Film Analyses
Comparing the Hollywood “Ghost in the Shell” to the Original “Ghost in the Shell 1995”
Ghost in the shell was originally manga that was adapted to a Japanese animation film in 1995 which focused on ideas like connected to the cyberpunk movement and the connection between humans and robots. This was made into a live action Hollywood remake in 2017 with the main character being played by Scarlet Johannsson which was poorly received by a global audience. The remake and the original film share the same plot and underlying messages; however, they have chosen to represent the concepts differently with an overall different vibe.
The plot revolves around the main character, Motoko Kusanagi or Mira Killian (in the Hollywood remake), who has a fully prosthetic body that has been enhanced to fight crime in this highly technologized world. A difference between the two versions that is established from the beginning is that the original main character has been raised as a “robot” from childhood meanwhile the main character in the remake is made into a robot after an accident. The main villain is essentially the same in both versions, a failed project entitled “Project 2501” creates a life form who can hack into computerized minds and alter their memories as well as control them. However, a key difference between the “Puppet Master” in the original and “Kuze” in the remake is that the main character has a personal relationship with Kuze while Puppet Master and Motoko have no ties to each other.
It is revealed at the end that the company the main character had been working for was the villain all along and the Puppet Master/Kuze then offers to merge brains with Motoko. The original ends with her agreeing to this deal with the puppet Master, however the Hollywood remake ends with her declining the offer and establishing an identity with the memories from her past. Discussions of humanity and technology becoming more interlinked as well as what defines being human in this digital age arise within both movies although they have handled them differently. There are also cyberpunk influences that have given direction to the movie which are represented differently in the versions. This essay will be focused on how the Hollywood version does not compare to the original ghost in the shell 1995; because it does not convey the original messages efficiently, it does a bad job in representing the cyberpunk movement, and it does not structurally mirror the original efficiently which overall creates a different story.
The plot revolves around the main character, Motoko Kusanagi or Mira Killian (in the Hollywood remake), who has a fully prosthetic body that has been enhanced to fight crime in this highly technologized world. A difference between the two versions that is established from the beginning is that the original main character has been raised as a “robot” from childhood meanwhile the main character in the remake is made into a robot after an accident. The main villain is essentially the same in both versions, a failed project entitled “Project 2501” creates a life form who can hack into computerized minds and alter their memories as well as control them. However, a key difference between the “Puppet Master” in the original and “Kuze” in the remake is that the main character has a personal relationship with Kuze while Puppet Master and Motoko have no ties to each other.
It is revealed at the end that the company the main character had been working for was the villain all along and the Puppet Master/Kuze then offers to merge brains with Motoko. The original ends with her agreeing to this deal with the puppet Master, however the Hollywood remake ends with her declining the offer and establishing an identity with the memories from her past. Discussions of humanity and technology becoming more interlinked as well as what defines being human in this digital age arise within both movies although they have handled them differently. There are also cyberpunk influences that have given direction to the movie which are represented differently in the versions. This essay will be focused on how the Hollywood version does not compare to the original ghost in the shell 1995; because it does not convey the original messages efficiently, it does a bad job in representing the cyberpunk movement, and it does not structurally mirror the original efficiently which overall creates a different story.
The concepts that were heavily focused on in both the movies were the definition of what it means to be a human and how technological advancements have caused the lines between human and robots to be blurred. The Hollywood version explores this topic in an obvious way with the main character, Mira, constantly questioning whether she is human or not and trying to figure out her past. This enforces the idea that finding out that she has lived out as a human will make her more connected to her humanity which is one of the key differences between the original and the remake. Mira is more focused on her past life as a human, meanwhile Motoko (original main character) has lived her life as a robot from the beginning and is more focused on her future and evolving to a higher being rather than establishing a real identity through her memories.
The difference between the main character in the movies arises from the fact that while the original main character has been raised as a cyborg from childhood, the remake main character has been made into a cyborg after being seriously injured. This trope being used in the Hollywood remake creates a less complex robot character as it takes the easy way of tying her to her humanity as she now has an established past as a human meanwhile the original explores concepts such as being a non-human trying to connect to humanity. Both versions ask the question: does a human remain the same if we change all his body parts into prosthetics? However, while the Hollywood adaptation gives a more clean-cut presentation of this idea which is one sided, the original film plays with the connection between humans and robots in a vaguer way. The main character in the Hollywood remake is shown to understand the difference between her and “full” humans in the scene where she asks to touch a woman’s face, as she examines her face, she is blatantly shown to be wondering what their difference is. Meanwhile the original also connects the ideas of reality and fantasy meshing by playing with the idea of “the ghost” of the main character.
