Ghost in the Shell (NR, 1995)

I believe I know enough about GITS now to formally write a review. I first saw GITS when I was about 12 or 13, and since then have bought the DVD and watched it around 15 times or so. Many people complain that the nudity, language, and violence 'hurt' the film's image, but you have to remember that its a downplay from the rather more explicit Manga. Yes, Motoko has breasts, now get over it (plus they're cybernetic, so I don't see what the problem is). Yes, a man's head explodes in a shower of blood. Yes, the police force flings out curse words; would you expect them to say "goshdarnit he got away"? GITS delves deep into the human psyche, and attempts to unravel philosophical mysteries. Even after so many viewings, choice scenes still mystify me with their complexity and trail of reasoning. Despite all of these 'content' complaints hurled at GITS, I recommend seeing it for yourself and getting some part of the experience I felt, of feeling much dumber. Don't forgot to see the sequel, which has even more philosophical questions sans the 'distasteful' content.

It's awesome if you don't mind Motoko being topless in most of the movie. It's best if you watch it once you're out of the house because it will make parents uncomfortable. It's good for single guys who like violence and boobs, though.

While quite an entertaining film, the content is something to worry about. Nudity and language scar what could have been at least a low PG-13 rated film. While the nudity is not shown in a sexual way it was uncalled for and unneeded. The language, while not overly thrown into the dialogue was still some pretty strong stuff. I believe there were either 2 or 3 F-words. While a fun watch, it is not for the whole family. 16+ on this title.

This is a really good movie for adults, and I do mean adults. There is nudity and graphic violence, and a great deal of moral ambiguity. I have no concerns about this movie as it is an adult movie. When choosing movies it is important to pay attention to the rating, not everything animated is for children. The plot is very deep and asks such questions as what makes a human a human, what the soul (or 'ghost') is, at what point do we cross over from man to machine, an is it possible to cross over the other way? etc

It is a very deep movie. Obviously not intended at children, this movie definitely makes you wondering what IS the spirit, what is the one thing that defines humanity and what is the one thing that separates us from machines. As for Barbara Chandler's review, do you really have to call somebody else's masterpiece "satanic filth“? Have you ever watched it without your kids before? Did you ever know that this movie spouts more philosophical questions than you could ever dream of? And in what way is this a mere kid flick? Just because its animated doesn't mean that its a child's flick, get that into your head. This movie is philosophy incarnate and you're dissing it just because the main character, a robot flashed her boobs/ass at your child. The cover obviously has partial nudity in it and you should have known this was coming, and yet why the @!$% did you buy it? You're insulting my all-time favourite movie just because it looks like porn.

I want to start by saying this movie is fantastic, it is very deep and causes you to think. I first saw this movie when I was 13 and at first I like it because it had explosions, but as I watched it more and more as the years went on, I began to see just how deep this movie was. That being said, when I become a parent, this is NOT a movie i'd want my child to see until he was much older than I was. It is a very adult movie with enough language, violence and nudity to go around. (The nudity is explained as such: thermal camouflage, or invisibility if you will, only cloaks your body, not your clothing. This explanation is totally valid in the realm of science. Especially if the main character is a Cyborg (in this case a robot with a human brain)). Also, at such a young age kids won't get much out of this movie anyway other than AWESOME EXPLOSIONS!. So while I would not recommend this to kids, this movie is a MUST SEE for anyone 18+