Reviews by PvtCaboose91

"Have you ever seen blood in the moonlight, Will? It appears quite black."

Michael Mann is a director who went on to get a number of big titles against his name. Heat and Collateral are my personal favourites of director Mann.

However, little do people remember that he directed this classic mystery thriller back in the 1980s. After the success of the movie Silence of the Lambs audiences never really realised that it was the sequel to Manhunter; a film that introduced us to the psychotic genius known as Dr. Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lector (incorrectly spelt as 'Lecktor' in the film).

I had seen both Silence of the Lambs and its eventual follow-up Hannibal before laying my hands on this film. In hindsight I really wish that I watched them all in order because I guess my opinion has been tainted with the image of Anthony Hopkins playing Hannibal Lector as menacing and unbeatably brilliant.

Because Hopkins walked away with an Oscar for his portrayal in Silence of the Lambs I approached Manhunter with caution because Brian Cox portrays the role. Manhunter is an exceptional film on its own merits without taking its sequels into consideration.

The film's style is vastly different to the style utilised by those who helmed the sequels. Mann skilfully uses long shots, full faces, large spatial separation, or cutting from one character to another in isolation, all with slightly out-of-focus backgrounds. Because of Mann's unique directorial style Manhunter is a film with something new to offer with each new screening. Clues are easier to pick up, more cinematic techniques noticed, etc.

The character of Hannibal Lector (Cox) takes a sideline position in this film. He appears very rarely throughout the film's duration because the focus is on other characters. The main character of this story is a former FBI agent named William Graham (Peterson) who has been hurt physically and mentally while in the process of apprehending the serial killer Hannibal Lector.

In this film, Graham is coaxed out of retirement to help the FBI track down a serial killer nicknamed "The Tooth Fairy" (Noonan). Graham seeks minor assistance from Lector while he tries to solve the case.

Manhunter is a chilling thriller as well as a captivating character study. Mann is notorious for expertly crafting dialogue scenes that drive the movie with incredible pace. Some may find the pacing slow because of so much dialogue. If you listen to the lines you won't find the pacing as painfully slow as some people have complained.

William Peterson is very skilled in the leading role. The purpose of his character was to dissect all the clues that will lead to revealing the identity of the serial killer. As his character tries to get into the mind of the killer he's tracking, he says a lot of strange things out loud that help the audience understand what he is thinking about. This is an intriguing character trait without making things too blatant.

Brian Cox plays a very unique Hannibal Lector. While my personal preference is Anthony Hopkins' more menacing image, I thought Cox still did a fantastic job.

Tom Noonan's performance is chilling and intimidating. The film is powered by not only the performances and proficient direction, but the right script is also vital. The dialogue was sometimes convoluted but becomes easier to decipher when you watch the production multiple times. This dialogue is realistic; however I would have preferred some lines that were easier to understand.

At first I thought that there were a number of useless dialogue scenes. With closer inspection I realised that these were pivotal scenes to include in order to get into the mind of the characters.

Manhunter is a film with very few flaws. Mann is a director who rarely delivers a faulty product. Definitely worth seeing!

"He's not your husband, not anymore."

The Astronaut's Wife had two things going for it that eventually persuaded me to commit to a screening.

One is that it's a thriller. I love watching thrillers that can successfully send a chill down my spine and was anxious to see if the filmmakers had done a good job this time.

The other thing, of course, is Johnny Depp in the lead role. I make no effort to hide the fact that I admire Depp because he is a versatile actor capable of executing any role if he puts his mind to it.

When I read the synopsis for The Astronaut's Wife I thought it had potential and sounded quite chilling, although I couldn't shake off the feeling of déjà vu in relation to Roman Polanski's classic horror film Rosemary's Baby. And so I settled in with lunch and a great friend of mine to watch this thriller.

Regrettably I must have raised my expectations too high because the film turned out to be quite dreadful. This film had a very intriguing concept but ultimately failed in its execution.

The Astronaut's Wife is a trip into clichéd territory where the scares are predictable and the characters are stupid. The writer/director appears to have no problem with travelling from obvious plot point A to even more obvious plot point B. I lost count of the plot holes and loose ends that are never addressed.

There isn't much you can say about the plot without spoiling the whole thing (not that it would be a bad thing - by all means save 100 mins of your life for something more productive) so I will attempt to outline the plot with very little detail. An astronaut named Spencer (Depp) leaves his wife Jillian (Theron) to embark on a mission into space. After a lapse in communication following a mysterious problem, Spencer returns home to his wife in good health.

