As I see it, no better or worse than the live-action Akira and Watchmen. If these geeky properties are doing well as mass-market cinema, we're going to see a lot more stuff like this with great varying degrees of quality.
Dreamworks....hmm. The thing I am worried about is that the philosophical-psychological speculative fiction elements will fall by the wayside to make way for action movie explosions. This is the same problem I am worried about with the adaptation of Akira. No doubt it will be fantastic visually, but what drew me to anime in the first place was the deeper elements of the stories, the questions that they raise that make them more than superficial SciFi schlock. Will these Hollywood adaptations contain the social commentary of the originals, or just the futuristic guns?
I seem to recall a futuristic movie about a robot that Spielberg inherited from Stanley Kubric. It was called A.I. and it was quite painful, in fact it was the movie that never ended.
I pray that Dreamworks has learned since that past mistake. My only gripe will be with the script. What keeps my expectations high with anything GitS-related is that the moral ambiguity and dialog are always so cryptic, so enigmatic, that it speaks at least a foot over our heads. America, especially big-budget Dreamworks may make a visual roller-coaster, but will that mean they will sacrifice the characters and overly complex story lines we've come to love and puzzle over?
HELL YA! This and the Akira Movie are what is going to open the genre to many non-anime fans. Plus, with Steve on board, this makes it even more open to the non-anime viewers even more.
Dreamworks....hmm. The thing I am worried about is that the philosophical-psychological speculative fiction elements will fall by the wayside to make way for action movie explosions. This is the same problem I am worried about with the adaptation of Akira. No doubt it will be fantastic visually, but what drew me to anime in the first place was the deeper elements of the stories, the questions that they raise that make them more than superficial SciFi schlock. Will these Hollywood adaptations contain the social commentary of the originals, or just the futuristic guns?
Given the lack of the ability of the large portion of the American public to grasp the deeper meanings and issues within a story (see V for Vendetta), I'm betting its just gonna be a CG Guns and Boobs-fest with only a thin thread to connect it with the original work of Masamune Shirow. Lowest Common Denominator and all that.
However, I could be, and I hope I am, gravely wrong and it could turn out to be a great production, thus giving the american anime culture a shot in the arm and bringing in more people into the fold. I suppose it really hinges on who the director is going to be and whether or not they stay faithful to the original.
Comments
*stolen line from Dave and Joel.
If they make it, I'll gladly watch it.
I pray that Dreamworks has learned since that past mistake. My only gripe will be with the script. What keeps my expectations high with anything GitS-related is that the moral ambiguity and dialog are always so cryptic, so enigmatic, that it speaks at least a foot over our heads. America, especially big-budget Dreamworks may make a visual roller-coaster, but will that mean they will sacrifice the characters and overly complex story lines we've come to love and puzzle over?
This and the Akira Movie are what is going to open the genre to many non-anime fans.
Plus, with Steve on board, this makes it even more open to the non-anime viewers even more.
However, I could be, and I hope I am, gravely wrong and it could turn out to be a great production, thus giving the american anime culture a shot in the arm and bringing in more people into the fold. I suppose it really hinges on who the director is going to be and whether or not they stay faithful to the original.