Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
Bandai Entertainment | Release Date: September 17, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
10
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
You can call me fanboy, but this is the best anime I've ever seen. Read full review
100
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
Innocence revisits imagery from the first film. But this time computer animation pumps everything up to epic proportions. The results are overwhelming. Read full review
90
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
There's a lot of imagination at work here; too bad just a little bit of it couldn't have been channeled into the creation of a better narrative. Read full review
90
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
Innocenc doesn't just reveal a wealth of visual enchantments; it restates the case that there can and should be more to feature-length animations than cheap jokes, bathos and pandering. Read full review
90
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
That rare sequel that surpasses the original. Read full review
88
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
The imagery is uniquely that of Oshii, who deserves a place in the pantheon of visual artists. Read full review
88
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
The love and attention Oshii poured into animating Batou's pet basset hound proves that the human instinct dominates even in a movie dependent on technology. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
The title Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is a brain banger. But as sci-fi nomenclature goes, it's easy to read--no twistier, certainly, than "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow." Read full review
83
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
The impressive marriage of CGI backgrounds and traditional hand-drawn characters gives Oshii more tools to sculpt his vision in color and light. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Crust
The dark sequel offers gorgeous images, with an updated and stylish design, but its characters' angst gets in the way of storytelling. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Innocence is possessed of a highly literate, almost classical story. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneRobert K. Elder
Like "Blade Runner," it's dense enough to be rewarding on multiple viewings, the hallmark of a classic. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
Some advice: Don't even bother trying to figure out what's going on in Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence -- just sit back and enjoy the lush, trippy visuals. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Brims with forboding, but it pulses with candy colors and the hum of neon signs. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
Has plenty to satisfy fans and bring in new admirers. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Less a sequel than a variation on a haunting theme -- the nature and origins of humanity. Read full review
60
TimeRichard Corliss
It points out what's missing in his (Oshii) approach: fluidity of character line, the subtlety of expression that brought humanity to a Warner Bros. cartoon duck or rabbit. Read full review
60
EmpireDavid Hughes
The visuals are an animation student's wet dream, the dialogue an English student's nightmare - but for Japanimation fans it's a big-screen must-see. Read full review
50
Film ThreatEric Campos
Unfortunately, the outcome here is so over-the-top that it’s going to wind up alienating most everyone that sees it. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
A downbeat story line layered with philosophical discourses will restrict the audience to fans of the animated genre. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Ingeniously crafted with flashes of intelligence, if not very memorable. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
The effect of so much pretension and so many lovely images eventually becomes soporific. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineEd Gonzalez
Oshii’s attention to detail is ravishing and his distractions of time and space evoke what it must be like to be trapped within the confines of M.C. Escher’s “Sky and Water.” Pity then that Innocence is so impenetrable, both aesthetically and philosophically. Read full review
40
VarietyDerek Elley
Talky, repetitive and largely covering the same ground with no new thoughts, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is a major let-down. Read full review
40
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
At times, Innocence feels like a clip show of Oshii projects past. But the effect proves more dulling than warmly familiar. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyDavid Chute
This sophomoric stuff is pure self-indulgence, a drone to accompany the admittedly eye-popping sound-and-light show. Oshii looks like yet another director who has gone off the deep end, believing too absolutely his own good reviews. Read full review
30
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Ghost suffers most from a distinct lack of anything, well, cinematic. Read full review
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