Ghost in the Shell [4k + Blu-ray + Digital] [4K UHD]

Celebrate one of the most critically acclaimed anime films of all time in 4K Ultra HD! Set in the year 2029 and following World Wars III and IV, a Japanese-led Asian block dominates world affairs. The alliance maintains its international supremacy through its elite security force whose cybernetically enhanced operatives tackle an array of hi-tech terrorists and other threats to international security. These augmented agents can “ghost hack” (i.e., download their consciousness) via the now omnipresent internet into other machines and human/machine cross breeds.

Major Motoko Kusanagi, a cybernetically augmented female agent, has been tracking a virtual entity known as the Puppet Master with her crack squad of security agents. The shape-shifting Puppet Master, a rogue creation of a rival agency of the security apparatus, has concluded that it is a life form in its own right, born in sea of information, and requested political asylum and true physical existence in defiance of its creators. Together with her fellow agents from Section 9, Kusanagi embarks on a high-tech race against time to capture the omnipresent entity.

Director Mamoru Oshii’s Award-Winning Cyber-Tech Thriller

Director Mamoru Oshii’s award-winning cyber-tech thriller, based on the comic book by Shirow Masamune, is lauded as one of the leading Japanese animation films ever. Twenty-five years later, Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell remains a revolutionary sci-fi masterpiece that pushed the boundaries of animation into unprecedented territory, demonstrating that this type of filmmaking can be beautiful and thought-provoking while following a challenging storyline that respected the intelligence of its audience.

While on the hunt for the highly mysterious hacker Puppet Master, Kusanagi starts pondering her own identity and the illusion of a soul when a majority of her body is augmented and synthetic — a “shell.” But her cognizant brain is filled with memories of a life lived, informing her understanding of a unique personality, consciousness and any ideas of a soul — a “ghost.” In conversations with her trusted partner Batou, she muses on concrete definitions of “human,” especially when the mind can be transplanted into artificial bodies.

Stunning Native 4K Video Presentation

Finally, Major Kusanagi receives the justice she deserves on Ultra HD, equipped with an excellent HEVC H.265 encode, making the best the classic sci-fi anime has ever looked on any format. Coming from a brand-new restoration and remaster of the original elements, the native 4K transfer displays a notable upgrade in contrast and brightness balance.

Both the 1080 and 2160 discs included in this release are sourced off of the new 4K remaster done for this release. Both of these presentations feature noticeable improvements over previous home video releases. Once the credits end, it immediately becomes clear how general detail levels and things like line detail in particular are much more precise looking. The palette also perks up quite a bit, especially since that opening sequence can be almost monochrome at times, or at best featuring kind of pale greens and/or blues.

Dolby Vision gives this release noticeable new luster, with some gorgeous reds in particular. The almost Blade Runner-esque neon lit, rain drenched, urban landscapes have noticeable new detail, even despite their somewhat Impressionistic animation style. In terms of fine detail, little elements like the acupuncture needles in one sequence have a really fantastically precise appearance, and outlines on characters are typically solid.

Reference-Quality Dolby Atmos Audio

Ghost in the Shell comes to Ultra HD Blu-ray from Lionsgate Home Entertainment featuring 2160p HEVC encoded video and lossless Dolby Atmos/TrueHD 7.1 channel sound. Both of the Atmos tracks offer nice, if at times subtle, overhead placement, and it’s not necessarily limited to expected items like things actually in the air. Even the opening few moments feature a nice wash of ambient environmental sounds that waft overhead, and there’s even some nice vertical placement to some of the percussion heavy score.

Those percussive elements offer some of the most widely imaged effects in terms of the music, and the immersive qualities of the score in particular are quite impressive. There are occasional moments where some really fun discrete channelization is accomplished. Some of the more bombastic skirmishes feature nice, rumbly LFE.

Audio on the disc comes by way of the original Japanese 2.0 stereo in uncompressed LPCM, plus new Dolby Atmos remixes in both English and Japanese. The bustling streets come alive with traffic and crowd noises, and the Net sequences buzz with immersive intensity, drawing you into the futurescape nicely, whilst latter actions scenes boom with the punishing power of that unstoppable tank, as countless shells are expended.

Package Contents and Special Features

This two-disc combo pack includes a 4K UHD disc containing the movie and a Blu-ray special features disc, along with a digital copy code that can be redeemed via moviesredeem.com or through VUDU where users can unlock the 4K Dolby Vision version with Dolby Atmos audio. The triple-layered UHD100 disc sits comfortably opposite a Region A locked, BD50 disc, and both discs are housed inside a black, eco-cutout case with a glossy slipcover featuring exclusive art by Matt Ferguson.

