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Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence in Theaters

Lord Prox writes "The long wait is over, the sequel to Ghost In The Shell is here in theaters!. Titled Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence for the US market and seems to be available in a reasonably wide distribution for anime. There is also a trailer available."

48 of 298 comments (clear)

  1. how's it ? by mirko · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Seems that people like it (7.1/10 on IMDb) but its plot line sounds like some "I, Robot".
    So, is it worth it, besides the Geek Factor ?

    --
    Trolling using another account since 2005.
    1. Re:how's it ? by deathcloset · · Score: 4, Funny

      Besides the Geek Factor? What else is there besides the Geek Factor? :)

    2. Re:how's it ? by brainstyle · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The critical consensus isn't quite so strong, although some of the better known critics seem to like it quite a bit. The people I know who've seen it all described it as boring, but with some nice eye candy. Sky Captain, on the other hand - this, I'm excited about.

      --
      "Why can't everyone just be straight with me?"
      "Because we live in a bendy world, dear."
    3. Re:how's it ? by Gyorg_Lavode · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I don't know about this movie as I obviously haven't seen it but the first one could easily be characterized as just another robot type story. It would be a signifigant injustice as the first movie did a very good job at addressing, (though not conclusively answering), questions about where the line between man and machine blurs.

      --
      I do security
    4. Re:how's it ? by Conspiracy_Of_Doves · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I didn't think "I, Robot" was that bad. They just shouldn't have tried to associate it with Isaac Azimov. Apparently the original title of the script was "Hardwired". They should have kept it that way.

    5. Re:how's it ? by ricotest · · Score: 5, Interesting

      You should check out this IMDB board posting.

      Apparently there were 'massive walkouts at the Cannes' and a 30% Rotten Tomatoes rating (which is very bad). I quote:

      The common complaint among critics is that while the movie is beautiful, it is souless with too much technological mumbo jumbo and not enough likable characters. The story is said to be at once extremely convaluted and boring with action sequences too far between and countless uniteresting quotes form philosophers or the bible hindering the story.

      So althought it saddens me to say this, it really doesn't look like it's worth checking out. That said, everyone is different, and this is just the critics' opinion.

    6. Re:how's it ? by MooCows · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The common complaint among critics is that while the movie is beautiful, it is souless with too much technological mumbo jumbo and not enough likable characters. The story is said to be at once extremely convaluted and boring with action sequences too far between and countless uniteresting quotes form philosophers or the bible hindering the story.

      This for is the exact reason I'm going to see it..
      I don't mind action movies, but I'd really like some SF other than another Alien movie or the Star Wars prequels.

      Of course, this movie might not be good, but they should at least give a good reason for it.. not just "boring" or "not enough likeable characters".

      --
      The path I walk alone is endlessly long.
      30 minutes by bike, 15 by bus.
    7. Re:how's it ? by BJH · · Score: 3, Informative

      Note that GitS:SAC and the original GitS movie are alternative stories - they're not part of a continuous timeline.

    8. Re:how's it ? by dep01 · · Score: 5, Funny

      oh no! there's not enough action sequences? and a story you have to pay attention to!? what will american audiences do!?!?

      --
      "hey, could you pass me a paper towel? er.. I mean... DEPLOY ABSORBTION PANEL!"
    9. Re:how's it ? by May+Kasahara · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Shouldn't matter, especially since the source material is usually better than the movie version anyway. And there's plenty of films which one can thoroughly enjoy without having read the source material (book, comic, manga, etc.) at all-- Akira and the recent X-Men movies being prime examples. Movies are separate media altogether, and they should be judged as self-contained works first, before comparing them to the originals.

      At any rate, Oshii is infamous for infusing others' manga works with his own sensibilities (see Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer for a non-GitS example). Unfortunately, Oshii's recent work-- despite the marvelous animation-- tends to be boring as all hell. This is why I couldn't make it all the way through the first GitS movie, and why I have no plans on seeing this sequel.

