'Ghost In The Shell Sustainable War' Netflix Review: Stream It or Skip It?

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Sustainable War is actually a two-hour supercut of the first season of Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045, a series that launched two years ago on Netflix as part of the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex timeline. This is a summary of the entire series.

This means that you can view the movie rather than the original series to catch up on the latest season. You could also watch the movie to revisit your favourite moments from previous seasons. Although it does its job, it raises questions about why it exists and how it reorders events. This is a confusing release, which doesn't make sense at all. It serves its purpose but doesn't need to be there.

It does - but in its horrible CG glory and with exactly the same ugly character designs that we first saw, This has not changed, but the voice cast is back. But who was this created for?

SUNSHINE SAC_2045 GHOST IN SHELLSAC_2045: DO YOU STREAM IT, OR SKIP IT

The Geist: This film is an amalgamation from the first season of the Ghost in the Shell series: SAC_2045. It takes place eleven years after Ghost in the Shell Solid State Society. The world we see today is in an era of "sustained warfare", with AI threatening to wipe out any remaining humanity.

That is what does it mean? Essentially that means, once an economic catastrophe known as the Simultaneous Global Default’ destroys all currencies the way they are now, the Big 4' countries of the world remain in a state of constant war. This keeps the economy running at its best.

Major Motoko Kusanagi, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Batou (Richard Epcar), Togusa(Crispin Freedomman), Ishikawa (“Michael McCarty”) and the rest are now mercenaries working as contractors for the group GHOST. Former Chief Daisuke (William Knight), Batou (Richard Epcar), Togusa(Crispin Freeman), Ishikawa/Michael McCarty) and the rest of Public Security Section 9 must reunite to find out what the plot behind the Post Humans that are causing destruction around the world.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Despite its jarring art style and strange character design choices, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Sustainable War is part of the greater Ghost in the Shell universe. So there's no doubt it will conjure the better, more cinematic pieces of the GITS puzzle, such as the original film or Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. But more so than films, it's reminiscent of the much better Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, crafted with traditional animation and retaining the classic character designs for Major Kusanagi, Batou, Togusa, Ishikawa, and the rest of the gang.

Worth Watching: Richard Epcar returns to his role of Batou. He is one Section 9's brightest and best. For years, he has given Batou his gruff but relatable persona and returns to the role with the same enthusiasm. He makes Batou seem like an older partner, and he also does a great job of bringing life to a character who has been part of the Ghost in The Shell story for a while. It's amazing to hear that he is still as talented today as he was when he started his career. He is so happy to be back with the crew.

Memorable Dialog: "The more party people here sustain-eering the better." Batou slips this precious one-liner during a fight. This is a lot of wordplay that he wouldn't normally use and it's the reason why his cleverphrasing sticks. You can chalk this up to his reunion with Section 9, and those he enjoys working with, after so long.

Skin and Sex: Major Kusanagi was quite open in her original costume, as shown in Stand Alone Complex. However, the new style leaves much more room for imagination. There's no real sex here, so there is less skin.

Our View: While there are some good things about the movie, it doesn't have any real purpose. The movie is mediocre at best. It does an adequate job of condensing all the anime series into one coherent whole. However, the author takes too many liberties with the original material. It makes little sense of the events in the series and tries to compress them into just two episodes.

It is an animated CGI version of what could easily have been an animated entry in the Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex continuity. Although it feels like what has been done in the past, the result is more like what Netflix shows. It's a shallower, less polished version of the original. Section 9 isn't the same as it used to be. The animation and character design aren’t the best.

The series is not yet in its next season. Ghost in the Shell has a complex property. You want to learn as much as you can about the characters and the world, without going over the callbacks and references.

Our call: SAVE IT. Ghost in the Shell: This is an retread. If you are a fan, this is likely content that you have already seen. This doesn't change the story in any way and actually takes away some of the most intimate and character-building scenes, like those with Togusa or other Section 9 members. You can see it all by going to Ghost in The Shell: SAC_2045. It will make you feel more satisfied at the end. You can also go back to the original Ghost in the Shell movies if you're looking for something to keep you going until the next season. This will make you feel more satisfied.

Brittany Vincent is a video game and tech reporter who has worked for magazines like G4, Popular Science and Variety for more than a decade. She enjoys retro gaming and collecting old consoles when she isn't writing. Follow @MolotovCupcake on Twitter.