Brand New Special Features Include:

• Full-length audio commentary of Ghost in the Shell with Mary Claypool (Animation Writer and English Language Scriptwriter), Eric Calderon (Animation Producer and Writer), Richard Epcar (Voice of Batou in the Ghost in the Shell franchise), and Charles Solomon (Animation Historian and Critic). This is a must-listen commentary that covers a wide range of topics, from the development of the English language version of the movie to how it’s impacted culture over the past 25 years.
• Accessing Section 9: 25 Years into the Future – Featurette (18:41). There’s topical and participant overlap between this featurette and the commentary, but it still manages to add new wrinkles to the conversation. It looks at the impact of both this film in particular and the entire franchise in general.
• Landscapes & Dreamscapes: The Art and Architecture of Ghost in the Shell – Featurette (10:49). Author Stefan Riekeles discusses the movie’s rich backgrounds and other visual elements. He’s been studying anime architecture for a long time, so he has interesting observations to make. Features an analysis of the film’s design aesthetic including some interesting looks at background art.
• Production Report (27 min) – An archival behind the scenes featurette. Since the original creators weren’t featured in the other bonus features, this is a chance for some of them to talk about the movie, albeit in a dated archival piece.
• Digital Works (30 min) – Another archival featurette, this one focusing on CGI, specifically with regard to the Stand Alone Complex outings. In Japanese with English subtitles. This piece focuses specifically on the use of digital animation in the movie, which was a novel idea 25 years ago.
• Theatrical Trailers

Technical Specifications

• Runtime: 82 minutes
• Video: 2160p HEVC H.265 encode, Native 4K, Dolby Vision HDR, HDR10
• Audio: Japanese 2.0 LPCM and Dolby Atmos, English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, Japanese to English translation subtitles
• Region: Region-Free / Region A
• Studio: Lionsgate/Manga Entertainment
• Release Date: September 8, 2020
• Director: Mamoru Oshii
• Music: Kenji Kawai
• Written by: Kazunori Itō
• Voice Cast: Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Ōtsuka, Tamio Ōki, Iemasa Kayumi, Kōichi Yamadera, Tesshō Genda
• Rating: Unrated

Cultural Impact and Legacy

For many contemporary moviegoers, Ghost in the Shell may not seem like the revolutionary sci-fi masterpiece it’s endlessly celebrated for, especially when other movies with similar themes are readily available. But back in 1995, the film took audiences by surprise with themes that felt relatively fresh, and it has made a lasting, influential impact that can still be seen today.

A variety of animation techniques were utilised to craft Ghost in the Shell, cleverly blending traditional cel-based animation with early CG elements – then referred to as DGA – and the results don’t always make for spectacular, demo, reference 4K fodder, but nonetheless there are some thoroughly impressive moments, and the cleaned up restoration really starts to show the production’s true colours. The intricately painted backgrounds look suitably lavish and expansive, afforded even more fine background touches than ever before, as you lap up the minutiae of the futurescape.

The film was actually quite influential with its cyberpunk mark evident in everything from The Matrix to HBO’s Westworld and beyond. The Wachowskis used Ghost in the Shell to pitch The Matrix to Warner Bros. Iconic anime like Akira, Cowboy Bebop, and Ghost in the Shell were all inspired to one degree or another by the writings of Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, and Neal Stephenson, not to mention Ridley Scott’s film Blade Runner. But these anime inspired other Western works in turn.

What Viewers Are Saying

One fan who caught the 25th anniversary theatrical screening noted: “First time watching the Japanese dub, and it definitely hit different than I remember. Perhaps some of the story was lost in translation, or maybe I see it differently now that I’m older. Regardless, the experience was amazing, immersive, and definitely worth the price of admission.”

Another viewer who purchased the 4K edition commented: “The seminal cyberpunk anime. The grandmama of cybernetic cinema. Major Kusanagi and her crack team of special operators is on the trail of the mysterious cybercriminal known only as The Puppetmaster, but what they discover will change their worlds forever. Got that sweet 4k quality. Came with a digital code. Has all the standard bells and whistles. The net is vast and infinite.”

A Best Buy customer wrote: “Excellent cover and steel case, love the design. The 4k rendition of Ghost in the Shell works perfect if you have a really nice display, the sound design is also perfect for Dolby Atmos systems.”

This disc represents Ghost in the Shell looking and sounding better than you have ever seen or heard it before, and by no small margin. This is a landmark anime, a stunning piece of visual animation, and an imaginative work of science fiction/cyberpunk that seems to become more relevant with every year.