    10. Re:how's it ? by doom · · Score: 2, Funny
      And the review in the local San Francisco Bay Guardian Substance Abuse, says:
      the average moviegoer (even one who liked I, Robot) is bound to find Innocence unbearably pretentious and boring. But mileage for those who are perhaps pretentious and boring themselves may vary.
      Which makes it sound like my kind of movie.
    11. Re:how's it ? by Steve+Franklin · · Score: 2

      I found neither Avalon nor GITS incomprehensible. Neither did I find the first 4 episodes of the TV series incomprehensible. Oshii's other live action films are a bit obscure, but we weren't talking about those. The fact that something is deep enough to stand rewatching doesn't make it incomprehensible on the first watching. Unless of course you just don't want to think at all. That level of mindlessness is not my idea of entertainment, though it might help you get into a Zen monestary.

      --
      Hic iacet Arthurus, rex quondam rexque futurus.
  2. Innocence in Theaters by wiredog · · Score: 4, Funny

    Not since I was about 12...

    1. Re:Innocence in Theaters by Pentagram · · Score: 2, Funny

      I read it as

      Ghost in the Shell 2: Incontinence in Theaters

      I was thinking, what? Does the soundtract include infrasound?

  3. Showtimes near you since yahoo sux0rs by Astrorunner · · Score: 4, Informative
  4. Interesting title by Mr+Guy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence in Theaters

    With those nightvision goggles they handed out, there's going to be a lot more "Innocence in Theaters". Poor kids, now where are preteens going to get their first make out session?

  5. Well that sucks... by Blue-Footed+Boobie · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I was all excited about getting to see this in a theatre, but no...closest to my is NYC and that is over 500 miles away. Gah! Hopefully it will do well and more theatres will pick it up.

    --
    DAMN YOU OCTODOG! DAMN YOU TO HELL!
  6. How about quoting the title. by yecrom2 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Looking at the way it's worded, I thought it was something about a new game called

    "Ghost in the shell 2: Innocence in Theaters"

    Do you have to go do a confession in a theater to become innocent again?

    Oh, well.

  7. Looks good by frankthechicken · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I only had one problem with Ghost in the Shell (and Ninja Scrolls) in that they were the first two pieces of anime I was introduced to, and everything else seems to pale in comparison (with a couple of notable exceptions).

    However from watching the trailer, I have a feeling that I am really going to enjoy this sequel. It looks like a great deal of time and effort has gone into the style and visuals.

    1. Re:Looks good by meringuoid · · Score: 3, Interesting
      Am I the only person in the world who thought that Ninja Scroll sucked?

      It never seemed to know what it wanted to be. At times it seemed to want to break out the tentacles o' doom and go full scale hentai, and then later on (with the fight in the forest) it tries the Crouching Tiger approach. If it was one or the other maybe it would have worked, but as it was it seemed terribly uneven. And that ending bit on the ship... T2, anybody?

      I gather that the BBFC made some nasty cuts to it, though... perhaps that damaged it.

      Ghost in the Shell, OTOH, is wonderful. When I first saw it, I was filled with wonder at the originality and creativity of the Wachowski brothers, who hadn't shamelessly ripped off the whole film at all.

      --
      Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
  8. seen it last nite by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    the animation is AMAZING, if you liked the first ghost in the shell movie or the tv series then this is a must see, although it is a must see for the animation alone.

    loved it, recommend it

  9. Hehe... by FrostedWheat · · Score: 2, Interesting

    From Yahoo's website:

    Mozilla 1.7 Upgrade Required - MSIE / Netscape

    What ever happened the concept of downloading a video, and watching it.

  10. Beware the Otaku! by YetAnotherName · · Score: 5, Funny

    Those of you who aren't otaku may want to bring noseplugs to the theater, as such folk, nice though they may be, aren't known for their personal hygiene.

