Solid State Society

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society. Quite a title, right? Well, this is quite a film. Fans of the Stand Alone Complex anime series should already know what they're in for here: intense, intelligent, complex police procedural drama with great action and a snazzy soundtrack. It's everything you've come to expect from SAC, and that's a good thing.

For those of you who haven't seen Stand Alone Complex...well, you should, and ideally before you see this movie. The show is pretty much required viewing for all anime fans, in my opinion, and watching it beforehand will enhance your experience of this film in many subtle but significant ways. The plot of the film isn't really tied to that of the show, but there are many little details in it that will have a much greater impact on folks who are familiar with the SAC universe.

However you choose to go into the film, here's the setup: Solid State Society takes place in the year 2034, two years after the end of Stand Alone Complex. Major Motoko Kusanagi, the one-time leader of the elite counter-terrorism unit known as Section 9, has left the team to pursue work as a freelancer. In her absence, command of the organization - which has now grown by several members - has fallen to Togusa; the junior member of the original team. Togusa seems to be adapting to his new role well enough, despite having impossibly large shoes to fill, but Section 9 is in for a challenge when they begin to investigate a series of mysterious suicides involving several members of an Asian terrorist organization.

Because the deaths seem to be orchestrated, the concern at Section 9 is that they are a hint of a larger plot being carried about by the leader of the group. It is suspected that he intends to unleash a virus upon the people of Japan at the moment of his death. However, when the team storms his home to arrest him, they find that he has apparently already committed suicide without carrying out his plan. This adds quite a bit of confusion to the situation, and things are further complicated when the team discovers that the man wrote a name - "Puppeteer" - on his bedroom floor in his own blood as he died. That another one of the terrorists also mentioned the Puppeteer before he killed himself is only further evidence that a third party is somehow involved in the deaths.

Meanwhile, Batou - Motoko's former second in command - is sent to recover the terrorist's virus before it gets into anyone else's hands. While attempting to do this, he finds that the virus has already been procured by someone else: a remotely controlled android - a puppet of sorts - being manipulated by Motoko. When he questions her as to what's going on, she tells him only to stay away from the Solid State Society, lest he end up killing himself like the terrorists did.

I won't reveal anything further beyond that point, as the mystery at the heart of the story is one that should be revealed to you by the film itself. Needless to say, the story is pretty much as good as Stand Alone Complex fans should expect. The ending seems a bit less satisfying than the more solid conclusions to the two seasons of the show, but the story is full of tension and interesting turns, and overall ends up being pretty great.

Technically, Solid State Society is very much in line with Stand Alone Complex. It features smooth, fluid animation, detailed character designs and backgrounds, and perfectly timed, high-energy action sequences. The only complaint I have about the visuals is the same one I had with the series: all of the vehicles are rendered with computers, and as such tend to stand out too much from the rest of the environment and look somewhat awkward and out of place. Most people haven't really taken issue with this problem, though, so I don't see it as being a major sticking point.

One nice little detail of the production is that the film makes reference to the two other Ghost in the Shell-related movies by weaving in imagery and moments that should be familiar to people who have seen them. I think that's a nice touch, as it works as a subtle nod to the other works.

As for the music...well, it's by Yoko Kanno. Instant win. No questions asked.

I assume that the biggest complaint that will be leveled against this film is that it's too much like any regular episode of the original show. With a series that was so cinematic to begin with, it would be pretty much impossible to avoid that pitfall. And seriously, what more do you want than a film that does more of what SAC did?

It should also be mentioned that, like SAC, Solid State Society is a very talky film, with lots of scenes full of detailed exposition. I have never personally had a problem with this, as the stories in the show were always interesting and the expository scenes were always well balanced with scenes of action and motion, but I feel that it's important to bring up this point, as it may bother some people. I will say, however, that the expository scenes in this film are far less lengthy than those in the other Ghost in the Shell films, and the pacing of the whole production is much better as well.

Solid State Society is exceptional, just like the series that spawned it. It shouldn't disappoint fans of the series, and could probably win over people who have never seen SAC but are curious to see the show's take on the Ghost in the Shell universe. I know this may sound a bit extreme, but I have long been of the opinion that Stand Alone Complex is the best iteration of Ghost in the Shell that exists. Solid State Society further confirms that belief for me, as it proves that even in film format Stand Alone Complex doesn't really falter in quality. I don't consider it to be as indispensable as the series itself (which I would rate as a 9/10 [Essential]), but I do think that it's a masterful piece of work that deserves a great deal of respect.

Score: 8/10 (Don't Miss It)