But Jillian soon realises that her husband has gone rather peculiar since he returned from his dangerous mission; acting strangely and never wishing to discuss what happened while in space. Although I didn't go into much detail, you can pretty much predict what is going to happen from there.

The film is sort of a cross between Rosemary's Baby and perhaps a little bit of Species II mixed with The Omen. The combination could have produced something a little better quality than this ineffective thriller that missed all opportunities to be something decent.

The cast were at least some compensation for bad scripting. Johnny Depp steers away from all his prior characters; developing something fresh and innovative. It seems that Johnny tried to add some intensity to his character. This is ultimately let down by some poor filmmaking. The editing and cinematography, not to mention the special effects, are what I refer to in that statement.

Charlize Theron sports a haircut that suitably mirrors Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby. Like Depp, she tried and you have to give her credit. There were some scenes when the terror in her performance seems genuine.

One of my central complaints about the film is that evidence is sometimes spilt out far too blatantly. From about an hour into the movie we know that the crazy ravings of Joe Morton's character are going to be right; and can suitably predict the film's subsequent events. I thought it was tradition for thrillers to spill the beans a few scenes before the climax. The film also ends with an uncertain whimper rather than something conclusive.

I am happy I watched The Astronaut's Wife as I am an avid fan of Johnny Depp. I enjoyed the pleasure of being in the company of one of my best friends as well. Thank God for these two things to overshadow the shallow, predictable writing.

"Maybe you just don't see me for who I am."

I expected good things from Dreamgirls - mainly because of the large amount of critical acclaim it received - but at the end of the day I was vastly disappointed.

The movie is the story of a (fictional) trio of sisters who search for their big break. Once they find a manager (Foxx) and hit the road for a tour with hit pop singer (Murphy) their experiences only end in tears as they encounter several major struggles.

First of all, I appreciate the fact that it's a musical based on a Broadway production. But the first 35 minutes sets up the film as a potent drama that tells its story through the powerful performances and poignant dialogue.

But then the film takes a turn for the worst...and the style shifts unnecessarily to that of a musical as the characters begin arguing through song. There were only about 5 songs like these, which in the long run was the film's biggest downfall. The musical style appeared to be the film's second self that only appears very rarely. If it's a musical, it has to stay a musical for the tone to suit the film for its running time. Instead the film begins as a drama that has a number of annoying songs throughout which could instead be just scenes of drama and dialogue. If they want it to be a musical, they should have made the film a musical. Not a drama with songs!

Also, the film loses steam about 40 minutes in. The first 40 minutes moved at a brisk pace, with little chance for us to actually get to know the characters. And hence, when the troubles begin piling on top of each other it was impossible to care simply because we don't know the characters enough to care about them. It's like plummeting into the turmoil and troubles of a group of complete strangers. This detracted from my overall enjoyment of the movie.

Still, the singing was done exquisitely and the production design was purely dazzling! There's no denying that the whole cast did a fantastic job, but another of the film's multiple downfalls is that trying to empathise with such a large cast is essentially impossible. With films like Ray or Walk the Line we have a central character moving through major struggles in their life. Here the major shift in central characters on so many occasions was just frustrating!

Dreamgirls wrote a cheque it couldn't cash, unfortunately. In the long run it just isn't worth your 2 hours. I have no idea how this film got so many awards. Leave it on the shelf, and rent something better.

Good morning Baltimore!"

First of all: musicals are not my thing. The latest The Producers remake equalled poison for upcoming musical movies due for release.

Hairspray, however, is a different story. The film is clichéd, predictable, cheesy, corny beyond all belief, childish, features a few annoying teenager heart-throbs with no acting skills - but it is fantastic!! I don't think I could possibly suggest a better way to joyfully spend two hours of your time.

Hairspray is a knockout movie musical that provides two hours of sheer enjoyment and pleasure. Its production values alone warrant a screening. The whole technical aspect of this film is top notch; showcasing scenes of magnificent musical numbers, cute characters and catchy music.

As the film opened I stared in disbelief at my screen and wondered what I had gotten myself into. The first song is really cheesy but colourful and joyous. What was to follow was a film of laughs, delight and absolute enjoyment!