    Oh and before you think I'm baiting/trolling/etc., I am an otaku too ... fear me cosplay Sailor Moon, as I've just had my chest waxed! ^_^

  11. Soundtrack by Gyorg_Lavode · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Also, the soundtrack to Ghost in the Shell: Innocence is wonderful. I have the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex O.S.T. 1 CD and it was so good I decided to see about the other ones. Innocence is also excellent. The original is quieter, slower. SAC OST 2 is good also but SAC OST 1 and Innocence really stand out. I recommend them to anyone who liked the atmosphere created by the music of the original movie.

    --
    I do security
  12. Blarg by transient · · Score: 5, Funny
    There is also a trailer available.

    Not anymore.

    --

    irb(main):001:0>
  13. warning: spoilers below by GillBates0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    bash$ ps -aux |grep gsview

    USER PID %CPU %MEM VSZ RSS TTY STAT START TIME COMMAND
    root 1009 0.0 0.0 1384 448 ? S Sep14 0:10 gsview

    bash$ kill -9 1009

    --
    An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
  14. GITS2:Innocence available on p2p by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I downloaded the latest Ghost In The Shell movie from a little-known BitTorrent site yesterday, and after watching it, I was blown away--far better than the original. In fact, I was so blown away that I'll be paying for the theater experience to see it again and pray that there aren't any cellphone fuckers, crying babies, loud talkers, or sticky floors to piss me off.

    And to all of you anal-retentive copyright-lovers who are thinking "you don't have the right to 'sample' a movie before deciding if it's worth the money! especially if its precious anime!", I have this to say: "when 90% of everything is crap, i most certainly have the right to screen it, and neither should I have to rent it or see it aired on TV before I decide the artistic value merits my dollars as a reward to make more."

    1. Re:GITS2:Innocence available on p2p by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      """"neither should I have to rent it or see it aired on TV before I decide the artistic value merits my dollars as a reward to make more.""""

      gimme gimme gimme. fucking kids today thing they're entitled to everything.

    2. Re:GITS2:Innocence available on p2p by yamcha666 · · Score: 4, Insightful
      ...copyright-lovers who are thinking "you don't have the right to 'sample' a movie before deciding if it's worth the money! especially if its precious anime!", I have this to say...

      ...Especially if its not being played in any theaters near you. Looking at IMDB's show times, the nearest theater from me is 180 miles away.

      I think this movie deserves better theater release. But until movie makers give proper movies better coverage, I think I will find other means of getting my entertainment.

    3. Re:GITS2:Innocence available on p2p by torokun · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "i most certainly have the right to screen it . . ."

      Actually, you don't. I understand your badly wanting to, but you don't have any right to.

      It's a bargain between you and the producers, not optional charity from you to the producers.

    4. Re:GITS2:Innocence available on p2p by Skjellifetti · · Score: 3, Insightful

      90% of US beer tastes like crap. Do you believe you have the right to steel a beer in order to try it before deciding whether to buy a six-pack?

    5. Re:GITS2:Innocence available on p2p by bludstone · · Score: 2, Insightful

      No, but if i could make copies of beer without tarnishing the original, or removing the original from the owners hands, you better believe that everyone I know would be getting drunk off their asses.

      --

      no .sig
  15. GITS2 by fistoflegend · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I think this might be a pretty worthwhile film. I liked the first one, but I didn't think it was as great as fanboys make it out to be. I think this one will be a little different.

    I don't think this will be "I, Robot" animated. The fact that the robot in GITS2 is a "gynoid", seems to point to a slightly darker, and more mature plot.

    Of note is the fact that GITS2 is nominated for the Palme D'Or at the Cannes film festival. It is the first animated film to achieve that.

    I also think that this movie will be more in tune with westerners vision of what a sci-fi film should be. Apparently it is quite an intelligent film, but the ideas may be more palatable to mainstream America than many other popular anime films.

    I probably won't be able to see it in theaters, but I will definitely pick up the DVD.

