Ghost in the Shell (2026) Review — B

My hot take of the day: I never thought Ghost in the Shell was all that good. So, probably still no surprise that even with some pretty awesome animation in this remake, and much better pacing (at least in my vague recollection from decades ago), it’s just good but not great in my opinion. I think the main issues are, I’m not all that interested in the characters (especially Motoko) and the politics is overly cynical and underdeveloped. No one in this show has any fondness for democracy and the rule of law, not that one should be surprised in what’s fundamentally a cop show. I guess that was edgy and cool 35 years ago (maybe?) but now not so much. Also, as someone who has read way too much science fiction, I find all the stuff about robots and ghosts and whatnot pretty basic, not too interesting, and often delivered through the voice of a character who sounds like a high teenager. It looks awesome though and overall I’d still say I enjoyed it. Storytelling – B – Could be better but…