What was the last movie you've seen?

[prfsnl_gmr]

This'll be the last new one I put here before the 'new-to-me' horror marathon begins in October

YYYYEEEEAAAAHHHH!!!!

It’s almost that time again!

[RCBH928]

should I watch ghost in the shell '95 release or the 2.0 one? there is also 25th anniversary edition

[isiolia]

Might depend on a few things, as it's one of those anime films that hasn't quite had a perfect HD release yet (outside Japan). It's almost like asking what version of Star Wars to track down.

Other than visual quality, the "best" US release is probably still the SE DVD.

2.0 replaces some of the scenes with CGI and regrades a lot of the color. It's not terrible, and does "match" the aesthetic for Innocence, but the original is classic. That said, if you're buying the Blu-ray of that version, it does include a (low quality) copy of the original as well as a special feature. Sort of like how one of the Star Wars DVD releases had laserdisc-sourced copies of the non-Special Editions.

Unlike Star Wars, however, the original version still did get a HD transfer/etc. That 25th Anniversary edition is the (first) release of that in the US. It looks great. Unfortunately, it has poor English subtitles, and the English audio track has some issues as well (odd levels, missing sound effects, etc). It's what's out there to stream, and also what's on that Mondo Steelbook version.

The Japanese BD release apparently has proper subtitles/etc.

Now, all that being said, personally, I'd just say to go watch whatever version is convenient for you. It's a readily available movie for both streaming or purchase, and usually pretty cheap. I'd go with the original rather than 2.0, but it's more an aesthetic change than anything. It's an 82 minute movie. If you end up digging it, rewatching other versions isn't much of a stretch.

On the other hand, there's a lot out there based on the IP, and all of it has its own flavor. The Oshii films are their thing, the manga is different, Arise (prequel OVA) sort of sets up the movies, but is tonally different, and the couple seasons of Stand Alone Complex are a complete alternate take. So, even if you don't love the movie, you may still want to check out more of the property.

[prfsnl_gmr]

In sum...just watch the Scarlett Johannson live action movie to avoid confusion.

[isiolia]

In sum...just watch the Scarlett Johannson live action movie to avoid confusion.

It's a fine enough sci-fi movie, but it's a terrible adaptation of the material.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I thought I might get that reaction. I have a copy on BD, but I haven’t gotten around to watching it yet. Like the Amazon action series starring Jum from The Office, I suspect its pretty good content with a horribly mis-cast lead.

[MrPopo]

Johansson does a great job as the lead. The biggest problem with the movie is that it is telling its own story but has too many callbacks to specific other adaptations. So it ends up satisfying neither an established fan or a new viewer.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Johansson does a great job as the lead. The biggest problem with the movie is that it is telling its own story but has too many callbacks to specific other adaptations. So it ends up satisfying neither an established fan or a new viewer.

Interesting. Basically, the complete opposite of my expectations!

[RCBH928]

In sum...just watch the Scarlett Johannson live action movie to avoid confusion.

I wanted to avoid this because I didn't want to watch the anime then was the movie when its the same story, I don't like watching the same story twice. I was confused if its same IP with different story, or live action movie of the original anime. Aladdin animation '93 and Aladdin film 2019 is exactly the kind of thing I am avoiding.

Guess I will go with the original. It could be me, but I noticed all the Japanese anime English voice tracks are made by the same voice actors. They even have the same tone when speaking. At least the ones from the 90s I have seen were like that.

[isiolia]

Guess I will go with the original. It could be me, but I noticed all the Japanese anime English voice tracks are made by the same voice actors. They even have the same tone when speaking. At least the ones from the 90s I have seen were like that.

That's largely the case, but in fairness, dubs present a lot of challenges above normal voice work. Fitting a reasonably accurate translation into the time and animations established by a different language isn't necessarily straightforward. Kind of why I'd usually pick subtitles. In some cases though, the dub ends up being solid, or it's sort of a moot point due to dubtitles (subtitles that are just a transcription of the dub, rather than an accurate translation - something a number of the Disney released Ghibli movies do, for example).


As mentioned, the live-action GiTS is largely a different thing altogether. The folks making it clearly had seen the previous movies - there are a number of scenes basically recreated in live action, and other smaller references as well. However, what they didn't seem to "get", or at least deem important to recreate, were the actual core themes and characterizations present in every other iteration of the IP. They just sort of wrote their own story, which could have just as easily been a Deus Ex movie, or something else entirely.