Tracy Turnblad (Blonsky) is an overweight local teenage girl with dreams of becoming part of her favourite television program. Despite her weight she's a lively, dedicated dancer. When Tracy's dreams are finally realised, trouble follows when one of the show's managers (Pfeiffer) strongly resents an overweight dancer being featured in the cast. To make matters worse this is also the time for many other social situations - i.e. integration of African Americans on mainstream television programs.

The film succeeds phenomenally because of its technical merits. First of all, the cast. John Travolta was unmistakable but barely recognisable as he plays an overweight mother. Because we all know Travolta as being part of the classic musical Grease, it came as no surprise that the hit musical of this generation would feature a cast member of his stature. I am very familiar with Travolta's work, but I've never known him to play a woman so well. I was laughing whenever he delivered a line. His make-up was enough to send me into stitches when he first appeared. The accent and voice only made it even more hilarious.

I detest a lot of the teenage heart-throb talent (I use the term loosely) that became involved with this project. I refer to people like Zac Efron and Amanda Byrnes who are sometimes painful to watch. But in amidst all the delightful musical chaos it's very hard to recognise them. And hence my initial concerns with the cast were quickly alleviated.

The direction and cinematography are sublime. As a result the film looks great. Filled with colourful imagery, typical bright costumes and traits from the 50s that are quite authentic (my mother confirmed this as we were watching). But my hat goes off to those who took the time and effort to choreograph all the dancing. It's filled with energy and is great to look at. Needless to say, my brain hurts when I think about how long it would have taken to get all the dancers in such perfect sync (I can't imagine how many outtakes hit the cutting room floor).

Hairspray ended up being an audience favourite for 2007. The music is lively, the imagery is colourful, the film is entertaining.

This is why audiences go to the movies: to be entertained. It's corny, it's cheesy and it's childish but at least it's fun. Hairspray is a triumph for movie musical/comedies. I hope that we'll see more energetic films like these to follow.

"Life passes most people by while they're making grand plans for it."

Legendary actor Johnny Depp again proves he is a versatile performer that can brilliantly accomplish any role that is tossed in his direction. Of course, I watched Blow because I was attracted by the cast led by the impeccable Depp.

Blow is based on the true story of an American drug smuggler who built a solid reputation for himself. George Jung (Depp) is a young man seeking a decent career. But he realises that there is a lot of money to garner in the business of drug smuggling.

After being busted while transporting pot, he then becomes a distributor of cocaine. Jung literally made the cocaine market in the United States, and it is rumoured that in real life he supplied 85% of the product available on the market at the time.

Blow chronicles the rise and fall of the drug dealer who led an extraordinary life and made a name for himself during his intermittent career frequently interrupted by being sent to prison. The film features a variety of different locations in addition to a number of different decades as the story progresses. This is a chance to show skill on the part of those who worked on costumes, sets and especially make-up. Depp looks genuinely older as the account of his character's life evolves.

The film tells a remarkable tale and can't be faulted for its production values. Blow is a vehicle for engrossing direction, compelling performances - just all round superb filmmaking.

Johnny Depp's performance was nothing short of fantastic. With a new character dropped into his lap brings new opportunities for him to further display his diverse talents. His character is fresh, original, and nothing that mirrors his previous work. Of course this is the beauty of Depp's work: never playing the same character multiple times. There are so many scenes when the poignancy of his performance brings you close to tears. The very last scene brought tears to my eyes.

Ray Liotta was a particular stand out in the film because he played his role with such authenticity. Although his character's son is a drug dealer who has been caught numerous times he doesn't care. Instead he always has love and respect for his son. Liotta captures everything in a father figure that we can all relate to - i.e. showing endless fatherly support towards a son.

The rest of the performances are very compelling. One could barely recognise Penélope Cruz as the bitter, ignorant wife to George Jung. Cruz displays a diverse selection of emotions; ranging from sympathy to pungent rage. Please note that high levels of profanity are present when the drama gets profound. All in all; this film contains a brilliant cast to tell such a story.

Strong direction is another vital ingredient for the success of the movie. Ted Demme's direction is focused; the pacing is slow, but he manages to keep something interesting remaining on the screen. Even during heavy drama it's very compelling and difficult to throw your interest.

One of the qualities I most admired was the use of classic rock music. Director Demme was a fan of classic rock, as was Johnny Depp. I was psyched when the first song was by The Rolling Stones.

Blow is an intriguing film that was a daring move on the part of the filmmakers. George Jung is still in prison and still haunted by his experiences when he dealt drugs. Watching a gripping account of his life will make you want to investigate further. Depp spent several days with the real Jung to ensure he played the role accurately and did justice to the source material.

