Ghost in the Shell 2.0 [Blu-ray]

FORMAT: Blu-Ray UPC: 0-13138-30958-7 RELEASED: 2009-11-24TITLE: Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008) • NR • 1:23:07 Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Ôtsuka, Kôichi Yamadera, Tamio Ôki Mamoru Oshii (Director) A retooled version of a beloved classic and the original version of that same classic (in case you don't like the aforementioned retooling) together in one package — boy, what could possibly be wrong with that? Plenty as it turns out! I certainly wish that I had done more research BEFORE buying this blu-ray — but, hey, keep reading so that you won't make my same mistake. While I was watching this “enhanced” version of the movie I was reminded of the “controversy” surrounding the original versions of Episodes IV through VI of the Star Wars movies (that's “Star Wars”, “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” to you non-Star Wars fans out there) — in that, many people prefer the original “unsullied” version of each movie as it appeared when it was initially released theatrically (as opposed to, the later digitally “enhanced” version of each movie that was subsequently released on video). While I wasn't nearly as bothered by the “enhanced” versions of the Star Wars movies as some people were (in fact, in some cases, I thought they were actually a significant improvement over the “original” versions) — here, however, that is DEFINITELY not the case! The so-called “enhancements” of the “2.0” version of the movie add ABSOLUTELY nothing to the telling of the story — and, to the contrary, frequently detract SEVERELY from the story telling. They are more along the lines of the “gee whiz, look at what we can do now!” variety — and, they don't at all match the look of the original hand-drawn animation (which still makes up the majority of the movie) — so, you are therefore constantly pulled out of the flow of the story because of the GLARING discontinuity of the look of the animation styles. And, to add insult to injury: not only did they screw up the LOOK of the movie, they also screwed up its MUSICAL SCORE! (I don't know about you, but I thought the music was one of the BEST things about the original version of the movie). In short: The original version of this movie is MUCH better in EVERY imaginable way — BY FAR!VIDEO: 1.78:1 • Color • 1080p • MPEG-4 AVC (32.7 Mbps) Though this version of the movie is junk, they did do a very good job when transferring it to blu-ray. The movie's image is reasonably sharp in the CGI scenes (without any obvious edge-enhancement) — but, it is fairly soft in many of the hand-drawn animation scenes. It otherwise has very good contrast and has very good shadow detail (as seen in the dark and shadowy areas of the MANY dark interior and nighttime scenes). Also, fine detail is frequently (though not always) evident in the brighter CGI scenes and in many of the close-ups of machines and vehicles. Lastly, there are no obvious artifacts such as banding, specks, white dots, hair-lines, jagged-lines or color fluctuations. Overall, this movie's presentation on blu-ray has very good picture quality, and should satisfy all but the pickiest viewers (even if the movie itself doesn't).AUDIO: DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 (48 KHz, 24-bit) The sound quality of the DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 soundtrack for this disc, while very good, is NOT amongst the best examples of the art. Although dialog is clear and well placed, and the rear and side channels (I used the Dolby PLIIx mode on my processor while listening) are somewhat active and fairly directional; Because of its lack of truly deep bass, and the fairly uninspired use of directional cues in the surrounds, it just never gave me that deeply moving ‘you-are-there’ feeling that I frequently get when listening to movies with reference-quality soundtracks. However, don't get me wrong: this soundtrack is good, but it definitely could have been better!TITLE: Ghost in the Shell (1995) [Original] • NR • 1:22:38 Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Ôtsuka, Kôichi Yamadera, Tamio Ôki Mamoru Oshii (Director) MOVIE: 4.6 • VIDEO: 2.5 • AUDIO: 2.9 This is what I'm talking about! The original in ALL of its cinematic glory! If you have never before seen any version of “Ghost in the Shell”, PLEASE, do yourself a MAJOR favor, and watch this version of the movie FIRST! (But, get this  DVD  version of the movie instead — since, even for DVD, it has better picture and MUCH better sound than this sub-par transfer!) See the other reviews for more detail and/or other opinions regarding the plot of the movie.VIDEO: 1.78:1 • Color • 1080p • MPEG-4 AVC (20.1 Mbps) This transfer looks like it was up-converted (poorly) from an existing (bad) DVD version — instead of being remastered in high-definition from the original source elements. Jaggies, soft image and washed-out colors — and, that's just the beginning of this transfer's deficits. It is TRULY tragic that the powers that be did NOT make the effort and take the care on the transfer of THIS version of the movie that they obviously did when transferring the crappy “2.0” version. Like I said earlier, get the  Special Edition DVD  instead of this debacle!AUDIO: LPCM 2.0 (48 KHz, 16-bit) Not even a 5.1 soundtrack on this travesty! Heck, even the DVD offered BOTH DTS-ES 6.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 versions (in BOTH English AND Japanese) of the soundtrack. But, no, NOT here! Couldn't you guys, AT LEAST, just used the Dolby Digital 5.1 version of the soundtrack from the Special Edition DVD (of course, the DTS-ES 6.1 version would have been even better) instead of the LPCM 2.0 version used here — which, to my ears, didn't even sound as good as my over twenty year old laser-disc version. Do I need to say it again? — get the  Special Edition DVD  instead.EXTRAS: Ghost in the Shell (Original 1995 version) Character Profiles Creator Biographies ‘Making Of’ Videos Trailer None of the extras were reviewed (except, obviously, for the original version of the movie).

