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Movies / On DVD / Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

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Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)

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Reviews Counted:24

Fresh:17

Rotten:7

Average Rating:6.4/10

Consensus: The animation is lovely, but the plot is complex to the point of inscrutability, leaving Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence both original and numbing.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for violence, disturbing images and brief language

Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:Sep 17, 2004 Limited

Box Office: $856,451

Synopsis: Nine years ago, writer/director Mamoru Oshii's widely influential "Ghost in the Shell" burst onto the international film scene, becoming one of the most successful anime films of all time. Now,... Nine years ago, writer/director Mamoru Oshii's widely influential "Ghost in the Shell" burst onto the international film scene, becoming one of the most successful anime films of all time. Now, Oshii returns with the long-awaited sequel "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence." "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence" is set in 2032, when the line between humans and machines has been blurred almost beyond distinction. Humans have virtually forgotten what it means to be entirely human in both body and spirit, and the few humans that are left coexist with cyborgs (human spirits inhabiting entirely mechanized bodies) and dolls (robots with no human elements at all). Batou is a cyborg. His body is artificial: the only remnants left of his humanity are traces of his brain…and the memories of a woman called The Major. A detective for the government's covert anti-terrorist unit, Public Security Section 9, Batou is investigating the case of a gynoid—a hyper-realistic female robot created specifically for sexual companionship—who malfunctions and slaughters her owner. As Batou delves deeper into the investigation, questions arise about humanity's need to immortalize its image in dolls. Together, Batou and his partner must take on violent Yakuza thugs, devious hackers, government bureaucrats and corporate criminals to uncover the shocking truth behind the crime. "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence" is the story of a solitary cyborg who desperately wants to hold on to what's left of his humanity in a world where the worth of the human soul is fading almost into obscurity. "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence" was written and directed by Mamoru Oshii based on an original story by Shirow Masamune. Mitsuhisa Ishikawa and Toshio Suzuki produced the film. It is the second anime film to be released under the banner of Go Fish Pictures, a division of DreamWorks Pictures. "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence" was the first anime film ever to compete for the Cannes International Film Festival's coveted Palme d'Or. It also joined the ranks of such animated classics as "Dumbo" (1947), "Peter Pan" (1953), "Fantastic Planet" (1973), "Shrek" (2001) and "Shrek 2" (2004) to become only the sixth animated film to compete at Cannes. -- © Go Fish Pictures [More]

Starring: Atsuko Tanaka, Naoto Takenaka, Ruby

Starring: Atsuko Tanaka, Naoto Takenaka, Ruby

Director: Mamoru Oshii

Director: Mamoru Oshii
Composer: Kenji Kawai
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution LLC

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Dec 28, 2004

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Reviews for Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Mamoru Oshii's 2004 follow-up to his 1995 anime noir is that rare sequel that surpasses the original.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
04/18/07
Andrea Gronvall
Andrea Gronvall
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Occasional passages of shell-cracking egghead overload aside, there's no getting past Innocence's astounding visual power.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
10/29/04
Geoff Pevere
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
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The effect of so much pretension and so many lovely images eventually becomes soporific.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
10/29/04
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
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Praiseworthy for its concepts and aesthetics, yet it is too theory-heavy and action-shy, clumped with philosophical tangents and scholarly reference points.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
09/23/04
Lisa Rose
Lisa Rose
Newark Star-Ledger
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Solemnly questioning issues of science and metaphysics, it creates a spell that's a unique blend of the ominous and the sensual.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
09/23/04
Steve Murray
Steve Murray
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Doesn't match the weight of its predecessor, or really add anything necessary to the saga, but it doesn't hurt the body of work, either.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
09/17/04
Peter Hartlaub
Peter Hartlaub
San Francisco Chronicle
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Unplug from the narrative, let the images of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence wash over you, and enjoy the beautiful ride.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
09/17/04
Kevin Crust
Kevin Crust
Los Angeles Times
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Portentous and pretentious, Shell 2 crawls along like a machine on low batteries.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
09/17/04
Bruce Westbrook
Bruce Westbrook
Houston Chronicle
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More vital than most police procedurals, fusing the metaphysical and the scientific into a pulp yarn with a gentle but bruising philosophical kick.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
09/17/04
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
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Don't even bother trying to figure out what's going on in Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence -- just sit back and enjoy the lush, trippy visuals.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
09/17/04
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
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I was not only able to comprehend Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, but connect with it emotionally. And that's all the more impressive considering the characters are something less than human.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
09/17/04
Terry Lawson
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press
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While the visuals are at times stylish, Ghost suffers most from a distinct lack of anything, well, cinematic.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment 1 Comment
09/17/04
Michael O'Sullivan
Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post
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This spectacular sequel to Oshii's 1996 Ghost in the Shell may not be quite as good as the first, but it's still a trip to a universe almost impossible to describe yet so vivid that once you've visited, you'll never forget.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
09/17/04
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post
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Innocence doesn't just reveal a wealth of visual enchantments; it restates the case that there can and should be more to feature-length animations than cheap jokes, bathos and pandering.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
09/16/04
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
New York Times
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A rehash that takes a timely theme, mankind's obsession with technology, and bloats it to the point of incomprehension, cramming meaning into dialogue that has none.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
09/16/04
Gary Dowell
Gary Dowell
Dallas Morning News
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This is a meaning-of- everything flick -- with a superficial plot about murderous androids -- yet its main characters are interesting because of their connection to each other rather than the metaphysical.

Full Review Source: San Jose Mercury News | comment Comment
09/16/04
Mike Antonucci
Mike Antonucci
San Jose Mercury News
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A stunning work of animation artistry and a compelling metaphysical inquiry into what constitutes humanity and machine.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
09/16/04
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
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A revelation, a challenging yet enlightening journey into the depths of creativity and imagination.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
09/16/04
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
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The plot is difficult to follow, but the imagery needs no translation.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
09/16/04
Jeff Strickler
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Batou is mostly cyborg, Togusa is mostly human. But since both are made with the DNA of the Tokyo-born Oshii, they're both gogglingly original.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
09/16/04
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
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