Ghost in the Shell  ★★★½

MANGA comics…you’r either into them or not.

I’m not, but that didn’t stop me enjoying the live action version of the popular Ghost in the Shell series which proves more a successful hybrid of Japanese anime, Manga and traditional sci-fi action

The visual style of the film, at aerial cityscape and street levels, is very reminiscent of Ridley’s Scott sci-fi classic Blade Runner, but the tone and direction of the action sequences varies wildly.

At some stages it appears we are in Matrix territory, but a nightclub shoot-out is more John Wick while some of the automatic gun battles on the streets are more akin to the old-school combat of Heat.

While you could argue this means the film is very derivative, the variety and grounding of the action makes it more interesting and accessible to audiences.

It’s not a story we haven’t seen before, but that’s also not a criticism. Any number of sci-fi dystopian thrillers have used the same – a protagonist who seemingly has no memory of their past starts to get mental pictures that lead them to question their existence and the motives of those around them.

When we meet Major it seems she has been the victim of an accident with her only remaining functioning organ being her brain. For an unexplained reason, a robotics company has thrown her a lifeline by implanting her brain into a completely new body.

Body enhancement through robotics is rampant in this future society with people getting all manner of manufactured implants, whether missing a limb or not.

But Major is different as she appears to be as advanced and complete as the technology can get. Of course the enhancements have given her amazing skills as a fighter and she is part of a secret agency protecting the government.

She also appears to have the added ability to become invisible using some form of skin-tight latex suit. The fact Scarlett Johanssen plays Major is meant to be an added attraction for the male audience of course.

The secret agency’s latest mission is to work out why a group of scientists who worked on a particular program are being targeted by ‘mind hacking’ terrorists. During the investigation the Major starts to discover her origins and this has ramifications for the mission.

While action is exceptional in parts and the visual effects and art direction equally arresting, some of the best parts of the film are the quieter moments where supporting actors such as Dane Pilou Asbaek as Major’s partner Batou and Japanese veteran Takeshi Kitano as her supervisor Aramaki get to shine. Johannsen herself is captivating as always.

English director Rupert Sanders was handed the reins on the strength of Snow White and the Huntsman in 2012. While that films wasn’t the greatest of calling cards, Ghost in the Shell rewards the film company’s faith.

So far in 2017 it hasn’t been a pretty good year for comic or video game adaptations with this film, Assassin’s Creed and particularly Logan all being above par.