Because so many of the all-time best movies for children are animated, the medium is practically synonymous with family-friendly entertainment. Of course, not every cartoon movie is made for young audiences, and, in fact, there are some that the MPA would strongly recommend never be seen by moviegoers under 13… or even under 18. We compiled some of the most notable and esteemed examples of great animated movies for adults.

Ghost In The Shell (1995)

One of the most inventive dystopian stories is Shirow Masamune’s manga, Ghost in the Shell, which follows a robotic police officer hunting an expert hacker using reprogrammed cyborg brains to do his bidding. Mizuho Nishikubo and Mamoru Oshii’s animated, influential, visually stunning adaptation is considered one of the best anime films of its time and even inspired an American, live-action remake which was not as well received. 

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)

Matt Stone and Trey Parker could finally surpass the limitations of basic cable television with the feature-length, theatrically released, R-rated, musical spin-off of their long-running, uproariously crass Comedy Central satire. The Oscar-nominated, ‘90s movie classic South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut sees Colorado youngsters Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny hear a certain curse word for the first time, leading to a parental war against Canada’s “corruption” and the threat of Satan and Saddam Hussein ruling the Earth. 

Mad God (2022)

A passion project by special effects legend Phil Tibbit, Mad God is one of the most underrated and underseen horror movies of its time. Then again, this dialogue-free, virtually plotless, stop-motion trek into a post-apocalyptic nightmare is difficult to describe as one single genre.

Heavy Metal (1981)

Surreal science fiction, thrilling fantasy, and the most head-banging tunes of the 1970s and 1980s converge in producer Ivan Reitman’s Heavy Metal. Framed as glimpses of strange worlds transmitted from a glowing green orb, this animated anthology film is a bizarre space odyssey complete with funny characters and a star-studded voice cast that includes Eugene Levy and John Candy.

9 (2009)

Released on the ninth day of the ninth month of the year 2009, 9 is a dark, inventive, post-apocalyptic tale from producer Tim Burton and director Scott Acker — based on his 2005 short. The likes of Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly, and more voice a group of sentient ragdolls who became the last living beings on Earth and must protect their future from a dangerous A.I.

Anomalisa (2015)

Leave it to an innovator like writer and co-director Charlie Kaufman to craft such a bizarre, yet moving and relatable story about the human experience that does not actually have a single “human” in it. The 2015 stop-motion dramedy follows a customer service expert (voiced by David Thewlis) who sees the same face and hears the same voice (that of Tom Noonan) from every person he meets until he finally meets someone unique to him (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh).

Paprika (2006)

Years before Christopher Nolan released Inception in 2010, there was director Satoshi Kon’s classic anime adaptation of Yasutaka Tsutsui's fantasy novel, Paprika. The visually stunning film bears a similar plot, which follows the titular spirit as she joins the search for a stolen machine that allows the user to enter other people’s dreams.

Isle Of Dogs (2018)

If you say the title of Wes Anderson’s second stop-motion feature, Isle of Dogs, fast enough, it sounds like you are saying, “I love dogs.” Indeed, the wondrous story of a Japanese boy named Atari (Koyu Rankin) searching for his lost pet on an island of banished canines is heartwarming thrills that animal lovers surely will not be able to resist.

The Simpsons Movie (2007)

Creator Matt Groening’s The Simpsons had been airing for 18 years by the time Homer, Marge, and their children made it onto the big screen in what is, essentially, a feature-length episode of the record-breaking animated series. However, one hilarious episode of The Simpsons Movie would prove to be, following the titular family’s escape from Springfield after the city is encased in a dome by the EPA.

Akira (1988)

One of the most influential films in the history of anime cinema — and one of the all-time best sci-fi movies in general — is Akira. Based on the manga by Katsuhiro Ôtomo, the electrifying, futuristic noir thriller follows a young biker gang who becomes embroiled in an apocalyptic battle in Neo-Tokyo when one of their own is kidnapped and given dangerous psychic powers as part of a secret project.

Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)

Even some of the most harmless and child-appropriate animated Batman movies are held in the same regard as the live-action Batman movies, but Batman: The Killing Joke is admired as a boldly unsettling chapter in the Dark Knight’s epic rivalry with The Joker. What really makes this adaptation of Alan Moore’s beloved 1988 one-shot — which also offers a glimpse at the Clown Prince of Crime’s origin — is the reunion of Kevin Conroy voicing Batman with Mark Hamill as Joker.

Waking Life (2001)

Writer and director Richard Linklater’s Waking Life is already a transfixing exploration of where reality and fantasy converge in the human experience. What also makes the acclaimed drama a visually enthralling experience is the process of adding animation over the live-action footage with digital rotoscoping.

Team America: World Police (2004)

South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone would shift their focus to a different kind of animation medium (puppetry) for their second brutally crass, feature-length satire, Team America: World Police. The comedy about a no-holds-barred counter-terrorism organization just might be the greatest action-comedy-musical starring marionettes ever made.

