Ghost in the Shell (2017)

This Ghost in the Shell is a museum replica of a classic anime: every famous shot copied, none of the questions inside them. The city is the star, with giant holograms looming over rainy streets, robot geishas and a rooftop dive into thin air. It looks incredible, and it plays like nobody asked what the Major is actually thinking. Scarlett Johansson plays her stiff and blank, which fits a cyborg right up until the script needs you to care about her. The plot boils down to an evil executive and a hacker with a grudge, which is way smaller than the ideas it borrowed. Takeshi Kitano is the coolest thing here, speaking only Japanese while everyone answers in English, and nobody blinks. Pilou Asbæk’s Batou, the big guy who loves dogs, is the only warm presence. Juliette Binoche does what she can. It made $169.8 million worldwide on a reported $110M. A 4.3 because it’s gorgeous and hollow, like a very expensive screensaver. $82.35 says you rewatch Kitano’s big shootout twice and skip everything else.

What works: The city design is stunning, and Takeshi Kitano’s Aramaki and Pilou Asbæk’s Batou bring real personality.

What doesn’t: Johansson’s Major never feels like a person worth worrying about, and the script swaps the anime’s big ideas for a standard corporate villain.

Who it’s for: Viewers who care more about neon visuals and production design than story, and Takeshi Kitano fans.