With the release of a single photograph, the live-action Ghost in
the Shell movie is now pretty much for real. Film has been shot,
makeup has been applied, actors have presumably acted; premature
death a la that planned Akira movie seems unlikely at this
point. And predictably enough, this great news is accompanied by a
grand chorus of bitching.
Most of the gripes center around, also predictably, Scarlett
Johansson's appearance, both physical and in terms of casting. It
should have been an Asian in the role, this is yet another example of
Hollywood whitewashing, scream some. That wig looks dumb and fake,
complain others. Many seem to think that this property should be
left untouched, or only attempted by the Japanese themselves. I
however, think a Ghost in the Shell movie is one of the safest
bets if we want a profitable film that inspires future anime
adaptations and a good flick overall that'll please fans and
newcomers alike.
First off, I'll acknowledge that some of the cynicism is justified;
anime adaptations have a poor track record in Hollywood. Despite the
Wachowskis' drawing much inspiration from the medium, none of their
works even approached the success of their Matrix trilogy, and
only the first one is remembered fondly today. Even fans are
apathetic regarding Speed Racer and Astro Boy, while
Dragonball Evolution is a dirty word. Films like Pacific
Rim and Edge of Tomorrow kept the spirit of anime alive
while doing pretty much their own thing, but saw only middling
financial success. And with a list of indefinitely stalled
adaptations including the aforementioned Akira, Battle
Angel, Monster, and Cowboy Bebop . . . it's
actually kinda a miracle we're getting an anime movie at all.
Of those proposed projects, I think Ghost in the Shell makes
for the best choice because it can probably handle the inevitable
changes better than other properties. The franchise has shown it can
do well in multiple formats, be it manga, movie, long-running TV
show, or short OVA series. That's a huge plus; as much as I'd love a
Cowboy Bebop adaptation, I don't believe a single movie would
satisfy fans. You can't capture the dramatic meat of the Spike vs.
Vicious storyline without sacrificing other major character arcs
and/or the fun, wacky hijinks that make the show enjoyable, even with
a solid three-hour runtime. Don't get me started on the subtleties
you'd need to gloss over for an Evangelion adaptation. And
who the hell would greenlight a full series of films when even one
isn't a safe bet?
The selling point of any Masamune Shirow work is always the world it
exists in. There's a reason we keep getting more Ghost in the
Shell and Appleseed years after shitty art, plot, and
characters torpedoed all his original manga. His futuristic worlds
are the perfect playgrounds for other artists to work with. As long
as there's a utopia where humans are taken care of by the genetically
engineered (Appleseed), or the cyborg-ization of society blurs
the line between man and machine (Ghost in the Shell), setting
and characters can be and have been tweaked as the story demands.
That's why Ghost in the Shell is such a great choice for
adaptation; they could put almost anything onscreen as long as
it fits the mood, and even surprise diehard fans because there's no
real canon the writers are bound to. Okay, I'd love to see a spider
tank or two, but I'll be happy as long as it's a good movie, period.
There's bound to be major negativity whenever a new adaptation of
something popular is announced, and maybe the naysayers will be
proven right on this one. But I'm going to be optimistic right up to
the end credits. I'll put my faith in the well-regarded cast and
crew to take advantage of this idea's potential. Because even if
Ghost in the Shell turns out to be a stinker, I don't want
anime fans to be seen as a whiny, unappeasable fanbase whose
interests will never be mainstream. I want to believe that the
awesome stuff we're used to seeing in cartoons can gain Hollywood
recognition to benefit everyone.
So, keep an open mind as March 31st, 2017 approaches. We
owe Ghost in the Shell that much.
