As audacious a stance it may be, Innocence is a better movie than its groundbreaking predecessor, Ghost in the Shell. Writer-director Mamoru Oshii’s storytelling changes coupled with the advances in Production I.G.’s animation give the sequel a much needed heart—we actually care about the main characters this time around—and recreates that sense of wondrous futuristic detail that was so striking in the original 9 years ago.
Granted, the original has suffered not for any fault of its own, but rather the countless imitations, reused stereotypical sci-fi material and the natural evolution of animation techniques that have all worn down on it over the years. Beyond its thematic worth and innovative animation, there’s no timeless story or characters behind it all. But it’s all the better that Innocence learns from the mistake.
After the disappearance of Major Kusanagi in the first film, the story follows the stolid Section 9 Detective Batou, now partnered up with Togusa, on a new case involving a violent line of “Sexroids” lashing out against their owners. Following the trail of connected murders through the company and yakuza roots, the two try to solve the mystery and further explore the inner-workings of the ghosts in these machines.
Thus, the plot proceeds in a simpler fashion, operating like a typical police procedural in a cyber-punk world. But the simplifying comes as a blessing, as the film surprisingly attaches its viewer to the once lifeless, one-dimensional supporting characters in the original, who are now brought into the spotlight. Batou, a cold cyborg who seems to only have shreds of humanity left, is made vulnerable with a focus on his basset hound and the absence of his old partner, Kusanagi, while Togusa is given a family back-story that provides him a life beyond his job as a cyborg cop. The intentions of this film seem to resemble the television series where characters take the front stage like they should, while conceptual and philosophical thought is layered into the plot. While these aren’t necessarily the most memorable characters, they at least inspire the excitement or concern when the plot calls for it. Viewers will undoubtedly get giddy watching Batou load up his never-ending clip of machine gun ammo, ready to mow down the bad guys.
And moments like these are only enhanced by the animation. When Mamoru Oshii and Production I.G. claim to be the future of animation, they are not joking. Their blend of 3D computer animation and 2D hand-drawn work is stunning—setting a perfect atmosphere for the film. Innocence takes the medium to its limits, capturing real human moments at times, while rendering images that can never exist in live-action films. The hazy imagery compliments the plot, setting the film down a surreal path for moody cyber-noir. The animation and the writing neatly tie together for memorable moments, including ambiguous dream/reality sequences and a frightening throwback moment to the original film, involving the misguided truck driver and his “daughter’s picture.”
Innocence comes highly recommended for fans of the original and newcomers alike, as long as the viewer knows what to expect. While Innocence has its fun action sequences, Mamoru Oshii has always favored deep sci-fi philosophy and he writes this screenplay accordingly. Most of the dialogue consists of quotes and proverbs that are less direct in their meaning—allusions and analogies are preferred to a straightforward statement. Viewers will possibly have to think (gasp) to understand certain scenes, but perhaps this is how Oshii is trying to make his point. If his dialogue consisted of short, declaratory sentences that moved the plot along, his viewers might as well be robots, listening and following the story without any real engagement.
Reviewed by Tarun
