Innocence: Ghost in the Shell 2

The Japanese anime hit Ghost in the Shell was perhaps the only film I’ve seen in the last eight years that I couldn’t make heads or tails out of. I even asked an anime addict to explain the plot to me, and he admitted that he wasn’t entirely sure what had happened either. So it was quite a surprise that Innocence was so clear and straightforward. It was also quite a surprise that it was so freaking dull. The problem is that the main character is largely robotic and acts it. Imagine watching a production of Hamlet with a Furby in the lead role, and you’ll get a sense of the problem. On the other hand, the animation is beautiful and occasionally even stunning, and there’s lots of geeky philosophical speculation about the nature of humanity, and the plot centers around sex robots that go crazy and start killing people, so you can well imagine the built-in audience for this kind of thing. If that’s your scene, you’ll have to pull yourself away from your Everquest game, strap on your cosplay outfit, and get yourself to the theater before all the other vampire kids fill up the good seats.