ghost in the shell is a methodical, intently crafted, and deeply philosophical film about a naked lady chasing after an untrackable hackerman. of course, i'm simplifying it, but only cause i'll be honest and say i don't really understand the deeper implications the plot carries (i hate to have two reviews in a row where i say i don't understand a movie, makes me feel like a brainlet!). i understood the gist of the themes of consciousness and mortality, but not much more beyond that. to be fair to myself, though, i did watch this almost at midnight in a dark room snuggled up next to my pup in a giant blanket. it's enough to assume i wasn't at 100% critical thinking levels, if you catch my drift. i didn't entirely fall asleep, i made sure by going through the movie at 300% speed and checking to see if i could remember each scene (and i could), but there were periods where my eyes closed themselves for just a teensy bit too long. so yeah, i could've missed some dialogue here and there. i'll make sure when i eventually rewatch this to do so mid-day in a bright room with my eyelids taped open. but enough about my failure in being able to watch a movie properly, how is the film itself? it's pretty good. the best part is the audio/visual glory that encompasses the whole film, with its impeccably detailed animation and iconic score. the way light and shadow is used in this film is just, oof, it's on another level. the fight scenes/shoot-outs are pretty good too, they're well choreographed and properly tense. the film creates an jaw-dropping world pretty much just through the use of backgrounds, they're so exquisitely detailed that you just want to explore every nook and cranny you see. for a 80~ minute long film, this feels movie feels incredibly short. like, i was surprised when it ended, it felt like i had only been watching it for 30 minutes or so. now, i don't know if that's a compliment to the film, with the pacing being so brisk despite thoroughly taking its time and establishing a slow, quiet mood. or it could be a detriment (which i'm leaning more towards) to the story, since it feels like not much happens out side the opening and closing 20 minutes. inbetween that, it's just some character development, some light world-building, and mostly developments of the plot through scenes of characters just talking. i don't know, but it was a challenge to get through. might be my sleepy fault, might be the movie's fault, who knows. it's a pretty big beef i had with the movie. i'll settle in the middle and say its both our faults. worth a watch for sure, and i can see why it's a classic to many, but i don't think i watched it in the best conditions to appreciate it fully.