Incredibly thought provoking and beautifully comprised.

Firstly, visually jaw-dropping. besides that, the story was very layered and more psychological than the first, delving into the characters' nature of being. awesome awesome awesome i just got the dvd. the worst thing about it is the action sub-titles, but oh well i'll deal with it.

Well anybody who has seen this movie with an open mind can tell you it is not only the visuals that are amazing, much more lies underneeth the visuals waiting for those with an open mind.

The images are beautiful. There are very few animations in this class. As for plot and story, you have to like the type of "is this a flashback, a holodeck or reality" sort of storyline wherein the same sequence of events repeats several times, each time with details changing.

GITS 2 is beautiful cinema with a thought-provoking concept and a subtle dash of humor. The non-Japanese Otaku will be pleased to find that this is sub-titled, not dubbed. But not being dubbed I think will be a hindrance for people who are not already fans of the genre. The film is lush and the alternation and mixing of very vibrant and realistic CGI with classical 2D artwork works very well. The colors and animation pop from the screen. The story is not entirely a new concept; but the medium allows a much more dramatic and ultimately realistic world to be developed. If you are not already versed in the GITS universe, I highly recommend watching the original to learn more of the back story on the characters and what happened leading up to the events in the sequel. Overall, the movie is a must see for fans of the genre. But sub-titles with such a densely packed story and visual delight make the movie too difficult to understand and appreciate for a new-comer.… Expand

The sequel of one of the most intriguing and best written science fiction anime ever, that Ghost in the shell that in 1995 revolutionized forever the way of painting cyberpunk: despite this huge responsibility on its shoulders, this 2004 second act is still able to create perfect, dark and oppressive cyberpunk atmospheres and give them life with solid action and dialogues. Essentially, the best way the brand could go on without prostituting its true nature.… Expand

Who knew cartoon characters read Descartes and the Bible? This film is an esoteric quote-orgy, but has a good story and stronger characters than most movies, look cool, has a sense of humor... and strangely, the characters here look more real and in place than they do in any scene in Sky Captain.

A spectacular combination of ultra modern CGI and traditional animation cells. Best I have ever seen. Action scenes are absolutly TOP NOTCH. The story keeps you involed but at times veers off into surrealism. I strongly reccommend having viewed the original Ghost in the Shell feature film before attempting this one. My only dissapointment was the lack of Major Kusanagi through most of the movie. Unfortunatly this film is limited release in theatres. It was over an hour drive for me to see this film and well worth the trip. … Expand

Breathtaking visuals and thought provoking would describe this anime the best. I would not attempt to view this work if your not up to paying attention, because this film will leave you flummoxed. But it's that same seemingly inextricable quality that makes it so intriguing and worth watching numerous times. Treat yourself to this one.

Some of the most grogeous animation ever done, a musical score that haunts the images, and too many talking heads. The film is formally intricate, depending primarily on the viewer's ability to see that the cyborgs belong to the same decadent world as images of gods, demons, and clowns. But exposition depends too much, I think, on people talking rather than the film showing us what they're talking about. It's certainly an intellectual exercise, and don't see it if you want Japanese mechas or bishojo pretty girls. … Expand

Ive never been a fan of anime or cyberpunk or anything of the sort, but i saw this movie for a class and i can easily say its an 8 because it was absolutley beautiful.

A very mature movie that can be best categorized as a psychological drama. The drama overpowers the thriller aspect, in my opinion. Not only can you find great depth in the story, but the characters

I can think of a lot better Anime's. Don't get me wrong, I loved the original movie, it's just not the same in the new film. The "gritty" feel isn't the same. I enjoyed this film for what it was worth. I'd recomend Ghost in the Shell; Stand Alone Complex too. There is better Anime out there though, like Samurai Champloo, Genkutsuou, Gundam Seed, Fullmetal Alchemist, hell even the original Cowboy Beebop. Watch those..they are better. +8's!… Expand

Good, but way to confusing.

Visually glorious, but the imbalance between it's philosophical pretensions , the visual poetry and the action ultimately fail to maintain a proper rhythm to keep the audience interested in all those metaphorical symbols.

This is a very difficult DVD to rate... BAD: Captions! Do not be fooled by the info on the back of the DVD case. There are no "subtitles". This is the absolute worst localization in premier anime history! A clear case of rush to market. Dreamworks really screwed up. The captions are situated so as to obscure the action, and were produced for the hearing impared. I can hear just fine; it's the Japanese I don't understand! C'mon, do we really need a caption telling us when there is "silence"?! Production I.G and Oshii should be furious with Dreamworks for this. This DVD would rate a 10 otherwise. Don't get me started on the cover design. Utter crap! Strictly ameteur DVD production. GOOD: Everything else. Story, visuals, audio! Production I.G is the last word in sophisticated animation. Forget Pixar, forget ILM; they couldn't tie Oshii's shoes. Oshii takes Shirow's themes and adds layer upon layer. Actually, I recognize the story from the original Chost in the Shell manga, yet Oshii adds so much depth it's barely so. I was tempted to add the absence of Fuchikomas to the "BAD" catagory, but frankly, Production I.G could do not wrong with this anime.… Expand

Was expecting so much from this after waiting so long. The original GITS was groundbreaking and different, but GITS2 left me feeling jilted and a bit ripped off. Visuals are good but plot and characters were not developed enough. This type story has been done countless times and it needed something extra to make it distincitve. I think people built themselves up for this movie for so long they couldn't possibly have been disappointed (one of my friends even said as much). I wish I was one of them. If you seriously think GITS2 has strong characters and/or story, you're missing out on some much better anime out there (IMHO). Still I'm glad I've seen it, wasn't entirely bad!… Expand

Weak.

After the original Ghost in the Shell, one of the most highly regarded animated films of all time, they made this movie. This movie is absolutely horrible. I don't want to refer to it by name because it doesn't deserve the title. The pacing is slower than glacial, the dialogue consists entirely of pretentious quote-centric diatribes, the plot and story don't make any sense, some sequences seemingly exist only to confuse the viewer and derail the story while adding nothing to the film. The movie clearly had an insane budget, because the movie takes every single possible opportunity to fellate itself and show off the animation, which is kind of funny because the computer drawn animation is horrible compared to the original's hand-drawn animation. This seriously ranks among the worst movies I've ever seen, it's boring, it's pretentious, it makes no sense, it's almost unwatchable. 2 points go out for the animation and Kenji Kawai's great soundtrack.… Expand