    There is a very nice write up on the film on Wired
    http://wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,64966,00.htm l

    ,

  16. Major gone?? by celerityfm · · Score: 2, Funny

    "With the major gone, can Bateau stop the carnage?"

    NoOOOOooOoooOoOOoo!?!

    --
    ...unfortunately no one can be told what The Mat^H^H^HGoatse is...they must experience it for themselves...
  17. I need more coffee by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I first read that as "Goatse In the Shell" in theatres.

    You can be sure I didn't visit THAT trailer!

  18. Ghost in the shell? by thomasj · · Score: 3, Funny
    [user@localhost user]$ echo $BASH_VERSION
    3.01-gs.0-beta
    [user@localhost user]$ type ghostview
    ghostview is a shell builtin
    [user@localhost user]$

    Hmm

    --
    :-) = I am happy
    :^) = I am happy with my big nose
    C:\> = I am happy with my OS
  19. Toronto Film Festival by flatface · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I was able to see this amazing movie at the Toronto Film Festival on the 9th. The Ryerson theatre was packed-- About 1100 (out of 1200 capacity) people attended it. This is the best movie that I have seen in years, and I recommend anyone who is or isn't an anime fan to see it. It was worth my $18 + 2 hour drive to see it.

  20. Worth a view by Platinum+Dragon · · Score: 4, Informative

    I had a chance to see GitS2:I at the Toronto International Film Festival last week. I'll need to see it again before I can properly critcize or praise it (I was a bit stoked about just having the chance to see it), but my first impressions are that it is visually stunning.

    I don't know how the storyline or certain philosophical aspects of the script will be taken by North American audiences (it's practically Confucian at times), but there were some moments of genuine humour that I think the first movie lacked. The animation style is interesting, and it looks damn good. One person who saw the movie with me said she was hooked by the animation in the trailer, which stunned her. She works at an animation company, so she has some idea of quality animation versus crap.

    Yeah. Worth a view, maybe two!

    --

    Someday, you're going to die. Get over it.
  21. useful links anybody? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    since TFS didn't mention any:

    GITS2 Home page
    Original HQ Japanese Trailer
    Official Trailer for Gaijin, already stripped of the engrish "my very warm welcome to you for this most excellent trailer. I like to live life to the fullest!" headers.

  22. Re:What was so great about Ghost in the Shell 1 ? by Masami+Eiri · · Score: 5, Informative
    Its hard to explain, but I'll take a shot.
    The movie's core theme was about what makes us human. Motoko and Batou were both cyborgs (meaning that the only biological part left was the brain), Togusa was fully human (may have had data jacks though, been a while), most of the rest of Section 9 were cyborgs (though not to the degree of Motoko and Batou), and the Puppetmaster was a computer program. All were fully sentient, so the question remains, what makes one human?
    Togusa was the only fully alive in a biological sense... but Motoko sure looked human enough. So, if instead, human is defined as having a human form, then we have Motoko and Batou. However, this then would include androids (dolls in GitS2)... and was the Puppetmaster not sentient? If he (she, it?) was sentient... should it be counted as alive despite lacking a biological body?
    Basically, where does Human end, and Human-replica begin?

    I hope that didn't just end up being more confusing...

  23. Review: Ghost in the Shell 2 by feelafel · · Score: 4, Informative

    I had the pleasure of seeing Ghost in the Shell 2 : Innocence at a midnight screening at the Toronto International Film Festival along with about 1200 other people who all fit nicely into the "anime geek" demographic. The director wasn't there for a Q&A, which was sad, because after seeing the film I definitely had some Qs for which the As would have been interesting.

    The movie takes place some intederminate amount of time after Ghost in the Shell, and the Major's partner, Batou, has become something of a loner within Section 9. He feels that no new partner could ever equal the Major, and you really get the sense of the deep bond that had connected the two, and that he has lost. Of course, the fact that the Major's "ghost" simply disappeared without a trace is always itching at him, as well.