I own three versions of this film: the Special Edition DVD Ghost in the Shell ( Ghost in the Shell (Special Edition) ), the original DVD release ( Ghost in the Shell ) and this version, the 2.0 Blu-Ray release. There are some flaws with the Blu-Ray, but they mainly have to do with it not being such a 'special' release. But being a huge fan, I can't help but purchase each re-release!The HD transfer was very well done, and most of the CG 'updating' was just replacing the old mid 90s CG with some newer CG so it doesn't look so outdated. I don't have a problem with that as long as they aren't doing the 'George Lucas treatment' by adding in whole new scenes. But replacing a rather dated looking CG helicopter with a newer CG rendering is not a deal breaker in my opinion. Other than that, there are some 'tweaks' to the resolution. Nothing that really changes anything, but along the lines of when someone like Criterion takes an old film from the 30s or 40s and cleans the resolution for newer digital formats. You don't feel like you're watching a VHS film 'copied' onto a DVD like many of the DVD re-releases of 90s anime. Instead you feel like watching an animation that had been intended to be digital all along.The audio is the best and most noticeable improvement over the DVD. The score has been remastered and the Japanese voice acting completely re-done. And for the better in my opinion. The new voice acting is terrific. I have listened to it briefly with the English dubbing, but I feel the Japanese voice acting lends a more serious and authentic tone to this film.So basically with the new and updated resolution and sound you aren't really watching the 'original' film. Just the plot and basic settings remain the same. Upon watching the oldest version I have (the original DVD release) you really see the improvements made.Would I recommend purchasing this version? Yes. I wouldn't say it's the purest version (the original DVD takes that honor, since it is the exact version that was released in theaters in Japan and later onto VHS - which I used to own! But tossed since I don't have a VHS anymore). But this is probably the 'best' version of the actual film. There aren't really too many extras sadly. The DVD Special Edition seemed to have more. But for a very high quality version with improved voice acting and sound, this is a winner. If you haven't seen the previous versions, this is a worthy place to start. If you are a purist, then you probably won't like this version. But if you can accept what the studio was attempting, then you can appreciate this version.If you don't know Ghost in the Shell... what it refers to is an artificial intelligence becoming sentient in an artificial body. Basically the 'ghost' is a person's soul. The shell is the prosthetic or artificial body. In the near future humans have the ability to transfer their brain into prosthetic bodies. The brain retains their soul or 'ghost'. Not everyone has the ability or funds to accomplish this, so the vast majority of people are still in their original bodies. But many (most) people have wired implants to allow them to be online in a kind of virtual net. Eerie!The plot here begins when a prosthetic body acquires a 'ghost' or at least is thought to have. Enter the Puppet Master. So section 9, a kind of cyber police special force, gets assigned to the case. So the team starts to unravel the plot and ends up crossing into dangerous territory. The lines between right and wrong, friend and foe, and good and evil become blurred. The film raises tons of philosophical questions. Despite some scenes with a somewhat slower pace and lots of conversation (such as near the end), it never comes off as boring. The finale is very well done and the ending is very well done. (No spoilers!)This is a very cerebral film, and one that encourages thought and reflection. It is also rewarding of multiple viewings. Each time I watch it I notice something a little extra, or at least it gives me pause to think.The film and the new HD transfer I give 5 stars. For special features and extras I give two stars!

La original pero retocada digitalmente. Mejoraron mucho el audio, pero no me terminó de convencer.

La calidad del empaque es muy buena, el envío fue inmediato, no hay duda de que volvería a comprar.

Viene la película original y la nueva remasterizada, lo cual es genial, así tienes las dos para comparar o por si te gusta ver los cambios que hicieron con el CGI, fuera de eso la historia es idéntica.

De las películas referente de la animación y del anime, es una obra maestra que tienes que tener en tu colección. Excelente precio!

la edición esta muy sencilla, pensando en que es una edición de aniversario pensé que incluiría muchas mas cosas de material extra o por lo menos mas idiomas , en general bien