live-action anime adaptation. The difference is that, whereas a lot of anime series like Dragon Ball seemed impossible to adapt to a different media anyway, Ghost in the Shell could have actually worked as a live-action feature film.

A relatively grounded futuristic movie that has inspired countless sci-fi movies over the years, the original Ghost in the Shell is one of the most important animated films of all time. Based on Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell manga, the Mamoru Oshii film was quite different from the source material and went for a more philosophical approach to the story. Ghost in the Shell (1995) was about identity and what it means for something to be real, which are elements that were sadly lost in translation when Hollywood remade the film into a live-action blockbuster movie.

Ghost in the Shell (2017) Lacks All The Things That Make The Original Film So Special

Ghost in the Shell’s Live-Action Remake Is Just An Okay Sci-Fi Movie

Ghost in the Shell (2017) starring Scarlett Johansson is not bad, especially compared to other live-action movies and TV shows based on anime. With cool visuals and some fun action sequences, the Ghost in the Shell remake is at its worst a mediocre sci-fi movie that is not too different from other entries in the genre. However, as an adaptation of one of the most important sci-fi films in history, the Ghost in the Shell remake needed to be more than just an okay film.

While the reaction to Scarlett Johansson being cast as the remake’s version of Motoko Kusanagi instead of a Japanese actor dominated the conversation surrounding 2017’s Ghost in the Shell, the movie had a lot of other problems. From the lack of Japanese characters to a story that couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be a remake of the 1995 film or something more, Rupert Sanders’ Ghost in the Shell never lives up to its potential. It wastes some interesting ideas that could’ve worked in a better version of what turned out to be a pointless Ghost in the Shell remake.

Ghost in the Shell Deserved A Much Better Hollywood Adaptation Than What We Got

Ghost in the Shell Has Been Influencing Sci-Fi Cinema For Decades

From The Matrix to Avatar, it is hard to think of a dystopian sci-fi movie released after 1995 that was not inspired by Ghost in the Shell in some form. Although the original manga was great, Mamoru Oshii’s anime movie took the story to the next level and posed some fascinating questions about existence itself and the meaning of life. Between the gorgeous visuals and the score that sticks to you long after the movie is finished, Ghost in the Shell (1995) is a movie that you simply won’t forget after watching it for the first time.

This is why Ghost in the Shell, which has since received plenty of sequels and prequels between movies and shows, deserved a better live-action adaptation. Even though the original Ghost in the Shell was arguably a perfect movie, that world was rich enough to receive new stories, including but not limited to the fan-favorite anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. In other words, a live-action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell could have worked – even if it was not a remake of the 1995 film but rather something else entirely.

I Hope Ghost in the Shell Gets Another Live-Action Adaptation (But With A Difference)

We Don’t Need Another Ghost in the Shell Live-Action Movie

Despite how disappointed I was with the 2017 remake, I would not mind Ghost in the Shell getting another live-action adaptation. However, the best way to revisit that world in live-action would arguably be with a TV show. Any Ghost in the Shell movie for the big screen is bound to be compared to the 1995 film and would most likely end up being yet another remake of the Mamoru Oshii classic. A TV show, on the other hand, would get to play within the sandbox and tell stories that haven’t been told yet.

Not every Ghost in the Shell movie and show takes place in the same continuity as the original film. For example, the entire Stand Alone Complex saga exists in its own corner of the franchise. Therefore, a live-action Ghost in the Shell series would not necessarily have to worry about continuity and what came before. With discussions about AI and the role of creativity in humanity’s future now more important than ever, a story like Ghost in the Shell could easily be reinvented in a fun and fresh way if done right.