Ghost In The Shell (2017) - Well, Memories...

★★★☆☆

‘Ghost In The Shell’ is supposed to be deep and thought-provoking like everybody expects but as the 1995’s animation film doesn’t strike me much after all, I don’t expect this live-action version to be any better. Turns out it’s not! The setup is pretty plain and understandable. There’s nothing that would make you have to scratch your head. It’s, no doubt, visually satisfying, but the action sequences are nothing fresh or stunning to me. Most people are unhappy with it lacking metaphysical approaches. Well, I guess it’s not that they don't want to do it. It’s just that the director or scriptwriters are somehow not so capable of putting up a philosophical treat. If you like some stunning effects in the futuristic Hong Kong, the film won’t let you down. But if you expect anything more than that, it may not be a good idea!

It’s repeatedly said that ‘we cling to memories as if they define us but they don’t. What we do is what defines us’. The film nonetheless, seems to say the opposite. Dr. Ouelet risks her life to protect Major’s memories. Major is dying to find out who she really is. Why? It’s because memories are indeed what defines us. We do what we do because of our memories that have great influences on our actions. They’re what we’ve learned and kept in our mind, experiences so to speak. If wiped clean, we won’t be who we are. Memories shape our characters. They determine how we act and react to circumstances, and also how we look at the world and ourselves. They’re in fact the ‘ghost in the shell’ that fools us into believing that we have existed. The saddest thing is, it’s not what we think it is as always. Memories are powerful and stubborn yet they’re not real at all. That says we’re not real either!