Ghost In The Shell: SAC Solid State Society

Label:

MangaUK

Certificate:

15

Format:

DVD & BluRay double pack

Discs:

2

Running time:

Feature 108 minutes, Extras 104 Minutes

Subtitles:

English

Video:

16.9 anamorphic

Sound:

English 2.0, DTS & 5.1, Japanese 2.0, DTS & 5.1.

Release date:

21st May 2012

Price:

£18ish - Amazon - Play

Official synopsis:

The year is 2034, and the face of terrorism has changed. No longer restricted to the limits of the physical world, the war on terror has exploded onto the net. In an attempt to confront this new threat, an elite counter-terrorism and anti-crime unit was formed: Public Security Section 9. Two years have since passed when the team¹s commander: Major Motoko Kusanagi, resigned from her post. After a rash of mysterious suicides Section 9 is forced to confront the Puppeteer, a dangerous hacker with unsurpassed skills. As their investigation of this terrorist threat takes them deeper into the bowels of a potential government conspiracy, Section 9 once again crosses paths with the Major, but is her sudden reappearance more than a coincidence, or is she somehow connected to the Puppeteer? No one is above suspicion in this action-packed continuation of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex saga

Review:

Set in 2034, two years after the end of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd gig, Major Kusanagi has quit Section 9 leaving Togusa to lead the newly expanded team. What begins as an investigation into a string of suicides becomes a case of a deeply entrenched government conspiracy involving the nation’s elderly population and multitudes of kidnapped children. With pressure from above and the surprise reappearance of their old commander, Section 9 discovers that the conspiracy may spread further, and the ultimate mastermind may be closer, than they ever imagined.

Comments:

 While informally known as "Ghost in the Shell 3", and being of feature length and quality, this is not a true follow up to the previous two Ghost in the Shell movies. Instead this production is a continuation of the TV series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex that was spawned from the same source manga as the first two films. As such you don't need to have seen the previous two movies to appreciate this outing but you do need to have seen at least a reasonable chunk of the TV series to be able to keep up. Written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama - Screenplay writer of the acclaimed animated movie Blood: The last vampire and Lead Writer & Director for Eden of the East and both seasons of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society is essentially an episode of the TV series fleshed out to almost two hours long and transplanted to the big screen, with all the extra bells and whistle that entails.

While the second movie, Ghost in the Shell: Innocence, was breathtakingly stunning, it was so busy being "wow" that it forgot what's most important in a good movie, that being interesting characters and a decent plot. With a production budget far smaller than that allowed for Ghost in the Shell: Innocence, Solid State Society had to avoid Innocence's "form over function" mentality, tone back on the visual "wow" factor and try to engage the audience in a little mental exercise.

Of course this isn't to say that the animation is anything less than top notch as you'd be hard pressed to find better for the money anywhere else. Movement is fluid, the colours vibrant, the fight scenes well animated and the integration of the 3D modelling certainly some of the best around. Those familiar to the Ghost in the Shell universe will enjoy the intense action sequences interspersed with meaty discussions of modern morality, politics and philosophy. Lauded anime composer Yoko Kanno (Macross Plus, Cowboy Bebop) once again works wonders with a plethora of new compositions mixed in with a handful of old favourites from the TV series. Ghost in the Shell, in all it's forms, is surely becoming the benchmark by which all future cyberpunk anime should be measured.

While this movie ends with some ambiguity as to the true identity of the mastermind, there's a tantalising number of clues left around to help the observant and eagle eyed amongst the audience to figure out who, or what, was really behind it all. Part of the plot hangs on a possible crisis looming in real-world Japan's near future, which may not be so evident in western culture. Luckily Manga Entertainment have accounted for this and have included a small booklet with this release containing some cultural and historical notes that go some way to help explain these points to the viewer.

So what else have Manga Entertainment brought to the English language version? Well the dub track is one of the better efforts available with most of the vocal cast reunited not just from the TV series but also from the second movie. Many anime dubs fall into the trap of sounding like something that should be on Nick Toons but in this case the cast generally handle their lines with the maturity and the seriousness required for the subject matter. Also included is a whole bucket-load of extras for the fans such as an “Uchikoma Days” short, Japanese trailer, English language production featurette, Making of a Tachikoma Robot featurette and much more.

Summation:

Pros:

A good quality release with plenty of extras for the fans. Though not quite as jaw-droppingly impressive as Ghost in the Shell: Innocence in the eye candy stakes it more than makes up for this with the plot.

Cons:

Ultimately a movie for the established fans. If you've not been following the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex TV series then this movie will make very little sense. With most anime retailers, both high street and online, currently selling the Season 1 & 2 box-sets for greatly discounted prices, now’s a great time to get up to speed with what is easily one of the best anime series of the 21st century.

Ghost In The Shell: SAC Solid State Society will be available from most high streets and online retailers from 21st May 2012.