Ghost in the Shell

[The Curious Squid]

Directed by Mamoru Oshii and based on the Manga by Masamune Shirow.

Like all good movies, Ghost in the Shell is one of those films that gets better every time you watch it. I first saw it years ago when I was too young to understand the concepts and was bored by the slow pace and time between action scenes. Viewing it again as an adult a few years later I was entranced by the ideas put forward throughout the film and my appreciation of the skill involved in creating such a beautiful and intricate vision of our possible future was heightened by the level of detail awarded to the back story and universe. Since I returned to it I have watched it more times than I could possibly recount and it still stirs up a lot of enthusiasm in me.

Ghost in the Shell takes place in the year 2038 when technology is more readily integrated into human culture and is used for more than just life support. Almost everyone has some kind of cybernetic implant and our dependence on computers is now a fixed aspect of life. As a result of the commonplace part that technology plays in day to day life a different brand of terrorism has arisen, cyber-terrorism, with the new form of crime representing a clear threat to public security the government sanctions a counter terrorism unit to combat it called Section 9.

*minor spoilers*

The main theme of Ghost in the Shell revolves around the idea of self and what defines humanity, in the story, the advance of artificial Intelligence blurs the boundaries that we've placed on life and forces the central character to be introspective and ask herself if she is actually alive or just a complicated computer system in a humanoid body. At times the philosophy of it can get quite confusing but it always maintains a high level of interest and asks a lot of good questions. The film is made even better by the feel of futility that you get from watching it, it's borderline Nihilism at times and mirrors my world view quite closely.

[The Curious Squid]

Here are some quotes from the film too:

It can also be argued that DNA is nothing more than a program designed to preserve itself. Life has become more complex in the overwhelming sea of information. And life, when organized into species, relies upon genes to be its memory system. So, man is an individual only because of his intangible memory... and memory cannot be defined, but it defines mankind. The advent of computers, and the subsequent accumulation of incalculable data has given rise to a new system of memory and thought parallel to your own. Humanity has underestimated the consequences of computerization.

There are countless ingredients that make up the human body and mind, like all the components that make up me as an individual with my own personality. Sure I have a face and voice to distinguish myself from others, but my thoughts and memories are unique only to me, and I carry a sense of my own destiny. Each of those things are just a small part of it. I collect information to use in my own way. All of that blends to create a mixture that forms me and gives rise to my conscience. I feel confined, only free to expand myself within boundaries.

Watch it, now!

[Feck]

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