Blow ended up being one of the best films of 2001. In a year filled with highly anticipated cinematic releases (i.e. the first instalment of Lord of the Rings). It was a breath of fresh air to see a drama like this hit the big screen. If your attention span allows you to sit through the whole thing, you won't regret it.

"...This is a jar of dirt."

Disney sequels frequently have a typical predisposition for being a worthless waste of time and a complete disgrace to the original.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest was made for the money, and although the film didn't entirely suck I found it sorely lacking. Visually, the movie was fantastic. The mild use of CGI looked extraordinary, extravagant and was a treat to the eyes...but did anyone take a moment to contemplate a better script and a better storyline?

After the events of the first film, our favourite notorious swashbuckling hero Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) is thrown into the world of the supernatural as he is reminded of a debt he owes to Davy Jones (Nighy) - his soul. So as Davy and his crew aboard the Flying Dutchman search for Jack, he races against time to find the heart of Davy Jones that would give Jack the ability to scratch off his debt and be in control of Davy.

Will Turner (Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) are set to be married, but their marriage is interrupted when they are arrested for aiding Jack Sparrow many years ago. But Will is given a chance for redemption as he is sent to recover Jack's compass that is of some value to his captors.

The whole plot is convoluted, outrageous, and preposterous - even for a pirate film. The film itself is overblown, dumb and loud. But the worst part is that it outstays its welcome by well over half an hour. Like the first film, it could have done with some heavy trimming.

But on the other hand, the acting was a mixed bag. Johnny Depp is still our loveable Captain Jack Sparrow who is given a bunch of clever lines to deliver, and a great selection of amusing situations that he gets himself into. Depp carried the film, and makes the script sound quite decent.

Orlando Bloom...is a tremendously appalling actor. I don't know what was more disconcerting with his role - the bad screenplay or the insipid way he dispensed his lines. With each new scene Bloom is in, my respect for the actor keeps lowering.

Keira Knightley was among the better additions to the cast, which is a faint praise. The stand out for me, though, was Bill Nighy. His acting skills are stellar, and he delivers a memorable performance despite acting through a CGI mask.

The film moves at a steady pace, but it still runs horribly overlong and I lost interest well before the film's conclusion was even close. The action was first-rate, and one of the few redeeming features. At least the sword-fighting was swashbuckling and exciting.

But of course, one of the best features of the experience was the rollicking soundtrack. The music is downright exceptional and cannot be flawed in any way.

Overall, this inevitable sequel was made for the money, not for the fans. The sequel was announced not long after the release of the first film because of the big pile of treasure it received at the box office. And hence quality was never the question - but money was the bigger picture for the studio. This is a mighty shame, but at least the film is mild entertainment. Worth seeing, I guess.

"The closer you get to being a pro, the closer you can get to the client. The knife, for example, is the last thing you learn."

On the surface, Léon is an easily dismissible film because it just seems like a simple French drama. But Léon is something far from that. Léon is an absorbing character study that has all the elements of gripping drama mixed with the elements of an exciting American action film. The combination equals one of the most intelligent American action films in cinematic history.

Léon is the first American film by director Luc Besson and it's a masterpiece. The film is exciting, suspenseful, taut, smart and awesome.

Jean Reno plays the title role of Léon; a professional assassin with a robust reputation. In his apartment building an abused, alienated 12-year-old girl named Mathilda (Portman) is left alone when the rest of her family are slaughtered courtesy of crooked, two-faced, psychotic DEA cop Norman Stansfield (Oldman). Léon reluctantly takes Mathilda under his wing; providing care and a place to stay because she has no-where else to go.

But Mathilda is intrigued by Léon's profession of being a hit man. In order to avenge the death of her little brother (the only one in the family she cared about), Léon teaches Mathilda the art of his trade and reveals the secrets of how to become a professional cleaner. But this blooming friendship opens up new doors for Léon; he feels the ability to care and love.

Léon brilliantly combines scenes of violent, awesome action with some compelling drama that showcases wonderful performances. Jean Reno begins as a cold assassin who feels nothing. Every turn for his character is felt strongly by the audience. He's reluctant to shelter young Mathilda but when he finally does it alters his life forever. Being a professional hit man he should not have the ability to love and strongly feel emotion. Jean Reno never breaks his profound concentration for the film's duration. The opening 20 minutes showed Reno as ruthless and cool; everything one should find in such a character.

