Ghost in the Shell 2 - Innocence

Starring:Akio Ã”tsuka, Atsuko Tanaka, KÃ´ichi Yamadera, Tamio Ã”ki, Yutaka Nakano, Naoto Takenaka, Peter Emshwiller, Yu Sugimoto, Michael McConnohie, Erik Davies, Shuji Kishida, Katsunosuke Hori, Richard Cansino, Joey D'Auria, Sumi Mutoh, Emiko Fuku, Eisuke Asakura, William Knight (III), Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Sukekiyo Kameyama
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Studio: Dreamworks Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Mamoru Oshii's landmark Ghost in the Shell (1995) largely defined the cyberpunk genre and influenced the Matrix films in the U.S. The long-awaited sequel continues the adventures of Batou, Major Kusanagi's former assistant, who was left behind when she disappeared into the cyber-realm of the Net. With his new human partner, Togusa, Batou investigates a series of bloody murders involving gynoids, robots with sexual functions. The case leads them to the headquarters of the Locus Solus company, where Batou uncovers the evil secret behind the creation of the gynoids. Innocence includes some staggeringly beautiful CG images, especially a parade depicting characters from Chinese mythology. Oshii contrasts this glittering beauty with a Blade Runner-esque dystopia. But even his skill as a director can't disguise the fact that the underdeveloped story and flat characters are far less interesting than the opulent visuals. (Rated PG-13: graphic violence, violence against women, brief nudity, profanity, alcohol and tobacco use.) --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews:

Could have been amazing.......2007-06-13

Visually stunning. Great strory. However, this is about as bad of a job as I've ever seen in putting a DVD together. I've seen better fan subs.

Don't waste your time........2007-06-09

The original Ghost in the Shell was an unusual film. Occasionally difficult to follow, exquisitely animated, featuring a very subtle use of digital animation technology, hauntingly minimal music, a totally unique vision of our near future, and a profoundly affecting experience. It perfectly blended the alienation and isolation of an increasingly mechanically-dependant culture with an individual identity crisis. It also featured some excellent and original action sequences, but the film was overall a philosphical questioning and a subconciously engaging visual feast rather than an action anime.

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, is by far a lesser film. Even standing alone, this film is substandard, and I'm utterly shocked its gotten as high a rating as it has. In terms of animation, the garish digital settings completely fail to cohesively interact with the 2d characters. Unlike the original Ghost in the Shell, which cleverly disguised most of its digital animation through its selective use and painterly renders (mostly using it for soft zooms and other effects not possible with traditional animation), this sequel really just mashes together the 2d and 3d elements, with most scenes resulting in flat 2d characters floating around in an unconvincing 3d video-game environment. Except for the wonderfully animated Basset-hound in the sequel, the 2d animation is also also a severe drop in quality from the meticulous and pain-staking detail of its predecessor. The only place the 3d animation really excels is in the scenes in the delicatessen where Batou's cybernetically enhanced brain is hacked and his vision begins to disintegrate, but it is not enough to rescue the otherwise empty animation effort. Simply compare the opening credit sequences of the two films, where one is haunting and cohesive in its unique vision, the other is flashy and overly clever and unconvincing.

The story of the sequel is difficult to assess. It starts by promising more of an action-packed story with a potentially more engaging plot. The original was intentionally never focused on this part, instead using its story-elements to present its visual/auditory messages, the characters would find a lead, then lose it, and not pick it up until the very end of the film. The end climax was a personal act of will rather than an important plot climax. The search for the 'Puppetmaster' in the original film was secondary to the Major's questioning and self-doubt in her mechanical body. The sequel initially promises a more 'clinical' story, trading off an emotional engaging story with a mentally engaging one, or rather, a more predictable detective story. However, at about the point where the two investigators visit the coroner, the concept begins to fall apart as it attempts to straddle the 'detective' story and the same emotional territory from the first film. From that point on, the film either swings from ridiculously corny action sequences to insincere and overly concise discussions on the nature of reality. The original film also showed this dichotomy, but its motives were entirely different. In the original, the discussions were sincere and self-questioning, without any of the sheen of an overly scripted conversation. The Major was a woman of great physical power with a deep-seated questioning of her own reality. In the sequel, they attempt to rehash the same territory with Batou, a man of great physical power with no such personal questioning. As such, all of the conversations seem like the characters just like to hear themselves talk. The action in the original was exciting while remaining utterly wierd and symbolic, the final action sequence featuring the Major fighting a tank in the nude with her bare arms and destroying her body in the process. In the sequel, Batou uses huge guns to mow down hapless rows of Yakuza, then engages in a ridiculous hollywood kung-fu fight with a cyborg. The sequel is action for action's sake. As for characterisation, the main character Batou shows promise very early on, especially the wonderfully affectionate scenes with his dog, but then disintegrates into a tough-guy-with-a-gun not too long after. The other characters aren't worth mentioning.