The main character in the original, not only questions her humanity in a regular sense but also questions her “ghost” and whether it is real. She even goes as far as thinking “maybe there was never really a real me in the first place” and that the data created her ghost which is considered what connects her to humanity. The idea of something digital connecting her to humanity but also being an artificial replacement for something humans have naturally is an idea that carries the original story into a different level. These ideas about technology and humanity meshing to a point where they are indistinguishable represent cyberpunk ideas that are discussed further in the essay. The main points discussed in the movie, although they are included in both versions, explore them differently which causes diversion from the source material also missing philosophical discussion by being too obvious about it.
The difference between the main character in the movies arises from the fact that while the original main character has been raised as a cyborg from childhood, the remake main character has been made into a cyborg after being seriously injured. This trope being used in the Hollywood remake creates a less complex robot character as it takes the easy way of tying her to her humanity as she now has an established past as a human meanwhile the original explores concepts such as being a non-human trying to connect to humanity. Both versions ask the question: does a human remain the same if we change all his body parts into prosthetics? However, while the Hollywood adaptation gives a more clean-cut presentation of this idea which is one sided, the original film plays with the connection between humans and robots in a vaguer way. The main character in the Hollywood remake is shown to understand the difference between her and “full” humans in the scene where she asks to touch a woman’s face, as she examines her face, she is blatantly shown to be wondering what their difference is. Meanwhile the original also connects the ideas of reality and fantasy meshing by playing with the idea of “the ghost” of the main character.
The main character in the original, not only questions her humanity in a regular sense but also questions her “ghost” and whether it is real. She even goes as far as thinking “maybe there was never really a real me in the first place” and that the data created her ghost which is considered what connects her to humanity. The idea of something digital connecting her to humanity but also being an artificial replacement for something humans have naturally is an idea that carries the original story into a different level. These ideas about technology and humanity meshing to a point where they are indistinguishable represent cyberpunk ideas that are discussed further in the essay. The main points discussed in the movie, although they are included in both versions, explore them differently which causes diversion from the source material also missing philosophical discussion by being too obvious about it.
To be able to fully understand the messages portrayed in the film there needs to be a discussion about cyberpunk as a genre as well as how it has influenced the ideas in the film and how the entire movement was represented in both movies. Cyberpunk is described as “the place where worlds of science and art overlap, the intersection of future and now” by cyberpunk journalist Jude Milhon (1993). Over the years many works inspired by cyberpunk movements have been made and technological advancements has added to the popularity of these concepts. People not being able to predict the future advancements and the curiosity of how much technologies can improve has lead cyberpunk science fiction to explore these concepts and essentially become a “metaphorical evocation of today’s technological flux” (1993).
Another one of the big reasons that the original movie differs from the Hollywood remake is that they were made in vastly different times with different technological advancements and different outlooks on these rapid changes. The 1995 version holds a more threatened outlook and shows the main character to be completely devoid of humanity meanwhile the 2017 version shows a more hopeful way of viewing technological advancements whilst still showing a fear of robots becoming more humanlike. The idea of an unknown being operating with infinite knowledge and data is shown to be the villain exposes the outlook on new technological advancements in society. As human society has started relying more on technologies, beliefs started to shift around this idea of technologies starting to control us.
The villain in the story describes themselves as a life form born in the sea of information which creates ideas of robots and their humanity with cyberpunk qualities. It could also be observed that most of the cyberpunk inspired stories showing a technological future are based in countries such as Japan and Hong Kong. This could be connected to high rises and neon lights that these places are known for, however the concept of techno-orientalism can also be present in this way of thinking. Techno orientalism happens when Eastern cultures are used to represent the near future, the idea is used to describe the perceptions of the Western world towards East Asian technology and culture (Notes, 2022). It is used as another way of othering East Asians and portraying them to be a certain image for Western audiences. This hyper-futuristic way of portraying East Asians is accompanied by juxtaposition of cultural retrograde with technical hyper-advancement and essentially creates “a futuristic dystopian world where the dominant economic East serves as an antagonist to the economic West.” (Notes, 2022)
Also, important to mention in this discussion is the casting choice for the main character in the Hollywood remake being Scarlett Johannsson who is a white woman to play a Japanese character. This decision was heavily criticized by the global market and created a discussion around whitewashing in cinema. These concepts being present in the Hollywood movie add to harmful stereotypes about East Asia and make the movie more problematic as well as overshadow the cyberpunk messages presented in the story.
