Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008)

gasteropod · Post by **gasteropod** » 14 Sep 2008, 14:53

Is anyone aware of this? Mamoru Oshii has gone all George Lucas on us and tampered with Ghost in the Shell with CGI additions, colour changes, re-recorded voice tracks, and even a different voice actor for the Puppet Master. I'm not liking the look of it at all to be honest.

Mamoru Oshii's first Ghost in the Shell cyberspace film will return to five Japanese theaters in an enhanced Ghost in the Shell 2.0 edition on July 12. The new edition will include new computer graphics and digital effects for some scenes and a reunion of most of the cast members for a new 6.1 surround sound recording. Academy-Award-winning sound mixer/editor Randy Thom (Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, The Incredibles, The Right Stuff) has overseen the new soundtrack with Kenji Kawai's original music and a final mix that has been produced at Thom and Lucas Digital's Skywalker Sound studio in California.

In the new edition, the enigmatic Puppet Master character will be played by Yoshiko Sakakibara (Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence's Harraway, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex's Prime Minister Yoko Kayabuki). Iemasa Kayumi (Giant Robo's Chief Chuujou Shizuo, RahXephon's Ernst Von Bähbem) played the role in the original edition.

The film will screen in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Sapporo. Not coincidentally, Oshii's latest film, The Sky Crawlers, will open one month after Ghost in the Shell 2.0 on August 2.

Source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/20 ... e-theaters

Here are some comparison shots, tell me what you think:

http://news.pia.jp/pia/news_image.do?ne ... &imageCd=0
http://news.pia.jp/pia/news_image.do?ne ... &imageCd=1
http://news.pia.jp/pia/news_image.do?ne ... &imageCd=2
http://news.pia.jp/pia/news_image.do?ne ... &imageCd=3

Shingster · Post by **Shingster** » 14 Sep 2008, 17:31

Discussed briefly on these forums here.

Looking at those comparison grabs it seems Oshi's trying to make the film more "cinematic", with more graded lighting and of course the added 3D detail that CGI affords. It looks like 2.0 will be considerably darker than the original.

gasteropod · Post by **gasteropod** » 14 Sep 2008, 18:09

Ooo yes, missed that thread.

I don't think that it's so much he's tried to make it more cinematic, but that he's tried to make it look more similar to the sequel.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 14 Sep 2008, 20:01

I just hope the original will remain available. I dont really like it when directors go back to old work and 'fix' it. To me, seeing CGI blended into a 20 year old movie seems kinda annoying, especially as there is little/nothing wrong with the 2d artwork in the original.

Oshi would be better off to either remake the entire movie in 3d, or just move on to a new original project. So would the fans, btw.

gasteropod · Post by **gasteropod** » 14 Sep 2008, 20:16

'20 year old movie'? It's more like 13 years old, and there is CGI in the original too haha.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 14 Sep 2008, 20:29

gasteropod wrote:'20 year old movie'? It's more like 13 years old, and there is CGI in the original too haha.

I know, but I was speaking more about 'in general'. I dont like it when directors go back to a xx year old movie and 'update' it.

gasteropod · Post by **gasteropod** » 14 Sep 2008, 21:01

Have you seen Blade Runner: The Final Cut? If so, what are your thoughts?

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 14 Sep 2008, 21:41

gasteropod wrote:Have you seen Blade Runner: The Final Cut? If so, what are your thoughts?

Havent seen any cut yet. I hear the original cut had an annoying voice-over though. I'm sure sometimes a 'recut' improves the movie, but when a movie is already very good, I dont really see the need. When it doesnt negatively affect the movie I dont have a REAL problem with it, but it seems that occasionally it does, in which case you just ask yourself' why?'

Killer Meteor · Post by **Killer Meteor** » 14 Sep 2008, 21:58

The only enhanced director's cuts whatever I feel improve on the original are Star Trek The Motion Picture and Disney's Beauty and the Beast (not seen Blade Runner)

Otherwise, Star Wars, THX 1138, Enter the Dragon - oh god, the pain!!!

gasteropod · Post by **gasteropod** » 14 Sep 2008, 21:59

Yeah, Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell are two different situations, since the former was tampered with by the studio against the director's will, and the latter is just being updated out of self-indulgence really.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 14 Sep 2008, 23:18

gasteropod wrote:Yeah, Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell are two different situations, since the former was tampered with by the studio against the director's will, and the latter is just being updated out of self-indulgence really.

...and now with WKW re-cutting Ashes of Time, it also seems a bit 'dumb'.
The original was excellent the way it was, but WKW seems like such an insecure director that he would probably recut every movie he ever made if he was given the chance to do so... and 10 years later he would recut it again and again and again...

I'm all for director's cuts etc... and studios or countries or censorshipboards etc etc should all keep their paws off from someone's work... but also a director should stand behind the version HE initially releases and is happy with. You make a movie, you direct and edit and cut it, and then it gets released. If the version that gets released is YOUR version, then just be happy with it and move ON! If you're not happy with it, you should have changed it before the release (if you have the privilege of 'final cut' ofcourse)

Pretty much EVERY movie could be 'improved' when 'updated' 20 years later. However, I dont feel we should do that. Tsui Hark could re-release A Chinese Ghoststory with CGI zombies, and many kung fu movies could be improved with improving the wire-fu scenes, cleaning up the wires etc... but what's the point. These movies were made in the time they were made, and we should leave them like that. Tsui Hark's 80's zombies are maybe laughable, but that doesnt mean I'd like to see them replaced by CGI. At the time I'm sure the people who worked on it were very proud of their job, and the movie touched millions worldwide. Why change that!?
The same goes for Aliens, Jaws. Star Wars, etc etc... Just let them be.

gasteropod · Post by **gasteropod** » 05 Apr 2009, 04:22

I've watched 2.0 tonight and just been comparing it with the original side-by-side, and I think I'll be sticking with the original. The worst thing about 2.0 for me is the diving scene being 3D, and then she gets out the water in 2D lol, wtf? Looks really silly and out of place. I do like the new 3D opening sequence, especially when she jumps off the building and you fall through the sky with whooshing sounds, but overall I kinda wish this version hadn't been made.

The best thing about 2.0 is the new sound effects, as the original does have some dated-sounding effects, I've always thought that.

Also I don't get why they made the Puppet Master have a female voice in the new version, the male voice with a female body was spooky.

gasteropod · Post by **gasteropod** » 05 Apr 2009, 04:35

I just found this great comparison between the two, lots of caps from throughout the film, and the guy also dislikes the 3D diving scene like me.

http://austrianotakulife.wordpress.com/ ... l-version/

Shingster · Post by **Shingster** » 26 Oct 2009, 12:36

DVDTimes review of the UK Blu-ray now up.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 26 Oct 2009, 16:42

Very interesting, thanks.

Bullets 'n' Babes

Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008)

Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008)

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