Having watched the original Ghost in the Shell for the first time ago a couple of nights ago and really enjoying it I had high hopes for the sequel; unfortunately I don't think it lived up to the original, that is not to say it wasn't good, just not as good. Surprisingly one thing that put me off was the improved animation; quite often I found my self thinking about how well animated certain objects were rather than just sitting back and enjoying the story.

The story itself is pretty good; set three years after the original film the major is no longer around but her old partner, Batau, is back, this time he is partnered with Togusa, a less experienced officer who feels he will forever be in the major's shadow. Their case involves a series of murders where people have been killed by their cybernetic dolls. As they pursue those responsible they must confront violent Yakuza and a hacker who can seemingly effect their view of reality.

As mentioned before the animation is stunning to the point of distraction, like the first film there is a fair bit of philosophising which seemed a bit heavy handed but wasn't too bad. I also missed Major Motoko who was my favourite character in the first film, Batau made a good lead though. If you enjoyed the first film I'd certainly recommend that you watch this one too.

These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.

On the surface this is the story of an investigation of sex bots that kill, in reality this is an examination of what it means to be alive and to experience the world. Its a head trip.

I'm finding it hard to express what I feel about this film. Visually this film pushes animation and visual story telling to new places. I know that some of the look of this film can be found in video games but never has the current state of art on many levels been brought together to rattle, nay destroy, the cage of the status quo. Much of this film had my jaw hanging open, often with tears welling up at the beauty of the imagery. This film rocks and then some. The computer generated worlds of Immortel and Sky Captain are blown away by the magic worked here.

The plot is too murky. Frankly, I was lost half way into the movie as to what the plot was, however I was seriously getting off on the visuals and most of all the ideas that were being batted about. How do we know whats real and what isn't? This film makes it very clear that we can never know, nor can we know what it is to be alive. Certainly not all of it works but enough does, and all I can say is wow.

I have no idea how to adequately rate this film. I'm sure some people will find it form over substance and others will think little of the visuals. Me they rocked my world and I gave it a 9 out of 10, but I'll add that your mileage may vary.

It's been an extremely long time since I last laid my eyes on the awesome Ghost in the Shell, and while a sequel and an animated series have spawned a much wider universe, it is up until now that I've finally picked something up to continue where I left off. Written and directed by Mamoru Oshii, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence just about shows why Japanese Anime remains a cultural force to be reckoned with, boasting fantastic looking visuals, and a deeply engaging storyline that just begs to be watched multiple times in order to appreciate it.

There's something keenly missing from this film though, and that's the presence of Major Kusanagi, who had disappeared at the end of the first film. I suppose it's a tremendous void to fill and thought she was primarily what was interesting as a character, and not to forget her prowess during action sequences, and this sense of loss gets translated wonderfully by Oshii into the character of Batou her cyborg sidekick, who becomes the protagonist we follow in Innocence. Being very much his story and his piece of investigations, together with new partner Togusa, we journey once again into the fictional Japanese city of New Port, which is modelled more after Hong Kong, and what more, Cantonese seems to be the order of the day as well in the finale action sequence.

The main plot here involves the investigations into a series of gruesome murders by what would be illegally made sexbots known as gynoids, which have gone berserk, killing their principals before committing suicide. Made by the company Locus Solus, it brings Batou and Togusa up against the Yakusa as well, which provides for some crazy gun battle sequences, as they get close to the truth behind what these gynoid dolls seem to possess - a ghost - that demands attention to what goes on behind the scenes.

And what is a Ghost in the Shell movie, or a Mamoru Oshii film, without a dabbling in philosophy that almost always boggles the mind and in some ways, bogged down the film unnecessarily. Some dialogue felt forced, especially when the two investigating partners address their testy relationship, with Togusa constantly doubting his own abilities, and trying hard to measure up against Kusanagi in being the perfect partner for Batou. They exchange sayings and philosophies as quoted in famous books, sayings and philosophers, and will probably pique your interest enough to find out more on your own, and their relevance to the context of the film.

In addition, there's the usual talk about hacking, and an incredible sequence involving Batou's routine in an old supermarket involving revenge hacking and some good ol' slow-motion shoot-em-up, while giving us a first glimpse into Batou's oft-touted guardian angel which suggested the return of an iconic GITS character. And any GITS film will not be complete without the mind-numbing portions of the narrative, which involves repeated sequences with a dash of subtle changes that will keep your mind on its toes in deciphering the many layers or reality and fantasy that Inception did best in.

A challenging film brought to another realm by music from Kenji Kawai, the visuals here are a mix of the traditional hand drawn, as well as computer generated CG and 3D, which I think will be gorgeous if transferred into the 3D picture format of today, a technology that has been used by lesser films to milk more money at the box office. They are extremely detailed, especially a phenomenal sequence involving an extended showpiece of a Taiwanese-inspired festival somewhere in the middle of the film that razzled and dazzled, presented together with a haunting piece of music that will make your hair stand on its end.