Mamoru Oshii's GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE has some sporadically stunning visuals, but that's it. Although fans of this genre of violent, futuristic animes will undoubtedly like it, most viewers will find nothing to make them care about this inaccessible movie. Its convoluted and obtuse story is set in a future in which men and machines are rapidly becoming lest distinct.

The movie, which consists mainly of noisy gunfights, is like your typical one-person shooter video game. Japanese anime, which is basically unanimated animation, can be quite involving and compelling as it was in PRINCESS MONONOKE and SPIRITED AWAY, but it can also be deadly dull as it is in GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE. The few breathtaking sequences occur when the virtual camera pulls back to reveal some sumptuous backgrounds. The best of these is a parade shown in slow motion. As snow lightly falls, elaborate floats drift by.

The dialog varies between the bland and the cheesy ("Birds never peck at green persimmons. They wait until the fruit is ripe.") Since the actors speak their lines with zero emotion, it isn't clear why the movie was released with subtitles. American voice talent would have to have been an improvement. After all, the movie was dubbed in Japanese for Japanese audiences; why not dub it in English for American audiences?

GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE runs a long 1:39. The film is in Japanese with English subtitles. It is rated PG-13 for "violence, disturbing images and brief language" and would be acceptable for any kid old enough to play violent videogames.