Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

It is rare to see an honest-to-goodness Japanese Anime actually hit the theaters, even these days, when it has almost become a socially-acceptable art-form and a rateable addition to the film industry. Far sadder though, than a still rigid and skeptical population unwilling to even consider going out to watch or even rent a "violent cartoon," is the fact that Innocence has been unable to garner what it could have had the industry squeaked its margins just a little bit and provided more than just a scattered few theaters across the US in which to show the film, then not done such a horrible job on putting together the American release of the DVD. If you were one of those people lucky enough to see it in theaters, go out and rent the movie; you'll see what I mean.

In Japan, "Innocence" was an incredible success, and was quickly ported to DVD, with a television series, "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" running simultaneously. Here in the states, it has received incredible reviews; its content is deep, complex, and meaningful in a way that transcends most of the "fun" action films with minimal plot lines that are cranked out en masse and seemingly without end by illustrious Hollywood.

The soundtrack is stirring, the voice acting is intense, direct, and bang-on with the animation, which is incredible in its own right. Visually, Innocence is as stunning as the original Ghost in the Shell film released in 1995 was and then some; the flawless integration of digital effects is incredible, seamless, and perfect in a way that blows the mind and leaves you tripping over both the visuals and the twisted, highly philosophical storyline.

In all, nothing quite compares to the experience of seeing such an original, beautiful, stunning, and thoughtful film on the big screen; even if anime is not your thing, Innocence stands alone as a great film, one of the very few, if not the only movie capable of carrying all the cyberpunk glory that made the first film so popular among movie goers while still keeping a firm grip on what really matters. It's an incredible addition to the film industry, but I fear it's just another stepping stone in the path that leads toward the theatrical releases of great, mature-audience-oriented animes in both the near and distant future.

Rating: A
This film is rated. PG 13