Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society: Blu-ray review

I think it would be safe to say that, if a series deserved a re-release in the UK – especially on Blu-ray – it would have to be Ghost in the Shell. I finally got a chance to watch the 1st & 2nd GIG TV series last year and really loved the cyberpunk setting mixed in with political conspiracy and complex characters; now I get the chance to check out the Blu-ray release of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society.

The movie takes place two years after the Ghost in the Shell: 2nd GIG TV series. In that time, Motoko Kusanagi has left Section Nine and Togusa has become the new captain of the expanded team. Section Nine are sent to look into situation where a colonel is holding a hostage. After he lets the hostage go, he commits suicide. When they receive reports of other recent military suicides, they figure out that a hacker known as the “Puppeteer” has been behind these incidents; where will this case lead – and where is Motoko Kusanagi?

This two hour film focuses on just this one case, which runs the risk of being dragged out or having important parts cut out. However in the hands of director Kenji Kamiyama, Solid State Society offers an interesting case full of mystery that is layered with complex political and social issues that are nicely structured; when everything starts to unravel, the payoff is worth it.

A minor disadvantage: anyone who is new to Ghost In The Shell or hasn’t seen at least both TV series will most likely be left alienated when watching this film. Nearly all of the Section Nine team return (all the characters have been developed in the TV series) and if you’re not used to this kind of complex storytelling, this mysterious case could lead to some confusion as the plot progress.

For the majority of the film, dialogue takes centre stage, which is a bit of a shame, but that’s not to say that there are some really fantastic action scenes in the movie. One highlight is a really fast-paced, tense sniper duel – a part where I was on the edge of my sea; these moments also highlight the quality of the high definition animation, which leads me to the presentation.

This review is only for the Blu-ray version and considering this is the first time I’ve ever watched Solid State Society, then it’s hard for me to do a comparison with both DVD and Blu-ray. Saying that, the Blu-ray does its job really well, immersing you in this cyberpunk world, where you get a chance to look at the whole city designs and character models. If I had a nitpick though, there are some parts at the beginning of the movie, where the CGI doesn’t fit but for the rest of the film, I didn’t really notice anymore and lastly, much like the TV series, the English dub is fantastic all round.

Extras include Work Word File (goes into more detail about Solid State Society with some interviews with the Japanese cast), Making of Tachikoma Robot (gives us a look at robots and how a small Tachikoma Robot was made), Anime and Car Designs (a look at the car designs from the film and how they were made in at an event), English Production interviews (interviews with the English staff and voice actors), an interview with the founder of Production I.G “Mitsuhisa Ishikawa”, a funny short episode called “Uchikomatic Days” and finally English & Japanese trailers for the films, so you have over an hour of extras to look through.

In Summary

Solid State Society is a great film that is worth the purchase; if you have been waiting for the Blu-ray release to replace your DVD version, I can recommended it.