Fritz The Cat (1972)

One of the most influential and controversial figures in the history of animation is Ralph Bakshi, whose most controversial work might be Fritz the Cat, which is not to be confused with the family-friendly Felix the Cat, and, boy, do we pray that no parents ever made that mistake. The X-rated, animated comedy based on Robert Crumb’s comic follows the titular feline’s adventures starting riots, getting mixed up with domestic terrorists, and more shenanigans in the 1960s.

Wendell & Wild (2022)

Most of the work of stop-motion animator Henry Selick — director of The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline — just barely qualifies as appropriate for children. However, he crosses the line farther than usual with Wendell & Wild, which stars beloved comedy duo Jordan Peele (who also co-writes) and Keegan-Michael Key as the titular demons, who try to get a teen girl (Lyric Ross) to help them get to Earth.

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)

An essential example of the rare and underrated Space Western genre is Cowboy Bebop — a futuristic anime following the travels of a crew of intergalactic bounty hunters that aired from 1998 to 1999. The series’ feature-length spin-off covers events set between Episodes 22 and 23 and sees the team heading to Mars in pursuit of a bioterrorist.

I Lost My Body (2019)

Happy Hand is a French novel by Guillaume Laurant about a severed hand that gains sentience and that gains sentience and braves harsh urban terrain to reunite with its person. Director Jérémy Clapin’s adaptation, I Lost My Body (which is also in French), was nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar in 2020.

Loving Vincent (2017)

Few people have ever conceived a historical biopic as astonishingly unique as directors Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman’s Loving Vincent. A team of more than 100 artists produced thousands of canvas paintings, which each served as one frame of this dramatization of events surrounding the death of legendary Dutch painter, Vincent van Gogh.

Sausage Party (2016)

With Sausage Party, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg attempt to answer a question that probably no one else thought to ask: what if food was sentient? The result is an uproariously filthy, often horrifying, and sometimes clever, star-studded romp that most would still praise over the similarly plotted, yet more infamous, family film, Food Fight.

Watership Down (1978)

Author Richard Adams’ classic, harrowing tale of woodland rabbits seeking safety from the human beings who have condemned their home was first adapted for screen by writers and directors Martin Rosen and John Hubley. Featuring the voice talents of John Hurt, Denholm Elliott, and more, Watership Down very likely could have won the Best Animated Feature Oscar, had the category existed at the time.

Heavy Traffic (1973)

Ralph Bakshi’s follow-up to Fritz the Cat sees the filmmaker broaden his horizons by combining animation and live-action footage with Heavy Traffic. It offers an eccentric, surreal look at the inner city lifestyle from the perspective of a young, disillusioned cartoonist.

Waltz With Bashir (2008)

Writer, director, and producer Ari Folman documents his investigation of lost personal memories of the Lebanon War in 1982 and presents his findings as an animated drama in Waltz with Bashir. It would win several awards in categories specializing in animated features and also took home the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film in 2009.

Mary And Max (2009)

Australian stop-motion animator Adam Elliot used his own experiences communicating with his own pen pal as inspiration for the story of Mary and Max. Toni Collette voices Mary — a lonely woman from Melbourne who finds unexpected kinship with a middle-aged New Yorker with Asperger’s named Max (Philip Seymour Hoffman) while writing letters back and forth in the 1970s.

Eight Crazy Nights (2002)

Adam Sandler has lent his voice to a few animated movies that are perfect for children — such as the Hotel Transylvania movies and Leo — but Eight Crazy Nights is certainly not one of them. The musical-comedy, set during Hanukkah, is the tale of a 33-year-old Jewish man forced to be supervised by the elderly Whitey Duvall (also voiced by Sandler) as part of his community service sentence and is only animated so it can resemble cartoon TV specials of yesteryear.

The Plague Dogs (1982)

From Watership Down author Richard Adams comes another high-stakes thriller from the point of view of animals in which dogs get to save the day. John Hurt and Christopher Benjamin star in The Plague Dogs as a Labrador-mix and a smooth fox terrier who escape from a science lab and must outwit human hunters who believe they may carry a dangerous disease.

The Wolf House (2018)

We have seen many great horror movies made with the stop-motion process, but nothing quite like The Wolf House. Directors Cristobal León and Joaquín Cociña take inspiration from the infamous events at Chile’s Colonìa Dignidad and reimagine them in a unique form of stop-motion animation to create a surreal fantasy beyond your wildest nightmares.

A Scanner Darkly (2006)

Five years after Waking Life, Richard Linklater would use the same digital rotoscoping once again, which would lend wonderfully to the paranoid themes and psychedelic style of his adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s dystopian novel, A Scanner Darkly. The sometimes comedic sci-fi thriller follows an undercover agent (played by Keanu Reeves) suffering from unsettling visions while investigating the supposed source of an addiction epidemic.

