Sure, the English counterpart is still a front-dominated affair, but it has some much more punch and potency depth and vibrancy.
Background sounds are stifled and frequently non-existent traffic noises disappear into the ether gunshots are strangled and even the superior score itself doesn’t have anywhere near the same presence. Although the LPCM 2.0 version of the Japanese track is still a technical upgrade, it’s positively muted and muffled in comparison with the English DTS-HD MA 5.1 counterpart. The ideal option would be to allow fans to make the decision themselves, but unfortunately this release doesn’t make that so easy. Often the script for the English dubbing isn’t anywhere near as good as the English subtitles on offer. The question is more to do with the quality of the tracks on offer, and the competency of the translation. Since lip-synch isn’t as much of an issue for animated features, having an alternative language track isn’t as objectionable.
#Ghost in the shell 1995 1080p movie
Although the 2.0 edition of this movie sported HD audio for both languages, the original cut, which was included as a supplemental, only offered PCM 2.0 versions of either audio option, so technically this is still a noteworthy upgrade, but it’s understandable that fans will be distinctly non-plussed by this news.Īlthough most dedicated fans of foreign features abide strictly by the original language / no-dubbing rule, animated features are perhaps less clear-cut, even for completists. The cracks start to appear when we investigate the audio options which start well, with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 flavour for the English track, but then only an LPCM 2.0 track for the Japanese. Black levels are strong and deep for the most part too, with a few more washed out elements, but nothing too frustrating.Īlthough it was not possible to do a direct comparison between anything other than the two versions offered on the 2.0 release, and the remastered version here, it seems highly likely that this new version is identical to the relatively recent Japanese remaster of the original version. This was never a vivid movie – primaries stifled and muted more often than not – but this remastered version looks more like the stunning painting that it was always meant to be, with gothic blood reds and deep purples dirty greys and dark blues and greens. Images look more fluid in motion, line detail is more stable, and the colour scheme richer. Sure, there’s still a softness around the edges, which affects some scenes more than others, but it arguably looks more natural than the integrated scenes in the 2.0 version – which was given a remarkably soft overhaul in order to bring everything together into a more cohesive whole – and it looks leagues better than the 1080i version which came as an extra on that earlier disc. It was never going to polish up perfect, but the original, unalterered Ghost in the Shell has undoubtedly never looked this good before. Characters are better rounded, and the cityscape comes to life with minute observation into the bustling city.
Line integrity is maintained throughout, with strong edges and shape definition. And the ones that do still look better than they have ever done before. Sure, it’s almost 2 decades’ old (the manga is celebrating its 25th Anniversary, hence the misleading title), and animation has come a hell of a long way in all that time, but many of the elements don’t betray that age. The resounding good news is that Ghost in the Shell looks absolutely spectacular.
This new 25 th Anniversary package strangely eschews the opportunity to provide a more complete package – both versions of the film with HD video and audio all-round – and instead focuses merely on the original unaltered version, promoting it with a sparkly new 1080p/AVC-encoded High Definition video presentation, and some revamped audio tracks. The trouble is that the 2.0 Blu-ray release, whilst sporting a gorgeous 2.0 HD video presentation and accompanying audio tracks, only boasted the original unaltered Ghost in the Shell film in 1080i, and with limited PCM-only audio tracks. Although this certainly made the end product look considerably more slick, and although the new CG elements were eminently pretty to behold, fans were quite rightly concerned about the Lucas-style tinkering and, ultimately, largely stuck to the original. Ghost in the Shell was last given the 2.0 treatment – reissued in a completely revamped form which replaced the CG elements but maintained the rest of the old cel-based structure.
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