Ghost in the Shell 2017: Lean & Mean Edition

I already liked the original cut of this movie. but this edit is so much better. it improves the pacing and all the other changes are completely justified

Definitely does what it was set to do - bring it to feel closer in spirit to the much adored animated film and remove on the nose lines and filler plot points.
Though I still have gripes with some bits in the movie itself, I loved every editing decision in the Lean & Mean Edition.

Image quality is fine for the most part, though I noticed a bit of banding in the dark areas: noticed nothing amiss with regards to audio, and could not tell where the new cuts took place, though I wasn't specifically hunting for any issues.

Have seen the anime film a couple of times, but never the live-action adaptation that this edit is sourced from so cannot comment on any possible improvements. My initial impressions were better than anticipated, while the basic story remains the same and certain elements are reproduced (not always in the same place) it did not feel like a slavish remake, but it hasn’t got the same timeless qualities and I don’t think any further re-editing could solve this.

Thanks fairfriend for getting me to give this film a go in the first place though, now just need to decide if it is worth watching the unedited version!

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.

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!