By Elizabeth Warner

When Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in The Shell burst on the scene in 1995, the Japanese anime feature inspired stunning adulation, endless comparison, enormous hype and quite literally (if you believe the current wisdom) The Matrix. This film, along with Akira and Spirited Away now reclines in the anime-that-made-it-stateside-pantheon: beloved, discussed and cited by many. Key because the “many” here are also those who don’t typically make up the anime genre’s rabid but relatively niche-d fan base. Curiously, GITS enjoyed a better reception in the US, the UK and Canada than it ever did in its native land.

So that means pretty high stakes, nine years later, for the flick’s sequel.

Will Ghosts in the Shell 2: Innocence follow in the tradition of the original by pitting philosophical questions of being, worth and humanity in stark contrast to a modern ecosystem rife with whizzing machines and disembodied “ghosts” living alongside soulless-but-wildly-competent cyborgs? Will the picture further mine the director’s well-known passion for bleak-but-resonant/relevant emotional territory? And will there ever be a moratorium on instantaneous comparisons to Blade Runner whenever any movie with a cyborg, a robot or even a calculator prompts thoughtful reflection?

Bottom line here, Ghosts In The Shell 2: Innocence is a visually stunning movie that dyed-in-the-wool anime fans will flock to and probably dismiss immediately, while the rest of us with only iceberg-tipped knowledge of the genre will find startlingly easy to follow, thought-provoking (if simple and rather formulaic) and reasonably entertaining. And did I mention the visually stunning part? Plus sound effects that put American cinema to shame? GITS2 is basically an animated buddy cop film featuring the requisite mismatched pair of gumshoes trying to get to the bottom of something before the somethings kill again with sidebar moments of humor, very cool data-assessing/villain decimating gadgetry, and one terminally cute basset hound. This movie also has the added distinction of being the first anime offering to compete for the Cannes Palme d’Or.

The story is this…it’s 2032 and the globe is home to humans, cyborgs (human spirits inhabiting entirely mechanized bodies) and “dolls” (robots with no human elements at all). Onto this mismatched plane step detectives Bateau and his partner Togusa: the former a massive cyborg loner with a blonde ponytail (think Nick Nolte meets Greg Norman) and the latter a human with a daughter and a latter-day mullet. Our heroes are assigned to investigate a series of murders committed by several “gynoids” which are cyber-engineered sex dolls. Turns out these dewy, blue-eyed porcelain sex dolls, have all gone haywire, turned upon and finally annihilated their masters. Mssrs. Bateau and Togusa, both agents for the super ominous anti-terrorist department “Public Safety Section 9”, must fish out the red herrings and identify the true criminal mastermind. And here is where we get the requisite stakeout & battle sequence with everyone from violent local mobsters, corrupt bureaucrats, ever-present hackers and finally a shadowy underworld conglomerate – all in the name of stopping these Gynoids Gone Bad. With the exception of a way lengthy odyssey somewhere in Act 2 wherein both cops and audience must endure an entirely unintelligible wasteland of dream sequences, demi-visions, and a metaphor-littered Traditional Dragon Parade, the storyline flows along. Of course, true to the original, the theme of man vs. machine is omnipresent, as are the “tragic consequences” of man’s desire to build a better mousetrap. These are rather vehemently reinforced via the filmmaker’s decision to liberally quote 1) The Bible 2) Confucius 3) Milton 4) Jakob Grimm 5) Descartes, 5) Asimov, and other luminous Vessels of Meaning. (The surgical removal of just a few of these One Liners For The Ages might have provided a much needed shortening of the film.)

Rather than tell you who dunnit, suffice it to say the movie ends with a degree of cyber-good prevailing upon cyber-evil, but not without tremendous meta-emotional lesson for each creature. Two themes are also well worth mentioning, because they identify Bateau as struggling hero and Thinking Cyborg’s Cyborg. First we meet his dog, a particularly cute basset hound with limpid eyes and unwavering devotion whom the cop thinks about, loves --and procures food for -- constantly. N.B.: The basset hound is also the filmmaker’s signature trademark. The other pervasive theme is the constant memory of Major Motoko, Bateau’s attractive former partner who is now a ghost. Both she and the dog cause Bateau’s cyber heart to ache and feel, and they add an additional dimension to the 1-D he already has.

It should also be noted that even though anime is ferociously popular among younger viewers (who cultishly devour Japan’s trademark Manga comics) youngsters are cautioned due to the films’ searing violence, elaborately staged bloodbaths and carnalmoments. This latest offering however, while entirely unsuitable for the Teething Set, seems strangely viced-down in that department (possibly due to Dreamworks’ backing).

And while this movie that may well take its place in the CineCemetary of Sequels, unable to withstand the crushing weight of expectation and preemptory hype, GITS2: Innocence is nevertheless a thoughtful and beautifully-made piece. Purists will no doubt be bored, teenagers likely put off by its sterility, earnestness and the lowered sex/gore quotient. Still, it certainly offers a palatable way for garden-variety moviegoers to get a taste of the current anime genre. The themes --while diluted -- are still there, the animation is superb, and viewers may find that they really do forget where they are for an afternoon or evening, which is more than can be said for much of today’s cinematic fare.

Ghost in the Shell 2 is rated PG-13 and opens September 17, 2004.