Another one of the big reasons that the original movie differs from the Hollywood remake is that they were made in vastly different times with different technological advancements and different outlooks on these rapid changes. The 1995 version holds a more threatened outlook and shows the main character to be completely devoid of humanity meanwhile the 2017 version shows a more hopeful way of viewing technological advancements whilst still showing a fear of robots becoming more humanlike. The idea of an unknown being operating with infinite knowledge and data is shown to be the villain exposes the outlook on new technological advancements in society. As human society has started relying more on technologies, beliefs started to shift around this idea of technologies starting to control us.
The villain in the story describes themselves as a life form born in the sea of information which creates ideas of robots and their humanity with cyberpunk qualities. It could also be observed that most of the cyberpunk inspired stories showing a technological future are based in countries such as Japan and Hong Kong. This could be connected to high rises and neon lights that these places are known for, however the concept of techno-orientalism can also be present in this way of thinking. Techno orientalism happens when Eastern cultures are used to represent the near future, the idea is used to describe the perceptions of the Western world towards East Asian technology and culture (Notes, 2022). It is used as another way of othering East Asians and portraying them to be a certain image for Western audiences. This hyper-futuristic way of portraying East Asians is accompanied by juxtaposition of cultural retrograde with technical hyper-advancement and essentially creates “a futuristic dystopian world where the dominant economic East serves as an antagonist to the economic West.” (Notes, 2022)
Also, important to mention in this discussion is the casting choice for the main character in the Hollywood remake being Scarlett Johannsson who is a white woman to play a Japanese character. This decision was heavily criticized by the global market and created a discussion around whitewashing in cinema. These concepts being present in the Hollywood movie add to harmful stereotypes about East Asia and make the movie more problematic as well as overshadow the cyberpunk messages presented in the story.
Another one of the big differences between the films was the plot differences which influenced the overall vibe and the storyline that causes the remake to fail in capturing the essence of the original. One of the most important changes made in the Hollywood version was the different ending with the main character continuing her life instead of joining the Puppet Master and becoming part of the net space which changes the whole vibe of the movie. The ideas that went into the end were the formation of a personal identity in robots and how they can live in this world as humans and the remake version of the main character was able to accomplish this by forming a connection with her memories. However, the original has taken on this identity formation in a more technological development way with her merging with the Puppet Master.
The main goal of the “villain” Kuze/Puppet Master is to preserve itself by passing on its spiritual knowledge like any other biological being which is another attempt of becoming more humanlike. He is a character that has “downloaded its infinite substance into an empty shell, thus renouncing its status of infinite substance by becoming a subject” (Ruh, 2019) The original explores the idea of forming an identity as a robot through this unhuman like perspective with the usage of technologies. However, the remake rejects this idea entirely by making Mira decline his offer of merging and going back to her new reality after learning about her past. Her memories as a human help her establish a bond to her humanity instead of using more technology and she manages to create an identity in a “human” way. It does not play with the ideas of technology meshing with humanity but enforces the idea of formation of an identity and living a normal human life is more important (the decision in the end being different) she goes to live on and now has a personality as Motoko.
The original plays with this idea and tension between robots and humans with someone being raised as a robot from childhood and instead of her regaining memories she manages to move on to this higher level with the Puppet Master. The Hollywood version is more about connecting with her humanity and living her life as a “human” meanwhile the original is more about developing and evolution with merging with the puppet master. It is focused more on her past and history/memories portraying the idea that it makes her more human to have history and therefore creating this definition instead of leaving it up to interpretation like in the original. This loses the ideas explored in the original such as being more than just a person or an identity and evolving to a higher life form. The philosophical ideas are less nuanced in the film, and they are just in your face about what it means to be human and ideas about forming an identity as a robot which is why the original succeeds in discussing this in a broader way.
The main goal of the “villain” Kuze/Puppet Master is to preserve itself by passing on its spiritual knowledge like any other biological being which is another attempt of becoming more humanlike. He is a character that has “downloaded its infinite substance into an empty shell, thus renouncing its status of infinite substance by becoming a subject” (Ruh, 2019) The original explores the idea of forming an identity as a robot through this unhuman like perspective with the usage of technologies. However, the remake rejects this idea entirely by making Mira decline his offer of merging and going back to her new reality after learning about her past. Her memories as a human help her establish a bond to her humanity instead of using more technology and she manages to create an identity in a “human” way. It does not play with the ideas of technology meshing with humanity but enforces the idea of formation of an identity and living a normal human life is more important (the decision in the end being different) she goes to live on and now has a personality as Motoko.
