Ghost In The Shell (Blu-Ray) : Review

Film

The story of Major (Scarlett Johansson – Captain America: Civil War, The Jungle Book, Lucy), a member of Section 9, and the first of her kind. Major is a human, saved from a terrible crash, and who has now been cyber-enhanced, to be a perfect soldier, devoted to stopping the world’s most dangerous criminals.

This effects laden, science fiction film is now available to view in the home. With the complex story, fast paced action, and plethora of special effects, the film begs for subsequent viewings. Not just to better understand the story, and the philosophy it represents, but with so much happening at once in the story, and on-screen, one is bound to miss things.

Read the full SAMDB review of Ghost in the Shell.

Ghost in the Shell, first look

Disc

Ghost in the Shell combines a fun film, with a technically top quality disc. There are only three bonus features on the disc, but they are lengthy, and full of insightful content.

Ghost in the Shell is available now, to purchase on disc, in South Africa.

Video

Video is encoded at a high average bitrate. There are no visible artefacts on-screen. Colours are vibrant, with no visible bleed. Details in darker scenes is still good, with no issues during fast moving scenes either.

Audio

Audio is encoded at a high average bitrate, and is presented via a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The Atmos track really brings the film to life, when experienced using the correct technology in a home theatre setup, with effects being discrete, and the soundstage that expands the on-screen story being vast.

As Atmos becomes more prevalent on discs aimed at home entertainment, so will the expectation of quality be one that viewers demand. Ghost in the Shell delivers an auditory experience that really enhances a fast paced, effects laden film.

Navigation

The disc navigates immediately to the main menu on start. This menu is easy to understand, with simple text buttons to play the main feature, or access pop-up menus for settings, scenes, and extras. It has a motion background, with some images from the main feature. These do not contain spoilers.

The settings pop-up menu has text links to select the desired audio soundtrack, as well as subtitles.

The scenes pop-up has still thumbnails allowing the viewer to access specific chapters in the main feature. This pop-up allows one to scroll left or right to the desired thumbnail. These are numbered, up to sixteen, but are not labelled. The thumbnails are large and detailed, which should aid any guesswork, however it may still require a few attempts to navigate to a specific part of the film.

The extras pop-up presents three text links to the bonus material on the disc.

There is an issue with the disc, when watching one of the bonus features, that one has to use the chapter button to skip ahead, in order to get access to the main menu once again. Not impossible to adapt to, however it is slightly inconvenient.

Bonus Features

Hard-Wired Humanity: Making Ghost in the Shell – A lengthy look behind the scenes, how the filmmakers put in an effort to pay homage to the original source material, and film, of Ghost in the Shell. The feature takes a look at how the actors created their backstories, and became their characters.

This feature is a very detailed, entertaining, and for filmmakers and actors it is sure to be very informative. A great addition to the disc.

Section 9: Cyber Defenders – Section 9, the cyber-crime unit, of Ghost in the Shell. The feature takes a closer look at the characters of the unit, Major and Batou, and their relationship in the film.

Another interesting addition to the disc, and one that is sure to again appeal to viewers, budding filmmakers, and aspiring actors alike.

Man & Machine: The Ghost Philosophy – Covering the inherent values, and ideals, of the films story, this feature shares the meaning behind the integration of the technology and humanity depicted in the film. It focusses in on the philosophical questions posed in the main film, and seeks to answer a few questions that might arise.

By Andrew Germishuys

Founder of SAMDB | Actor | Armourer | Tech Enthusiast With over two decades in the film industry, I'm a seasoned actor and skilled armourer. I hold numerous certifications in acting and filmmaking, complemented by degrees and diplomas in IT and technology, giving me a unique blend of creative and technical expertise. When I'm not on set or in the workshop, you'll find me immersed in the world of gaming and VR, fuelling my passion for cutting-edge technology. Connect with me: X / Twitter Facebook Instagram Mastodon Threads Explore my work on SAMDB IMDb

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