Before i go in to the review i will say that i've been a fan of Masamuni Shirou, the author of Ghost in the Shell and his other sci-fi gems, all the way back to the early 90's. I still have the 8 issues of the Dark Horse translated version of Ghost in the Shell somewhere in my house. So for those of you who haven't read the manga, it can be incredibly complex dealing from not just technology but also philosophy and politics which was missing from the movie. So the question is was it good?

Ghost in the Shell.

Ghost in the shell (GitS) is an adaptation if the anime (i'm going to say anime and not the manga here). And like most Hollywood adaptations, certain parts of the source material is usually changed to allow those who have not read/watched the source material to jump into a whole new world, especially since it's a complex one like GitS. That itself is where the movie crumbles apart from it's weak foundation where the the focus of the story in both the manga, shifts from it's vibrant complexed characters and world to focusing on the Major played by scarlet Johansson.

It starts of with the Major being the first successful, full bodied cyborg who is then drafted into section 9 (a black ops unit) run by a Japanese speaking section chief; Aramaki played by Takeshi Kitano. Some of you may remember him in many japanese gangster movies where he's usually typecast as the cold bad ass gangster boss (some may remember his in that funny variety show Takeshi's castle). In GitS, Kitano is once again typecasted to play the cold but bad ass gangster / section chief which is a curious choice considering that there wasn't much development of his character or any of the other characters in section 9 that include Batou and Togusa. They felt more like a facsimile in terms of appearence only and were more of a throwaway character than anything else. And whats up with the horrible haircuts? (Yes i'm looking at you Aramaki, what's with the wolverine haircut?) Which brings us to where it went horribly wrong with the movie.

One of the best things about the movie is, they've recreated colourful vision of the future. From up above the sky as the camera pans through colourful neon holograms that brightening the night life, while under all that there's the seedier side of things aka the slums. There is a certain division of equality in the the world as seen though the movies' vision of the world. However by the end of the whole movie, you'd notice that was this was more about style over substance. GitS tries hard to emulate it the raw action and look of japanese styled anime. In fact many scenes were being copied from the anime itself which is seemed lazy. Why bother to change the story and then ripoff the visuals from the anime?

The plot, while seemed underwhelming, did give us a glimpse of who the Major was before she was turned into a full cyborg which is interesting considering that the Major, in both the manga and anime, always had a mysterious background. Perhaps this was where it should have run, a new story immersed in a rich world, instead hanging on by the thread with its source material

Basically Ghost in the Shell (2017) was a dumbed down version of the both the manga and anime, which is understandable considering the its run time was 2 hours. GitS is definately not made for the fan however it's also a very weak introduction of GitS to newer audiences.

P.S. Why did motor bike scene remind me of Aeon Flux?

Birth of the dragon

The movie, Birth of the dragon, is yet another Bruce Lee inspired movie from Hollywood.

The movie centers itself on the fight which sets Bruce Lee, staring Philip Ng (you may recognize him from martial arts movie in HK) as the legend, against Wong Jack Man which will be the turning point where Bruce Lee sees that martial he trains in is limited and eventually goes of to found Jeet Kun Do. Phillip Ng does an ok job impersonating Bruce Lee however those of you who are fans' of the legend my not like this movie as Bruce Lee is portrayed as a brash, arogant, uncaring person who places his ambition over everything else. The story take place during the 60's when Bruce Lee was still teaching Wing chun in Chinatown.

That being said, the story does not take place behind the eyes of Bruce Lee but for Steve Mckee, his student who will brings them both Bruce Lee and his rival Wong Jack Man against each other and together against the triad. The story isn't the greatest point in the movie. The plot is simple, boy meets girl type scenario with plenty of action thrown together. Lets admit this everyone, the only reason to watch a Bruce Lee movie is for the action. The actions scenes are great and are choreographed by Corey Yuen, which is the only thing saving the movie from being mediocre.

Is it worth watching this movie? Yes, if you're in it for the action. No if you're a Bruce Lee fanboy.