Opening

77% Fast & Furious 6 May 24
34% The Hangover Part III May 23
93% Epic May 24
96% Before Midnight May 24
67% We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks May 24
88% Fill the Void May 24
—— A Green Story May 24
—— Alyce Kills May 24

Top Box Office

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46% Pain & Gain $3.2M
69% The Croods $3.0M
77% 42 $2.8M
56% Oblivion $2.3M
98% Mud $2.2M
37% Peeples $2.2M
8% The Big Wedding $1.2M

Coming Soon

—— After Earth May 31
—— Now You See Me May 31
100% The Kings of Summer May 31
89% The East May 31

Ghost in the Shell (1996)

tomatometer

94

Average Rating: 7.4/10
Reviews Counted: 31
Fresh: 29 | Rotten: 2

A stunning feat of modern animation, Ghost in the Shell offers a thoughtful, complex treat for anime fans, as well as a perfect introduction for viewers new to the genre.

No Score Yet...

Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 4
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 1

A stunning feat of modern animation, Ghost in the Shell offers a thoughtful, complex treat for anime fans, as well as a perfect introduction for viewers new to the genre.

audience

87

liked it
Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 83,737

My Rating

Movie Info

In the year 2029, the world has become interconnected by a vast electronic network that permeates every aspect of life. That same network also becomes a battlefield for Tokyo's Section Nine security force, which has been charged with apprehending the master hacker known only as the Puppet Master. Spearheading the investigation is Major Motoko Kusanagi, who -- like many in her department -- is a cyborg officer, far more powerful than her human appearance would suggest. And yet as the Puppet

Nov 18, 2003

Palm Pictures

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All Critics (31) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (29) | Rotten (3) | DVD (17)

Conjures up a dazzling, futuristic cityscape that, sadly, is not matched by the human landscapes at the heart of the story.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Mamoru Oshii's direction deftly merges gritty realism with a dreamlike quality.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
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I enjoyed its visuals, its evocative soundtrack (including a suite for percussion and heavy breathing), and its ideas.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

This is exactly the kind of film that James Cameron would make if they ever let him through the Disney front gates.

July 16, 2010 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | Comment (1)
Empire Magazine

Thrilling, compelling, moving and visually splendid, this isn't just a classic anime, it's a great film.

September 4, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4

This cyberpunk policier doesn't make much sense on a narrative level, but the visuals are gorgeously designed and sometimes genuinely breathtaking.

April 16, 2007 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide
TV Guide's Movie Guide

A fairly entrancing vision of a human race overrun by evolving artificial intelligence.

May 3, 2005 Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness
Lessons of Darkness

Surprisingly less interesting than its sequel

February 2, 2005 Full Review Source: Movie Habit | Comment (1)
Movie Habit

Surprisingly less interesting than its sequel

January 28, 2005 Full Review Source: Movie Habit
Movie Habit

O visual e a qualidade da animação são incríveis, e a história é bastante criativa.

July 25, 2003
Cinema em Cena

Adds an intriguing philosophical dimension to the cyber-thriller genre.

May 20, 2003
Palo Alto Weekly

Its animation is so rich in meticulous and sumptuous detail that it blows previous Japanese landmarks like Akira simply out of the water.

May 12, 2003 Full Review Source: Sci-Fi Movie Page | Comments (2)
Sci-Fi Movie Page

Ultimately Ghost in the Shell remains a hard sell, with sluggish pacing and sloppy storytelling effectively smothering the strengths of this lackluster effort.

May 11, 2003 Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | Comments (13)
Austin Chronicle

Audience Reviews for Ghost in the Shell

Philosophical to the point of becoming almost completely art-house, I had been meaning to watch 'Ghost in the Shell' for quite some time and was surprised by what I got. The pacing of the film was unconventional, the music was outstanding, and the scenes in complete silence offered a level of beauty I wasn't expecting. The exposition was a bit heavy handed at times and the dub version had one or two moments where the actors lost it. Overlook these moments however and you feel find an anime with extreme depth.
October 25, 2012
Cameron Sherwell

Super Reviewer

The film that redefined the cyber-punk genre is complex, resonant and astonishingly animated. Taking the idea of artificial intelligence to a point of human reality and highlighting the emotional turmoil of existence, "Ghost in the Shell" explores what makes humans as such and with such a serious, atmospheric and slow-paced structure. Not only a landmark in science-fiction filmmaking, but in animation with visuals that are haunting, extraordinarily detailed and always stimulating to the eye.
January 27, 2012
Matthew Roe
Matthew Roe

Super Reviewer

    1. Bateau: There's nothing sadder than a puppet without a ghost, especially the kind with red blood running through them.
    – Submitted by Logan M (14 months ago)

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Latest News on Ghost in the Shell

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April 15, 2008:
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Thanks in part to the efforts of Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks has acquired the rights to Ghost in...

January 22, 2007:
"Ghost" in a Live-Action "Shell"?
This falls under the 'news before the actual news' category, but according to ComingSoon.net,...

Foreign Titles

  • Ghost in the Shell (DE)
  • Ghost In The Shell (UK)
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