Natalie Portman is in her film debut with this role. She's extremely young, but her acting can't be faulted. Her performance is heart-felt and sincere. Whenever she cries it doesn't feel at all contrived. For someone in their early teen years, this is a quality almost unheard of. Kudos to Portman for pulling off such a convincing first role!

Gary Oldman is sadistic and cynical but at the same time energetic and occasionally amusing. His character was despicable; however Oldman plays the role to perfection.

Luc Besson really knows how to direct a film like this. The cinematography in particular was outstanding! The action scenes don't suffer from the usual fast cut syndrome. They are filled with creative camera angles, ultra violence and the camera was utilised in a highly inventive way.

Léon also boasts a great story that suffers from a very small number of typical clichés. Sure, the love story was a little embarrassing at times but that's only a marginal fault. Aside from that the script is smart, the action is taut and the film is dazzling entertainment.

Léon is highly recommended for a night of action, laughs and drama all rolled into one masterpiece.

"Nothing is more reliable than a man whose loyalties can be bought with hard cash."

I picked up a copy of The Ninth Gate and viewed it solely for the presence of Johnny Depp.

Depp is an accomplished actor whom I admire. He always chooses his film roles with great care; hence I was ambitious to see this one.

Roman Polanski is also an acclaimed director who has been at the helm of many classic films. Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby are among his best work. For this genre, Polanski was in his element; a demons and angels oriented horror film with strong themes of satanic rituals and gothic mystery.

Dean Corso (Depp) is a cynical, morally corrupt rare book hunter with a strong reputation for recovering rare books. Corso soon becomes involved with demonologist Boris Balkan (Langella). Balkan is a man who owns one of the three surviving copies of a piece of text supposedly written by the devil several centuries ago. He pays Corso to seek out the final two surviving copies of this piece of text in order to verify which copy is genuine.

During Corso's travels he realises that he is involved in a conspiracy that also involves a group of enigmatic individuals who are leaving many people dead.

The plot is original; and only someone like Polanski would agree to get behind the camera on this sort of a project. The atmosphere is chilling and sometimes terrifying. This is to be expected in a Polanski horror movie. But the final 5 minutes destroy the whole experience. It was so sudden, so weird, so unexpected. It offers no explanation to the events that have just unfolded, instead completely losing the plot and ending it with some weird nonsensical religious mumbo jumbo that doesn't make a lick of sense. I was none the wiser as to what was occurring during those final minutes. I wish Polanski hacked this atrocious ending out of the movie because it would have done some good.

There are no surprises in saying that Johnny Depp's performance was incredible. Although working with some shockingly bad material towards the ending he never breaks focus; instead continuing the meek, confused, almost clueless character that he was when the film opened. Depp never plays the same kind of character twice. This is a great career move because therefore he is never typecast. If he played the same character for most of his movies then the concept of a book detective would confuse the audience. He skilfully proves accomplished when any role is thrown in his direction. Depp looked so adorable during some of his scenes.

Direction from Roman Polanski was exceptional. For scenes that required it, Polanski was very artistic and created an atmosphere that is both moody and eerie. He presented the audience with an encyclopaedic arrangement of filming techniques, both old and new, assembled by a master of his craft.

The build up to the disappointing climax was slow but intriguing. Each new clue leaves us guessing until the end when all is revealed (although not conclusively).

The Ninth Gate was a good vehicle for Johnny Depp to nail yet another character. It's a good thriller that is vastly flawed, albeit entertaining. Worth seeing for Depp aficionados.

"Here's how it is: The Earth got used up, so we moved out and terraformed a whole new galaxy of Earths. Some rich and flush with the new technologies, some not so much. The Central Planets, thems formed the Alliance, waged war to bring everyone under their rule; a few idiots tried to fight it, among them myself. I'm Malcolm Reynolds, captain of Serenity. She's a transport ship; Firefly class. Got a good crew: fighters, pilot, mechanic. We even picked up a preacher for some reason, and a bona fide companion. There's a doctor, too, took his genius sister outta some Alliance camp, so they're keepin' a low profile. You understand. You got a job, we can do it, don't much care what it is."

Joss Whedon, modern master of television, was asked for another TV show. He had successfully made Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel; both of which became hits. And so Whedon conceived the sci-fi western of Firefly. Tragically the show was cut down in its prime; its cancellation being announced before half the episodes had been aired.