The music is entirely a dissapointment. Both films feature the same musical composer, Kenji Kawai, but the sequel seems to be an overly clever re-hashing of the same themes in the original film. The Japanese choir, so alien and harsh in the first film has been watered down to something more melodic and otherwise uninteresting, the minimal sound-scapes have been replaced with some overly clever instrumentation, and the simple but affecting drums from the first film have been switched with action-packed drumming. The mood has shifted to flashy instead of primal, and becomes entirely unappealing in the process.

Anybody expecting a hypnotic and subconsciously stimulating dream-like film worthy of its predessor should stay well away from this film.

Ghost in the shell 2 Innocence.......2007-05-14

not worth the effort to watch a real let down too bussy reading the english sub title, planing to send back the dvd

Great so long as you can stand the English subtitles........2007-05-13

This sequel to the highly acclaimed original Ghost in the Shell is grittier than the original. Reminds me more of a Shadowrun anime than the "cartoony" stories you're likely to find in much of today's anime. It's a great story, though not as compelling as the original...it is definately a must see for fans of the series.

UK version rocks : English soundtrack + Special features.......2007-04-29

I took the advice of someone else provided in Amazon reviews and ordered a used (good as new!) copy off of Amazon UK : what a blast.
Disc 1 has a superbly dubbed English soundtrack with the original voice cast. Disc 2 houses the special features and the film again: this time with DTS. Total price with shipping was $16.

# These are the Amazon UK 2 disc DVD set's features:

* Main Language: Japanese
* Available Audio Tracks: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, 2.0 Stereo
* Sub Titles: English
* Dubbed Language(s): English
* The Making Of Featurette
* Commentary By Director And Animation Director
* Foreword By Jonathan Clements
* Manga Trailers
* Ghost In The Shell Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig Volume 2 Sneak Peak At Episode 5
* UK Exclusive Face To Face Interview With Mamoru Oshii
* Japanese Trailer

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence/Millennium Actress

Average customer rating:

This is not an english version
A question for those who have bought this....
Still "Faulty" after all this time...
Buy this Set
DVD may be faulty but replacement available from DreamWorks

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence/Millennium Actress
Starring: Akio Ôtsuka , Atsuko Tanaka , Kôichi Yamadera , Tamio Ôki , and Yutaka Nakano
Director: Mamoru Oshii , and Satoshi Kon
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, 2nd GIG, Volume 01 (Special Edition)
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, 2nd GIG, Volume 07 (Episodes 24-26)
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, 2nd GIG, Volume 04 (Episodes 13-16)
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, 2nd GIG, Volume 05 (Episodes 17-20)

ASIN: B00078807U
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Customer Reviews:

This is not an english version.......2007-01-21

The film itself is a 5 star production. If you don't mind subtitles, this movie is great. The GITS world is amazing and the visual effects are spectacular. I didn't have a problem with the subtitles because of the extra caption-like features but I did have a problem since this is not an English dubbed verson as the Product Features indicate.

A question for those who have bought this...........2006-10-27

Everyone,
Does this version of Ghost in the shell 2 have the English voices dubbed in? Or is this still the Japanese only version? I can deal with the "closed caption subtitle problem",........what I can't deal with is no English voices and having to read 100 minutes of dialogue.

Someone please let me know.....

Still "Faulty" after all this time..........2006-09-12

I just recently bought the GITS2/Millenium Actress dual pack, and it still has the Close Caption subtitle problem on the GITS2 disc. I googled for information on this and found the entire rant and links to request a replacement, but they no longer work. However, these postings were from more than a year ago. Can you still get a replacement for "faulty" GITS2 discs?

Buy this Set.......2005-06-28

These are two of the best films that have been released in the last couple of years period. Buy them! You can't beat the deal and you will not be disapointed.

DVD may be faulty but replacement available from DreamWorks.......2005-05-11

The GITS2 DVD may be faulty in having a Closed Caption subtitle (in BIG font I might add) instead of a regular subtitle. In case this GITS2/Millennium Actress 2-pack doesn't have the corrected DVD, you can have it replaced free of charge by Dreamworks by going to gofishpictures.com/GITS2 and fill in a web form to request for a mailer. Don't let this stop you from buying this 2-pack at such a good price.

Faulty DVD has the "D191757V2" encoding in the inner ring of the disc, while the corrected DVD says "D19175757V4".

