Ghost in the Shell 2 - Innocence (2004)

65% of critics liked it
(95 reviews)
80% of users liked it
(35,589 ratings)

Anime legend Mamoru Oshii wrote and directed this eagerly awaited sequel to his groundbreaking sci-fi drama Ghost in the Shell, which follows the continued adventures of futuristic crime fighters Batou (voice of Akio Otsuka) and Togusa (voice of Kouichi Yamadera). It's the year 2032, and Batou and… More Anime legend Mamoru Oshii wrote and directed this eagerly awaited sequel to his groundbreaking sci-fi drama Ghost in the Shell, which follows the continued adventures of futuristic crime fighters Batou (voice of Akio Otsuka) and Togusa (voice of Kouichi Yamadera). It's the year 2032, and Batou and Togusa have been assigned by the anti-terrorist force Sector 9 to track down several "gynoids" -- androids designed to resemble human females and programmed for pleasure -- who have gone on a murder spree. With the help of an android-technology expert named Kim (voice of Naoto Takenaka), Batou and Togusa find themselves following the trail of Locus Solus, an outlaw organization that may be responsible for turning the gynoids into murderers. As he digs deeper into the investigation, Batou finds himself thinking back to his times with former colleague Major (voice of Atsuko Tanaka) and pondering the notion of love and attachment in an increasingly unnatural world. Ghost in the Shell: Innocence was screened in competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 39 min.
Directed By: Mamoru Oshii
Genres: Drama, Animation, Anime & Manga, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Sep 17, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Dec 28, 2004
Studio: Go Fish Pictures

Critic Reviews

Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader
Mamoru Oshii's 2004 follow-up to his 1995 anime noir is that rare sequel that surpasses the original.
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
Occasional passages of shell-cracking egghead overload aside, there's no getting past Innocence's astounding visual power.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
The effect of so much pretension and so many lovely images eventually becomes soporific.
Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger
Praiseworthy for its concepts and aesthetics, yet it is too theory-heavy and action-shy, clumped with philosophical tangents and scholarly reference points.
Steve Murray, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Solemnly questioning issues of science and metaphysics, it creates a spell that's a unique blend of the ominous and the sensual.
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
Doesn't match the weight of its predecessor, or really add anything necessary to the saga, but it doesn't hurt the body of work, either.
, Film4
With its themes of human arrogance, wastefulness, creativity, and the definitions and limits of life and the mind, Innocence is pretty heavy. It's also visually stunning.
Steve Biodrowski, ESplatter
Much like Akira in the 1980s, this is the film that sets the standard by which all others of its kind are judged - and usually found wanting.
Anton Bitel, Eye for Film
the mind-blowing story and its reality-bending aesthetic form a sublime continuum, where the medium becomes part of the message...this is animation at its most acute and enthralling.
Prairie Miller, Long Island Press
Too talky and philosophical for kids, and dabbling in lavish imagery that lacks enough narrative coherence to hook adults, this is an animated feature that, well, needed to get a little more animated.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
The elegance, attention to detail, the invention and expertise all ensure that the movie's never less than visually breathtaking.
David Hughes, Empire Magazine
For Japanimation fans it's a big-screen must-see.
Paul Byrnes, Sydney Morning Herald
If you can get past the weighty aphorisms that pass for dialogue, the film has an obscure beauty and rich, melancholy tone.
, Independent
Muddled up with philosophising about the relationship between mind and the material world.
Michelle Thomas, Future Movies UK
It looks absolutely sensational.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
The staggering beauty of Oshii's animation more than makes up for the fact that his plot is completely impenetrable.
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness
One long, tedious rumination on the blurring distinction between man and machines.
Ethan Alter, NYC Film Critic
If you're already an anime fan, this is required viewing. If not, this isn't going to convert you anytime soon.
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
Japanese animated film which explores the nature of post-modern existence and consciousness is a mixed bag in terms of both narrative and images.
Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal
While one can't accuse Innocence of being dim, it is certainly long winded and cliché.

Read all 24 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Drake T

I used to think the first film was incredibly complex and therefore, very inaccessible. However, the 2nd film is even more convoluted and theory heavy than the first to the point where you can't help but feel it doesn't steer you in a direction that ultimately serves the… More
I used to think the first film was incredibly complex and therefore, very inaccessible. However, the 2nd film is even more convoluted and theory heavy than the first to the point where you can't help but feel it doesn't steer you in a direction that ultimately serves the story's overlying plot. And not the look like a brainless twat, but it really needed more action to balance out with the dialogue heavy philosophical referencing. Nevertheless, a worthy sequel to the original GITS; just lacks the balance in execution that the first maintained.
Saskia D

The third viewing of this one was a little disappointing, but maybe that's because it seems as if they wanted to say more than they could fit into the movie. It doesn't have the philosophical and contemplative quality the first part has. And although it mixes 2D and 3D in a… More
The third viewing of this one was a little disappointing, but maybe that's because it seems as if they wanted to say more than they could fit into the movie. It doesn't have the philosophical and contemplative quality the first part has. And although it mixes 2D and 3D in a satisfying manner, it's also not as visually satisfying as the first one.
Justin Y

