That cyberpunk thread

[chuckster]

I have really grown to love Blade Runner over the years and I'm really hoping against hope (and the so-far bland trailers) that there's real substance to this one. That's the main draw of cyberpunk for me, that you have this high-tension story on the ground while it's exploring all of these well-reasoned existential, political, and social questions at the same time. So much cyberpunk tends to go light on theme and invest heavily in tacking on the aesthetic to a generic thriller plot.

Which leads me to Ghost in the Shell!

[SPOILERS?]

Having just watched the new Ghost in the Shell adaptation, that's what bothered me the most. That movie seemed to focus too much on the personal level, making one person out to be 'special' at the expense of the bigger questions that I have come to see as the defining element of GitS. There were glimpses of some social questions (mostly about corporate control, our increasing dependence on networks, and personal autonomy), but they were just that, glimpses. There was no heady breakdown of events, no complex plot to unravel, just a revenge murder spree and a confused Major that was too caught up in her own angst to care.

Maybe I'm being too harsh. The movie was fine on it's own, though I think they could have done a much better job without the GitS label. I'll give it another chance down the road and see if I warm up to it over time.

[Xeogred]

It's funny I get that vibe too with the new GITS. It looks like without the GITS name, it may have been an okay movie.