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Music Video Anthology (Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

not bad at all
Beautiful Eye Candy
Zero stars
Ghost in the Shell: Innocence Music Anthology SE
Ghost in the Shell: Innocence Music Anthology SE

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Music Video Anthology (Special Edition)
Starring: Ghost in the Shell 2-Innocence
Manufacturer: Bandai
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, 2nd GIG, Volume 01 (Special Edition)
Ghost in the Shell 2 - Innocence
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Volume 07 (Special Edition)
Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, 2nd GIG, Volume 03 (Special Edition)

ASIN: B0009E32PC
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Amazon.com

The seven videos on this brief (42 minutes) disc combine music from Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell 2 (2004) with recut imagery from the film. The musical styles vary from the jazzy "River of Crystals," sung in English by Kimiko Itoh, to Japanese choral chants. The viewer has a choice of listening in Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, or Digimatic Virtualizer X Enhanced Stereo. The lyrics are available in English, Japanese, and a karaoke version--each syllable lights up as the singer intones it. The visuals include only backgrounds from the feature: pans over streets, helicopter flights over skyscrapers, etc.; the main characters never appear. Anime music fans may enjoy these fragmented clips, but others will wonder why Oshii allowed director Mizuho Nishikubo to cut up his film haphazardly. (Rated 13 and older: brief nudity, grotesque imagery) --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews:

not bad at all.......2005-10-07

From GHost in the Shell 2 movie now brings this music video collection from production I.G. presented in anamorphic widescreen and multi-channel surround sound. It includes the background artwork used to create the world of Innocence, the music of Kenji Kawai, and the songs performed by Kimiko Ito, the famous Jazz vocalist.

Beautiful Eye Candy.......2005-09-04

The Music Anthology disc from Ghost In The Shell 2 is beautiful. It is a collection of seven music tracks from the movie, accompanied by visuals (Not just pan and scan still frames like somebody mentioned in another review, but full fledged 3D work and cell animations too: and loads of it).
The songs are fantastic, the animation is superb. There is no plot, nor is this a shorter or different version of the film. As a matter of fact: you wouldn't know what the movie is about at all watching this dvd. That is fine, because the Music Anthology disc is nothing more than an eye candy soundtrack and clips collection. The picture quality is awesome (no artefacts and blurs here, so I don't know what other reviewer meant when he mentioned this). The sound quality is perfect. I love this disc. It is a relaxing half hour of beautiful music and beautiful imagery. Highly Reccommended! Comes with two bonus videos; one of which had Gabriel the dog in it. Very cute :-)

Zero stars.......2005-08-16

Think baking soda and you'll understand that this cuts the film a little too thin. This music anthology is split between two discs. The first is a music cd. The second is a DVD. Both have music from the original sound track.

The DVD video is worthless. It's a collection of still frames from the movie just a bit of added zoom and motion. Unfortunately, it looks like the editors started with a NTSC frame. So when the zoom ends, there is no lack of blurring and artifacts. It's really a waste. It's completely unprofessional - actually, the worst production disc I've ever seen hands down. I did better with my first Premiere movie.

I was given this set as a gift. My wife gave it to me thinking she was buying me the movie. That says it all.

AVOID.

Ghost in the Shell: Innocence Music Anthology SE.......2005-05-12

This is actually a Music Anthology DVD. Bandai Entertainment has the description of this DVD at their website:

Synopsis
From DreamWorks' Pictures "Ghost in the Shell2: Innocence" comes the stunningly gorgeous collection of animated music videos from Production I.G. (Kill Bill) presented in anamorphic widescreen and multi-channel surround sound. This DVD is considered as another version of "Innocence" due to its wonderful fusion between the deep and grandiose visuals of Mamoru Ishii and the creative sounds by Kenji Kawaii that imparts the heart and soul to its beautiful imagery.

Ghost in the Shell: Innocence Music Anthology SE.......2005-05-12

I think this is actually a Music Anthology SE instead of the full length movie which is available from DreamWorks Entertainment. Description of the Music Anthology DVD taken from Bandai Entertainment website:

Synopsis
From DreamWorks' Pictures "Ghost in the Shell2: Innocence" comes the stunningly gorgeous collection of animated music videos from Production I.G. (Kill Bill) presented in anamorphic widescreen and multi-channel surround sound. This DVD is considered as another version of "Innocence" due to its wonderful fusion between the deep and grandiose visuals of Mamoru Ishii and the creative sounds by Kenji Kawaii that imparts the heart and soul to its beautiful imagery.

Special Features & Extras
- Dolby Digital 5.1-Japanese
- DTS-Japanese
- Aspect Ratio - 16:9 Anamorphic (Widescreen)

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Music Video Anthology (Regular Edition)

Average customer rating:

not bad at all
Beautiful Eye Candy
Zero stars
Ghost in the Shell: Innocence Music Anthology SE
Ghost in the Shell: Innocence Music Anthology SE

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Music Video Anthology (Regular Edition)
Starring: Ghost in the Shell 2-Innocence
Manufacturer: Bandai
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi Action | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Animation | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Robots & Androids | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Futuristic | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Anime & Manga | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video