Comparing Ghost in the Shell Remake to the Original

by Devin Caldwell

Hollywood is no stranger to the concept of the remake. For decades, films and television series based on pre-existing media have been quite popular for big studios to churn out. While viewers are generally split on whether or not this is a good trend, it doesn’t seem to slow down the onslaught of remakes and reboots that are filling theaters and dominating television screens. One big example that made headlines was the live-action movie Ghost in the Shell, which itself was a type of remake. There are many differences between the new movie and the original source material.

If you’re curious to learn more about the differences, now is the time to take a closer look. Explore how the remake of this film compares to the original anime series and see how Hollywood attempts to infuse new life into classic concepts.

The Idea of the Remake

It can be very challenging to try and figure out exactly why a movie is remade. While the answer is almost always unanimously centered around some type of financial gain for the studio, it requires more than just a desire for money to get a movie remade. Sometimes, studios feel like the original movie or show could benefit from the advancements made in the movie industry since the initial product was released. Other times, the original movie is considered a classic that should be “reinvented” for new generations. 

With the case of Ghost in the Shell, the live-action film by Rupert Sanders was put into production as a way of introducing the popular anime franchise to Western audiences. Like many animes, Ghost in the Shell was based on a manga. Mamoru Oshii initially adapted the manga as an anime in 1995, where it received critical acclaim and is still considered by fans to be a faithful and engaging retelling of the comic. The new film is based on the television series, meaning it is less a remake and more an interpretation of the source material. 

The Main Character

One of the biggest points to be discussed in the media surrounding this film is how the main character has been changed to fit the new adaptation. The concept of Ghost in the Shell centers on Motoko Kusanagi, who is a woman who has her human brain placed into a cybernetic body. Though it seemed like science fiction in the 90s, useful supercomputer AI applications are being explored all the time in the real world. Cybernetic humans are still far off on the horizon however.

The main difference between the main character in the remake is that she is played by Western actress Scarlett Johansson. To reflect this, the main character is now named Mira Killian. Instead of the story being focused on Killian’s journey after her brain was placed in a robot body, the new movie predominantly focuses on Killian’s life before she became a cyborg. This is an area never explored in the original series, causing fans to have both excitement and concern over how this material would be handled on the big screen. 

The Look

Fans have also commented on the stark differences between how the main character of the series looks in the new film when compared to her look in the anime. There are always going to be challenges when adapting a comic image to a real-life movie. However, designers have taken many liberties with the look of the character. The huge visual differences between The Major in the new movie and how she appeared in the source material are quite noticeable. However, some viewers are willing to accept the style changes as a necessary part of the process.

Conclusion

Though many consumers feel a sense of “why bother” when a movie is remade, there are some interesting cases where the new movie compares to the original. Though great examples are few and far between, it does not seem like Hollywood will give up on the remake trend anytime in the near future.