Ghost in the Shell proves to be a vibrant and exciting adventure that combines together dramatic science fiction and plenty of futuristic concepts to form a true roller coaster ride. Revolving around a technologically advanced and futuristic world in the near future, society has completely changed as a whole. Through the infusion of improvements in technology and science, there have been major advances, especially in terms of cyber enhancements and soldiers. In fact, the movie tells the story of Major, who just happens to be a very original specimen. Not completely human or cyborg, Major is technologically and cyber-enhanced, meaning she has plenty of advantages over normal human beings, especially in terms of fighting. Major has been trained to become a talented and trained soldier that is meant to use all of her enhancements to become committed to preventing the planet's most powerful criminals from taking over the world and acting as a danger to the rest of society. As much as technology has been used to create further upgrades for daily life, futuristic technology has also allowed dangerous criminals to suddenly become even more dangerous. Violence has begun to reach an entirely new level, especially due to the newly created ability to hack into others' minds and subsequently control them. This is exactly where Major comes in. With the mindset of battling technology with technology, Major uses her skill as a soldier to be one of the few people in the entire world capable of stopping this new threat. However, Major has no idea what's actually in-store for herself. As Major begins to battle against this horribly deadly enemy, Major starts to learn some of the hidden truths about her past. Although Major had previously thought her cyber-enhanced capabilities were given to her as a method of saving her life, she quickly discovers that the full story was hidden from her. Coming to the startling realization that her life was stripped from her, stolen by those that gave her the new powers in the first place, Major goes on an entirely new mission, which involves attempting to do whatever it takes to recover the lost clues of her forgotten past. Knowing that her true identity has become lost to her, Major goes on a vendetta to punish all of the people that stole her life away, stop the powerful criminals, and discover who she really is in the process. 
 Ghost in the Shell is thought-provoking and riveting from a fundamental perspective, begging the question of what would be done if everything someone knew was a lie. While this goes off of previously seen tropes and concepts, most of which have done before through the utilization of amnesia, this adventure takes that idea to an entirely different level. In fact, as much as the movie implements plenty of action-packed adventure and some surprisingly interesting futuristic concepts, like what future cities might look and feel like to live in, the true heart of the movie is Major going on a journey of self-identity. While Major may not be as relatable as other characters, especially when considering she has to deal with cyber-enhancements and a world that is filled with plenty of scientific advancements, her attempts to discover the truth about her past is extremely human. This takes away from some of the more abstract concepts of the movie and instead allows the film to become far more concrete. 
 Ghost in the Shell is a true work of art from a visual perspective, and even though the plot and story of the movie is slightly lackluster, this is made up by the fact that the superb special effects are made a hallmark more often than not. These are used to create a beautifully crafted adventure, which often takes audiences to the future, even if the script isn't that well-written. With aid from an excellent performance from the always reliable Scarlett Johansson, the movie is able to highlight an intriguing protagonist that constantly makes viewers curious, if nothing else. 
 Ghost in the Shell proves to be a suspense-filled adventure that utilizes stupendous visuals to bring out the best in its eccentric concepts. The movie effectively produces an exciting and adventurous future where cybernetic enhancements are slowly becoming normality. Despite this, the movie is still able to create fairly human characters, and while they may not be as compelling or captivating as some might wish, the movie still has an enjoyable and entertaining protagonist in Major. The film is far from perfect, but when taken in the light of solely watching a movie for serviceable entertainment and appealing visual effects, this definitely fits that description. However, for moviegoers looking for more depth, they should probably look elsewhere.