    The movie opens with Batou showing up at a crime scene where a "Gynoid" has slaughtered her owner and two cops. A fight ensues, and before it ends, Batou hears the "Gynoid" ask for help in the voice of a little girl.

    Section 9 decides to investigate, and Batou is assigned a new partner. The movie follows their investigation in pretty standard 3-act style, but the universe that the characters are moving through makes things a little more complicated. Everyone has an "e-brain" which is constantly connected to the global information net. Our characters spout obscure biblical and literal references, and more disturbingly, can have their heads hacked into if they're not paying attention closely. This frequently spurrs "Matrix"-like discussions and situations where characters are trying to determine what is real and what isn't. Batou's investigations take him to the modern Yakuza, an old border town, and eventually to the source of the plea for help he hears at the start of the movie.

    But that's the plot, which adds to the enjoyment of anime, but isn't neccessarily all that requisite, right? Let's talk about the other stuff that matters: the animation, and the imaginary future society.

    It rocks. There's an effective combination of computer animation and classic anime that causes some breathtaking moments (watch the alley scene at the beginning). The fights are fantastic, although I felt a little too few and far between. The futuristic world is well thought out, with a visual design being of a modern technological world that has gone 1920s-retro when it comes to industrial design and architecture.

    It's definitely worth seeing if you like anime.

  24. Pee-Wee Herman by buzban · · Score: 2, Funny

    At the risk of trolling :P

    Am I the only one who read the 'Innocence in Theaters' part of the headline...and had a whole different idea about this story?

  25. Better trailer? by delus10n0 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Ok:

    1) I hate Yahoo for putting very low kbps WMV trailers on the net.

    2) The trailer itself is very cheesy/lame-- how is this supposed to appeal to anyone but die hard Ghost in the Shell fans?

    3) Did I mention Yahoo's movie trailers suck?

    --
    Not All Who Wander Are Lost
  26. What is it with these Frankenstein plots? by TheNarrator · · Score: 2, Insightful
    From looking at the trailer this looks like another Frankenstein plot. Mad scientist creates artificial human, artificial human has problems. Same plot in Blade Runner, etc. Can't anyone think of any new Sci-fi plots already?

    Frankenstein returns 1163 matches on IMDB so I think this qualifies as a cliche. Take a look at the plot summary of the original if you don't believe this is in the same tradition.

    Tagline: A Monster Science Created - But Could Not Destroy! Plot Outline: Frankenstein creates a true android from dead human parts, but it gets out of his control and gets into trouble
  27. Re:This is all well and good by tuffy · · Score: 2, Insightful
    but what happened to Appleseed? The last I heard, it had a North American distribution deal, but not a peep since.

    Geneon has the license and it was supposed to be released to theaters this summer, but obviously that hasn't happened. The North American release date is still unknown. But the film is only 5 months old, so one shouldn't get too worried about it just yet.

    --

    Ita erat quando hic adveni.

  28. TiVo killed the sitcom star... by Thud457 · · Score: 3, Funny
    I fail to see how you intend to base a whole reality TV show upon biting the heads off of chickens.

    That might make one decent gross-out stunt, but a whole show?!!!

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  29. 47 Theaters by slaad · · Score: 2, Informative

    ...seems to be available in a reasonably wide distribution for anime.

    This seems to be 47 theaters, still a disappointing low number.

    --


    ~Warning!~ The above is encrypted using rot676!
  30. I came, I saw, it kicked ass! by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 2, Informative

    I just got through watching the premier at the Embarcaro in SF and this is one of the rare sequels to live up to the original. Definitely a thinking mans movie with some serious eye candy. All I can say is AMAZING.

    If you take your action/sci-fi Hollywood-style and find dialogue/plot to be boring, then this is not the movie for you.

    To me, this movie is on a level on par with Blade Runner. The world they create in this movie is extremely rich the story is engaging and thought provoking -- they took all the elements of GS:1 and raised it to a new level. I'm definitely hoping for a 3rd installment by the same producers.