Although this film is called "Ghost in the Shell 2" it isn't really a direct sequel. It is more or less a stand alone movie, which means that you can watch this without having seen the first. The only thing that the first movie may help you with is the character… More
Although this film is called "Ghost in the Shell 2" it isn't really a direct sequel. It is more or less a stand alone movie, which means that you can watch this without having seen the first. The only thing that the first movie may help you with is the character recognition and the setting of the movie.With that said, this movie has some of the greatest visuals seen in any animation. It is even better than the "Stand Alone Complex" series which was done after this film.Although the graphics were of "Ghost in the Shell" quality, this film did feel a little out of place from the rest of the series (The first movie and the latter TV series and movie). The setting seemed a little more sci-fi/futuristic than normal and the fact that the major is almost non-existent makes the cast feel empty. The typical online communication between characters wasn't used that often as well.As mentioned earlier Major Kusanagi only has a small part in this film. This makes Batou and Togusa the main characters, which will make fans of these characters happy. There isn't a whole lot of action but there are a few good sequences throughout. This is another one of those stories where you need to really pay attention otherwise you will get lost.All-in-all there is some great visuals and an interesting story and fans of the series will definitely want to see this.
Mark A

An incredible piece of art, from start to finish! The animation and CG renderings are some of the most stunning scenes this viewer has ever seen. The level of detail and the intricacy draw the viewer into the story, which is pretty good, in and of itself. There is some mysticism, and… More
An incredible piece of art, from start to finish! The animation and CG renderings are some of the most stunning scenes this viewer has ever seen. The level of detail and the intricacy draw the viewer into the story, which is pretty good, in and of itself. There is some mysticism, and the constant moving from "real" to fantasy could be at times confusing, but patience is rewarded with most of the elements coalescing back into a cohesive whole upon further exposition. The subtitles could be somewhat distracting as they seemed designed for close captioning, describing clearly audible sounds and using brackets to identify the speaker. The magnificent soundscape formed an integral part of the overall experience and matched the visuals in intensity and in establishing the mood of each scene as it unfolded. The entire experience was quite exhilarating. This one bears multiple viewings and, for that, it gets 5* from this reviewer, who has not been a big fan of anime or manga heretofore.
Matthew Y

I love the concept of Ghost in the Shell but I feel the manga and anime series do not take the concept in the directions I personally am interested in. The two films however are far closer to what I want to see out of the franchise. Innocence follows Batou (who is just as… More
I love the concept of Ghost in the Shell but I feel the manga and anime series do not take the concept in the directions I personally am interested in. The two films however are far closer to what I want to see out of the franchise. Innocence follows Batou (who is just as interesting a character as Motoko Kusanag) and his partner Togusa as they continue their work after the events of the first film. Batou is dealing with the fact that the major has gone rogue and begins challenging and contemplating his own existence. The Section 9 Department Chief realizes that Batou is displaying the same habits that Kusanag showed before she went AWOL and fears a similar outcome. Like the first film the incredible action takes a back seat to the theological and moral questions that highlight the series. I want a big budget live action version of Ghost in the Shell by a director who knows what they're doing (Christopher Nolan anyone?). I think it could easily be one of the greatest Sci-Fi thrillers ever made.
Marion R

I liked the philosophical ideas in this film. It was well paced and I was interested to see what happened. The main problem I had with the film was in the script, it was like every minute they had to utter another quote, or saying, which was very annoying.
Bill C

Sitting here scratching by Basset hound watching Bato do the same in the movie is some serious deja vu. It's maybe more a measure of myself, but I really miss the super cyber-sexual Major Motoko and her brief appearance in a unattractive mannequin's body just doesn't do… More
Sitting here scratching by Basset hound watching Bato do the same in the movie is some serious deja vu. It's maybe more a measure of myself, but I really miss the super cyber-sexual Major Motoko and her brief appearance in a unattractive mannequin's body just doesn't do it for me. The story is constructed around Bato who is the 2nd most developed character in the series, but surprisingly there is no back story---none---nill. No flash back to pre-section 9 days as Rangers no flash back to section-9 days as many of the other reviews site it is an intellectually and philosophically deep story, but fails to draw you in at a gut level even when Motoko pulls so hard her cybernetic arm flays apart, seen that one before with more impact. OK before you pan me the Visuals and audio really are excellent in the blu-ray format.
Remi L

More interesting than the first, not nearly as weird, but it still didn't do much for me
Jonny C

Good movie. A lot different to the first movie, with the story taking a more suspenseful, detective root, than all the all guns blazing original. I thought certain scenes were far too long (especially in the middle where the go to the mansion), the ending was confusing, and the huge… More
Good movie. A lot different to the first movie, with the story taking a more suspenseful, detective root, than all the all guns blazing original. I thought certain scenes were far too long (especially in the middle where the go to the mansion), the ending was confusing, and the huge use of philosophy was very annoying at times. However the animation saved the day, as this is pure eye candy, with some of the best visuals I've ever seen in this genre.
Marcus W

The original was a nifty, cutting-edge examination on the nature of humanity and the soul. The sequel, for all it's flashy CG, merely tries to copy that while forgetting to put in both character and plot. Stick with the original.