Funnily, the soundtrack is most famous for the epic choral main theme that accompanies this atmospheric centerpiece. For me, its strength actually lays in everything else but this track. It was the exception in an otherwise very minimalist score that perfectly captured the cold and lonely emptiness that surrounds each and everything. Composer Kenji Kawaii, who scored most of Oshii’s films, did an outstanding job here. It is so damn eerie. I still draw a lot of inspiration from it and if you listen carefully, you can hear the influence it has on my productions.
Sci-fi flicks tend to outdo themselves pretty quickly, but Ghost In The Shell is not quite there yet. Astonishing, given the fact that the story was developed in the late 80s and the film released in the mid-90s. It ages surprisingly well. And this is where it really shines and what keeps me coming back to it over and over again. Every time I watch it, the setting of the movie and reality are intersecting a little more. A few big corporations supplying an entire society with new technology to enhance their performance? That feels more familiar to me now than it did in 2000 when I watched it for the first time. That very technology being integrated into people’s bodies? Felt awkward back then, but I can totally see that coming now. Machines and minds merging while being permanently connected to a cloud-like network? That’s happening right now!
