Ghost In The Shell 2 - Innocence (2004/Manga/Madman Entertainment Blu-ray Import)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: C+ Film: C+
PLEASE NOTE: This Blu-ray edition is only available
in the U.K.
from our friends at Madman Entertainment and can be ordered from them at the
website address links provided below at the end of the review or at finer retailers. This is a Region Free/All Region Blu-ray, but
note that the supplements are in Standard Definition PAL format, so U.S. players
may not be able to play those sections.
Cover image © 2004 Shirow Masamune / KODANSHA IG. ITNDDTD.
As a set
of features and a series, the Ghost In
The Shell franchise has been one of Anime’s most successful. That includes the very first film being
reissued in a 2.0 version that inserted (sloppily) computer animation with the
original hand-drawn work that made it a classic. Our more enthusiastic Anime critics covered
it on Blu-ray at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9357/Ghost+In+The+Shell+2.0+(Manga/Anc
However,
there is a real sequel to the film that is not much better than the original
and borrows too much from other films in the Science Fiction genre called Ghost In The Shell 2 – Innocence (2004)
and takes place in 2032 as so many robots exist that the line between these
creations and humans has blurred no unlike today where everyone seems to be
connected to some cell phone.
There is
a hunter of the rogue versions and the makers seem determined to try and catch
up with the original Akira (reviewed
elsewhere on this site) in design, detail and style, but the problem is that
this is everything we have seen before and it quits while it is ahead at 100
minutes. Hand drawn work is mixed with
computer animation, but as usual to me, the mix never mixes well and this is no
exception.
It is
also very talky in any language and I found nothing new, so unless you are a
diehard fan of Anime and this franchise, you will likely be bored.
The 1080p
1.78 X 1 image was created entirely in the High Definition digital graphics
world despite the hand drawn elements.
It can look good, but would look much better if the makers did not
insist on the tired stylizing look that involves purposely making the frame
slightly blurry with bright white. It
holds its own often, yet that choice makes playback inconsistent throughout,
intended or not. The DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) lossless 5.1 mix shows the limits on the still-decent sounding DTS-ES
theatrical release, but the sound is well recorded, music score decent and
soundfield on the consistent side.
Extras
are two standard definition featurettes (a making of piece and on-camera
director interview) in the PAL format (possibly shot in NTSC, though) only
Blu-ray players with analog PAL capacities will be able to play, though some
U.S. machines might still get Japanese language, though ironically there are
English subtitles that will still show on machines with those limits. There is also a director’s commentary which
is not bad and no problem at all.
As noted
above, you can order this Blu-ray import exclusively from Madman at:
https://www.madman.com.au/actions/channel.do?method=view
-
Nicholas Sheffo
