Kôkaku kidôtai: Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society

After watching this at least 4 times I am struck at what a fast paced, tight and captivating story this is. The first half is filled with mystery, who is the puppeteer, why are so many officials killing themselves, why did as public servant arrange to have himself killed and why were children being kidnapped. The second half is full on action and when the major is once again working with section 9, it almost brings a tear to your eye. Not as good as the original movie or sequel, which were true classics, but it certainly can be placed in number three spot. This is a must watch for any fan of cyber punk and hot cyborgs.

I feel bad for not loving this movie. Don't get me wrong, it was definitely a good movie for me, but I just thought that the other entries were better. I was complaining about how the last movie was a bit hard to follow, but I think this film had the opposite problem. I think it was too clear and it took away a lot of the mystery. Of course, the animation is completely flawless as you would expect from this series. It's great to see a movie series that's been consistently good. I was disappointed that Motoko didn't appear more. Of course, Batou is still pretty entertaining on its own.

It's just that this film was lacking the action of the previous two films. I also wish that there was more philosophical dialogue. Still, they certainly had great voice work and good talking. If you're a fan of "Ghost In The Shell", you really should see this. The colors are just so gorgeous in this movie. We even get some pretty tender moments involving little kids. I guess if you want to make us care you have to have the lives of a children at stake. It certainly worked here. It was still pretty creative. ***

The Netflix subtitles for this movie are so bad it's impossible to follow the plot. The SAC series English subtitles are also crimes against the English language... so why should one expect better quality for this translation?

I will never be the fan of those animated sequels, after the original "Ghost" animations, characters and the idea. But I have to admit that at least this one got back on track with a very deep humanity and society philosophical questions, character development as well and was better than everything before it. Glad to see where Kusanagi as a character went to and just how capable she is, and what kind of a character she is.

I don't know if this was intended to be the third season / Gig in the Stand Alone Complex series. I say this as it could very well have been stretched out into the twenty-six episodes the series runs. However, the one and three-quarter hour film manages to get the point across admirably, while still getting the audience to think of what may be ahead for the human population.

Togusa is now in charge of Section 9 after Major Kusanagi retired two years previous. While on a mission, he and his team stumble upon a lead to an Ultra-Wizard Class Hacker the "Puppet Master". This, in turn, leads them to other conundrums and secrets, including the children that are going missing in the city which nobody knows about. Not only do Section 9 have to investigate and solve these mysteries but they also have to resolve issues within the team, due to the major's retirement.

Even with the complexities of the story and all the twists and turns within it, the screenwriters Shotaro Suga, Yoshiki Sakurai, and Kenji Kamiyama (who also directed) do a great job to tie it all together in a comprehensible and intelligent way.

For me, this is the best of the three story lines in the Stand Alone Complex series as it holds some viewpoints that are relative today. We already have puppet masters in today's society and our elderly population is living longer, it's not too far of a stretch to imagine the film's visions becoming future truth, should we start to wonder down the techno-path. People are already talking about populace explosion... These are issues to fire up the brain cells.

The animation is on par with the series, which is to say, of a high caliber, though still not up to the beauty of the 1995 original, and this can be said for the direction and soundtrack also.

You do not need to watch the Stand Alone Complex series to enjoy this film as it is a stand alone in its own right. I would recommend that you at least watch the original Ghost In The Shell before checking this out, though it's not necessary. You do need to set time aside to watch the movie, any interruptions may affect your overall enjoyment and understanding of the story. It's also a film NOT to watch with people who don't get the concepts of Cyber Punk Science Fiction...