It was a major error for Fox to cancel Joss Whedon's Firefly after only the first season had been made. They gave the show an appalling time slot, and as a result it didn't get the ratings it deserved. But when this show hit DVD - popularity followed. The massive fan following then turned into a worldwide phenomenon. And this is all with good reason.

The show follows the crew aboard a space ship. Captained by Mal Reynolds (Fillion), the crux of the show's plot extends from the sub-plot of Mal and his crew accepting two fugitives aboard their vessel. Although there are differences between them and Mal, they are accepted as they are seen as assets for the jobs that the crew pull off.

So you can add me to the endless list of people who loved Firefly. When I first heard of it I felt it to be impossible for a show to be as good as it was hyped up to be. So I purchased the DVD I decided I'd watch the first episode that evening. As it turns out, I watched the first four episodes one after the other because I couldn't get enough of it!

And why is Firefly so darn special? It has witty humour, fantastic characters, relatable plots, exciting action, innovative concepts, attractive females, numerous sex scenes - the list will continue to go on. Each episode is as superb as the one preceding it. All the episodes have a high sense of excitement and adventure - this is truly the wild west that has been transplated into a science fiction setting.

The scripts are outstanding. There is humour aplenty; amusing dialogue, witty insults and characters that are developed superbly. Throw in some special effects that could rule all existing television programs, a faultless cast and some sublime direction from numerous contributors.

Another thing is that the cast are so lovable. Each character has distinguishable traits and a well thought out personality. Fillion as Captain Mal Reynolds...unbeatable. Adam Baldwin as Jayne Cob...outstanding. It would take all day to list everyone in the cast that I liked. Each had something to contribute and there is no wasted space.

Music heightens the show's likability. The title song feels out of place, but suits the style. And the use of guitar music frequently reminds us we're in a western of the sci-fi universe. Even this music can't be faulted.

There is a reason why Firefly has won so many awards and has been voted so highly by many websites and publications. There's a reason why Firefly holds a firm 9.5/10 on IMDb with 20,000 votes (higher than The Godfather, Shawshank Redemption, etc). There's a reason why thousands of internet petitions have surfaced demanding the immediate resurrection of Whedon's masterpiece. It's because the show is the pinnacle of perfection. I have never seen a show (or a movie) of such high standard.

Some may be underwhelmed due to the hype, some may just not "get it". As for me, Firefly is better than any movie, any TV show or any damn internet series in existance. I could watch the whole first series everyday until the day I die and still shuffle off this mortal coil with a smile on my face. Watch it non-stop until I die...would still not be enough to satisfying my cravings.

Go buy this series NOW. If it's on the TV, watch it IMMEDIATELY. Firefly is unbeatable.

"We weep for a bird's cry, but not for a fish's blood. Blessed are those with a voice. If the dolls also had voices, they would have screamed, "I didn't want to become human"."

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is a breathtaking piece of anime, and could be the best anime movie ever made.

The animation is as close to perfect as it could possibly be, and the CGI is incomparably exceptional as well. All the battles look incredible despite being animation, and each character has been finely detailed.

In the movie a cyborg named Batou (voiced by Akio Ôtsuka in Japanese, and Richard Epcar in the English dub) is a detective for a government covert anti-terrorist unit known as Public Security Section 9. Batou is investigating a gynoid(that is, a hyper-realistic female robot created for sexual companionship...or just a robotic whore in simpler terms) who has malfunctioned and has slaughtered her owner.

Batou and his partner dive deep down into the investigation as questions arise about humanity's need to immortalise its image in dolls. As they scrutinise the investigation closer they battle fierce Yakuza thugs, scheming hackers, government officials and corporate criminals to eventually uncover the scandalous reality behind the crime.

Like the first film, the movie questions the existence of the human soul and its place in a society filled with technology that is always advancing. The pacing is a lot different to the first film, with a greater emphasis on the philosophical aspects and emotive inspiration.

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence sports some of the most breathtaking animation I have ever seen. Director Mamoru Oshii also seamlessly combines CGI with the hand-drawn creations, creating a unique visual experience.

Fans of the anime genre do not want to miss this one. Many people will pass up this one because it's "confusing" or "too convoluted". Stick with Michael Bay rubbish if this is the case.

For an action anime movie, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is one of the deepest, most meaningful pieces of digital cinema I have ever witnessed. This is not your standard anime movie, but something a lot more outstanding.