Though there’s been a lot of controversy over “white washing” in regards to tthe new Ghost in the Shell, I highly recommend seeing it on the big screen… and it hits theaters this weekend! It’s based off the popular Japanese anime/manga series with the same name, and takes place in a cyber-punk setting.
If you don’t know the original source material for Ghost in the Shell, the live action casting presented an interesting situation. The lead character’s name is Japanese, but a Caucasian was cast, and there was a huge uproar over what’s called “white washing” in Hollywood. Then the original creator of the source material commented in response to the uproar with the following statement:
“The Major is a cyborg and her physical form is an entirely assumed one. The name ‘Motoko Kusanagi’ and her current body are not her original name and body, so there is no basis for saying that an Asian actress must portray her. Even if her original body (presuming such a thing existed) were a Japanese one, that would still apply”, and also stating, “I can only sense a political motive from the people opposing it, and I believe artistic expression must be free from politics.” (quote from IGN.com article)
For this live action take on Ghost in the Shell, Scarlett Johansson plays the lead role of “The Major” who is a cyborg counter-cyberterrorist. Together with her task force, she must take on a new enemy who wants to sabotage Hanka Robotics’ artificial intelligence technology. Watch the trailer below, and go check it out at the box office this weekend!