The original plays with this idea and tension between robots and humans with someone being raised as a robot from childhood and instead of her regaining memories she manages to move on to this higher level with the Puppet Master. The Hollywood version is more about connecting with her humanity and living her life as a “human” meanwhile the original is more about developing and evolution with merging with the puppet master. It is focused more on her past and history/memories portraying the idea that it makes her more human to have history and therefore creating this definition instead of leaving it up to interpretation like in the original. This loses the ideas explored in the original such as being more than just a person or an identity and evolving to a higher life form. The philosophical ideas are less nuanced in the film, and they are just in your face about what it means to be human and ideas about forming an identity as a robot which is why the original succeeds in discussing this in a broader way.
In conclusion, the differences between the original and the remake, although some may be more subtle, shift the entire vibe and create a new story. The focus is on ideas such as the line becoming more blurred between humans and robots as technology advances rapidly and how it affects society. These ideas are told through the story with the main character who has a fully prosthetic shell with a human “ghost” and how she grapples with being human. The basis of the story is the same in both the original movie as well as the Hollywood version however there are some shifts in the story. The most prominent shifts are in how the main character has been made robotized and how the story ends up wrapping up. These changes cause for some ideas to be portrayed differently such as the formation of an identity in a technologized society as well as how the line between robots and humans can become more blurred in the future. The essay argues that the original is better and is more effective in its portrayal of the messages than the remake since it fails to capture many of the ideas that make the original so interesting and thought provoking to watch by either shoving the ideas in your face or missing to include them.
Deniz Koçak
References
Cyberpunk Virtual Sex, smart drugs and synthetic rock 'n' roll : Time magazine : Free Download, borrow, and streaming. Internet Archive. (1993, January 1). Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://archive.org/details/cyberpunkvirtual00time
Komel, M. (2016). THE GHOST OUTSIDE ITS SHELL: REVISITING THE PHILOSOPHY OF GHOST IN THE SHELL. Teorija in Praksa, 53(4), 920-928,1023. Retrieved from Roh, D. S., Huang, B., & Niu, G. A. (2015). Techno-Orientalism : imagining Asia in speculative fiction, history, and media (D. S. Roh, B. Huang, & G. A. Niu, Eds.). Rutgers University Press.
Mizukoshi, K. (2018). Perils of Hollywood whitewashing?: A review of 'ghost in the Shell' movie. Market, Globalization & Development Review, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.23860/mgdr-2018-03-01-06
Notes, E. (2022, April 6). Orientalism & Technology: A Primer on the Techno-Orientalism Debate. ElifNotes. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://elifnotes.com/techno-orientalism/
Ruh, B. (2019). GHOSTLY BOUNDARIES: TRANSNATIONAL TENSIONS AND ADAPTING ANIMATION IN THE GHOST IN THE SHELL FRANCHISE. In J. Fleury, B. H. Hartzheim, & S. Mamber (Eds.), The Franchise Era: Managing Media in the Digital Economy (pp. 141–157). Edinburgh University Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctvggx448.13
Wilson, T. (2021, August 17). Is the ghost in the shell remake better than the original? The Game Crater. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://www.thegamecrater.com/is-the-ghost-in-the-shell-remake-better-than-the-original/
Cyberpunk Virtual Sex, smart drugs and synthetic rock 'n' roll : Time magazine : Free Download, borrow, and streaming. Internet Archive. (1993, January 1). Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://archive.org/details/cyberpunkvirtual00time
Komel, M. (2016). THE GHOST OUTSIDE ITS SHELL: REVISITING THE PHILOSOPHY OF GHOST IN THE SHELL. Teorija in Praksa, 53(4), 920-928,1023. Retrieved from Roh, D. S., Huang, B., & Niu, G. A. (2015). Techno-Orientalism : imagining Asia in speculative fiction, history, and media (D. S. Roh, B. Huang, & G. A. Niu, Eds.). Rutgers University Press.
Mizukoshi, K. (2018). Perils of Hollywood whitewashing?: A review of 'ghost in the Shell' movie. Market, Globalization & Development Review, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.23860/mgdr-2018-03-01-06
Notes, E. (2022, April 6). Orientalism & Technology: A Primer on the Techno-Orientalism Debate. ElifNotes. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://elifnotes.com/techno-orientalism/
Ruh, B. (2019). GHOSTLY BOUNDARIES: TRANSNATIONAL TENSIONS AND ADAPTING ANIMATION IN THE GHOST IN THE SHELL FRANCHISE. In J. Fleury, B. H. Hartzheim, & S. Mamber (Eds.), The Franchise Era: Managing Media in the Digital Economy (pp. 141–157). Edinburgh University Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctvggx448.13
Wilson, T. (2021, August 17). Is the ghost in the shell remake better than the original? The Game Crater. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://www.thegamecrater.com/is-the-ghost-in-the-shell-remake-better-than-the-original/
