Now, it’s probably a little confusing since Ghost In The Shell has a sequel, but this release of the movie is actually a revised version of the original.

I can’t speak for the DVD version, but the blu-ray version has both new and old cuts of the movie on the same disc. One can watch either or, there is no split screen option for comparison. The new version features a lot of touched up animation, and segues of CGI animation.

For those unfamiliar with Ghost In The Shell (GITS), one could describe it as the quintessential work of early Japanese animated cyberpunk.  The title has spawned two movies, and two TV shows. It is based off of a manga originally created in 1989.

The genre of cyberpunk usually refers to something that deals with cyborgs, and a ‘junky’ sort of urban aesthetic. If you’re familiar with the movie Blade Runner, then you’re familiar with cyberpunk.

So what’s the big deal about this re-release?

I was a big fan of the original film, but I had sold my copy years ago. I bought this in hopes that it would simply be a touched up for high-definition edition. You know, nothing special like most anime blu-ray.

After I finished watching it, I enjoyed it just as much as the first. However, as the more I thought I about it, the more like this version had turned its back on what made the original so unique.

The concepts regarding artificial intelligence were still in tact, but it seemed like the grittiness was taken out. GITS 2.0 had removed what made it feel like a dystopian society, and replaced it with a polished and clean look. That’s not what the movie was about.

Originally, everything came together in a nice package. The gritty atmosphere, action scenes, music, and characters were all apart of what made the movie great. In the 2.0 release of this movie, it feels like they tampered with what made the movie so great.

Something was lost in translation.

This is still a very beautiful film, but it feels just like every other big budget sci-fi anime movie that’s been coming out for the last ten years. It’s uninspiring.

One final thing to touch on are the copious amounts of added CGI. A respectable amount of the 3D computer generated graphics seem well-placed. For instance, all of the gadgets and displays in the backgrounds, or a spinning display of a brain. Those don’t seem out of place with the rest of the 2D animation.

What does seem out of place are the “cutscenes” in the movie. In GITS 2.0 various scenes are completely replaced with CGI rendering. Certain scenes like the escape from the building in the first scene, or the part where Kusanagi is swimming in the bay.

It looks too pristine, too showy. You can’t capture the aesthetic of a run-down city with much precision using CGI. At least, not in this movie.

Even with all of the negatives that Ghost in the Shell 2.0 presents, most are ignorable if you’ve never seen the movie before. It’s fairly well done, and has been given a leg to stand on the realm of ‘modern movies.’ It just doesn’t recapture the spirit of the original.