moderate length.

For starters, let’s talk about the editing – as it is the easiest to talk about in this opening. The shots are about an average length, giving the audience a chance to see what is happening without compromising their sanity. A large portion of it is done in CG so that’s also something.

The sound in the opening is very ominous. The score gives a sense of unknown territory (but the original does it better) and does not allow for any other sound to be mixed with it.

The cinematography shows every aspect of what’s happening with a myriad of mid shots, long shots, and close ups. This is show the audience sees a lot of what is going on, but since they don’t understand it they are intrigued.

The mise-en-scene (ya know, my shit) is what I am most interested it. We see The Major (that is what the robot lady who is being built is called) being build in a very ominous location. The white, viscous, fluid that coats her body as she rising to the surface symbolizes a rebirth of sorts and the purity associated with it; which is then removed almost immediately to show her skin – showing that she is not innocent. The character design with the seems on her face and body show that she is artificial. This shows that shit is scientific, but the audience does not understand why she is being created or what each part does.

These four aspects make a opening that shows the mysteries of technology and were it will lead us (without the context of the rest of the movie which if you haven’t seen the original watch it you nematode, it is deadass free on Youtube.)