Ghost in the Shell 2017: Lean & Mean Edition

Ghost in Shell 2017... More like Blade Runner 2049 on steroids. The movie is not that bad actually. Obviously, it is miles away from the original anime movie.

It displays great visual appeal, but the narrative falls on its face compared to the source material or source materials... I think there is no saving the movie even with the magic hands of Fairfairy. But he did manage to make it enjoyable to watch.

The edit itself already deserves a 10 out of 10 with the iconic "shelling sequence' synchronized alongside Kenji Kawai's original soundtrack. I got goosebumps when I saw it. Great work on that.

Other than that, this edit is much more focused and enjoyable to watch than the original theatrical release. Sure, it might feel short for some, but remember the 1995 movie clocks at 88 mins. Which is even shorter than Fairfriend edit.

On a technical note, I did notice not any issues with the soundtrack and even if some cuts are hasty and it did not border me.

For GITS fans, I highly recommend watching this version rather than the theatrical release!

Wow, this was great. So much better than the original, much more focused. Until the final act, I was having a great time.
I think for me personally, the ending felt a little underwhelming, no fault of the editor. I enjoyed the more focused story, but it almost feels like a "one-shot" short story from a bigger universe.

But to the editors credit, I felt like the movie gave me credit as a viewer to follow along, and not spoonfeed me info like the original. It was really great editing in the details that got me so much more invested than I thought I would be, so I supposed it built me up too much for a somewhat simple ending.

Thanks for this edit Farfriend, it will definitely be my go-to version.

Definitely the go-to version of the film. Big fan of GITS here, and upon watching the theatrical version thought that the sequence of the story, mother subplot, extraneous scenes, lack of expositional restraint, cheesy 'on the nose' dialogue etc etc really detracted from and bogged down the kick-ass postcyberpunk film that could've been. Ever since that first viewing in the cinema, I've been waiting for a faneditor to craft the film I knew was in there somewhere. This is that fanedit. Though the film is by no means perfect, what FairFriend has done here is focus and ground the characters and story (as much as one could, given the material available) and eliminate the expositional overload (which deprived the audience's imagination any mysterious elements to explore) and the cheesy/pandering/on-the nose aspects to create a tight, immersive cinematic experience of the GITS world, ensuring that all the neonoir/cyberpunk/postcyberpunk themes of identity, memory, technology, transhumanism, corporate greed and corruption, the exploitation of marginalized sectors of society, and the procedural whodunnit mystery are intact. The 'lean and mean' approach of cutting everything except the essential elements of the story adds to further bolster and highlight the key strengths of the film: the production design, cinematography, effects, and amazing electronic score, creating a cult classic that should be shared w all fans of GITS who were disappointed by the original theatrical cut, and, as mentioned, should be the go-to version for those who haven't seen the original. Well done, FairFriend!

*Like digmodification, I too noticed the aforementioned audio/video sync at 16:58 and the sudden cut re Cutter's death; also, apparently in earlier test screenings there was a whole different scene involving Cutter's death that involved a geisha and Aramaki, a pity we don't have access to it.

After seeing the theatrical version I was sorely disappointed in the writing. It was less about the philosophy that the original animated movie explored, and more a romance movie that disguised itself as an action movie.

The edit is definitely smoother and has a better flow, but it seems to be lacking a backbone that I think without re-scripting and re-filming you won't be able to get.

The shelling sequence with the original song still gives me goosebumps.

I would definitely recommend watching this version rather than the theatrical release!

Thank you for your effort!

You have done this film a great service. I will now be able to show this to my anime-hating wife >.