Ghost in the Shell (Special Edition)
April 2005 Reviewed by: Josh Barber Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

It’s the year 2029, and the line between man and machine continues to blur. As humans become increasingly cybernetic, a new government agency is created to police a new kind of crime. Major Motoko Kusanagi and her Section 9 teammates, Batou and Togusa, are charged with hunting down a cyber criminal, known as the Puppet Master, who has been hacking into people’s minds and taking control.

When Ghost in the Shell was first released on DVD in 1995, the format was still young, which means there were a fair number of artifact errors and not very much in the way of bonus features. But really, what's an anniversary for, if not a great excuse to revisit and re-release old films?

The transfer isn't much better than the original release, but it does show some improvement. Colors are brighter and clearer, and the contrast has been bumped up a bit to make the image pop. The original release was quite muddy at times, and that is no longer the case. There are some combing and interlacing errors -- the problem when two semi-transparent frames overlap one another -- but not as extensively as on the previous release. Long pans have a tendency to jump and stutter, but that is likely due more to the film's production values than any problem with the transfer to disc. Overall, the special edition presents us with a better picture.

Sound shows a great improvement, but since the original release was terrible, almost anything would be better. In general, the sound is weak, with thin voices and quiet effects, and mostly front-loaded. Ghost in the Shell is set in one of the most crowded cities on earth, but outdoor scenes lack any depth of sound. Both the English and Japanese tracks have the same strengths and weaknesses.

Ghost in the Shell (Special Edition) comes in a clear plastic slipcase that hugs the case tightly and is a pain to get on or off. A double-sided poster is folded inside the case, featuring promotional art from the film. The animated menus are decent, duplicating the look of the Section 9 agents' heads-up display. All the extras are on the second disc, and most of them are duplicated from the old release.

"Production Report" is a 22-minute "making-of," conveniently titled "The Making of Ghost in the Shell" on the original disc. It is narrated by Abe Lasser, the English voice of the Puppet Master, and it covers everything you would expect: the origin of the story, the growth of the film, and its eventual worldwide impact. It would have been nice to get an updated version of this feature that talks about the influence Ghost in the Shell has had in the past decade.

"Digital Works" focuses on the use of computer graphics and computer animation and has interviews with Oshî and the digital effects workers. Again, this was made in 1995, so the information is a bit dated. Like the making-of, this would have benefited from more modern-day insight. The "Character Dossiers," "Creator Biography," and "Director Biography" are taken from the original release, but they have been given new menu animation. Finally, there are trailers for the film and its two sequels, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, plus the usual section of Manga Entertainment trailers.

• Go Back