Perfect Blue (1997)

Based on the novel by Yoshikazu Takeuchi, Perfect Blue is the gorgeously animated and deeply disturbing debut of Satoshi Kon. Harsh, real-life topics ranging from voyeurism to assault are seen through the eyes of a young pop music star whose transition into acting is interrupted by the emergence of a dangerously obsessed fan.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters (2007)

One of the most popular (and strangest) series on Adult Swim follows the misadventures of a trio of sentient fast food items — namely Flylock (Cary Means), Master Shake (Dana Snyder), and Meatwad (co-creator Dave Willis). The crew would grace the big screen in the appropriately titled Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters, in which they find an exercise machine that puts them in a catastrophic situation.

The House (2022)

Netflix exclusively released one of the strangest horror anthology movies of its time with the English-produced stop-motion animated film The House. Each segment is set in a different world — such as one in which rats are anthropomorphic and another in which cats are the dominant species — but all revolve around the bizarre experiences of the central characters’ stay at a seemingly idyllic estate.

Redline (2009)

Early on in the development of Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller intended for it to be an animated feature. The closest thing we have to seeing that become a reality — in terms of its adrenaline-fueled, high-octane pace — for now is the underrated animated, Redline, which takes place during a high-stakes intergalactic car race.

Crypotozoo (2021)

Writer and director Dash Shaw’s Cryptozoo takes place in a world where creatures of legend known as cryptids exist and are hunted to be put on public display. It only makes sense that the world created for the film is one of intoxicatingly surreal, kaleidoscopic imagery.

We recommend that you should show these films to your children, just a little later in life.

The final decade of the 20th century gave us some of the most unforgettable cinematic experiences, including some game-changing science fiction spectacles. If you want to go back and revisit some of the best ‘90s sci-fi movies like Jurassic Park, The Matrix, and so much more, then you’ve come to the right place. From some of the best ‘90s movies to sci-fi deep cuts you may have forgotten, there’s a lot to choose from.

Here’s everything you need to know about what we think are some of the best sci-fi movies of all time and how you can go about watching them in a variety of ways, including on some of the best streaming services.

The Faculty (1998) 

A great horror movie that never got a sequel, The Faculty is also one of the most overlooked sci-fi films of the ‘90s. Released on Christmas Day 1998, Robert Rodriguez’s thriller follows a group of high school students (played by Jordana Brewster, Josh Hartnett, and Elijah Wood, among others) as they try to save their school after members of the faculty have been infected by alien brain parasites.

Stream The Faculty on Paramount+.
Rent/Buy The Faculty on Amazon.

Alien 3 (1992) 

Though not the best Alien movie, David Fincher’s 1992 sequel isn’t a terrible one by any means. Set almost immediately after the events of James Cameron’s Aliens, this down-and-dirty sci-fi thriller has more in common with Ridley Scott’s franchise starter when it comes to its tone and approach. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) attempting to escape a prison colony invaded by xenomorphs is quite the experience.

Stream Alien 3 on Hulu.
Rent/Buy Alien 3 on Amazon.

Flatliners (1990)

Released in 1990, Joel Schumacher’s Flatliners has one of the most unique concepts of any sci-fi movie in the ‘90s: what happens when a group of medical students intentionally kill themselves before being brought back to life to document their near-death experiences? With a cast that features Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, and Kevin Bacon, to name a few, the movie sets out to answer that question and explore the ramifications of playing with death.

Rent/Buy Flatliners on Amazon.

The City Of Lost Children (1995)

Directed by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, The City of Lost Children is one of the most terrifying and unsettling sci-fi movies to come out of the ‘90s. Basically, a mad scientist named Krank (Daniel Emilfork) kidnaps children to steal their dreams after losing the ability to make them on his own. With off-putting cinematography, unnerving performances by its cast, and a general sense of eeriness, there’s a lot to unpack.

Rent/Buy The City of Lost Children on Amazon.

Face/Off (1997)

Featuring one of the craziest Nicolas Cage performances, John Woo’s 1997 sci-fi action flick shows what happens when an FBI agent (played by John Travolta) and terrorist (played by Cage) swap faces. What follows is one of the wildest movies to come out of the decade, which is saying something.

Stream Face/Off on Prime Video.
Rent/Buy Face/Off on Amazon.

The Matrix (1999)

In one fell swoop, the Wachowskis forever changed the action genre and ushered in a new era of sci-fi with their landmark 1999 film, The Matrix. With its unique and engaging story about the last remnants of humanity fighting to free themselves from a computer simulation, along with its inventive action, and loads of philosophical discussions, there are countless reasons The Matrix is so influential 25 years later.

Rent/Buy The Matrix on Amazon.

The Fifth Element (1997)

With its futuristic setting, ridiculous collection of outfits, and characters that are just too good to believe, there’s much to love about The Fifth Element. Luc Besson’s 1997 sci-fi action film follows Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) as he is tasked with saving the world by working with a mysterious woman named Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), and it just gets better from there.

Rent/Buy The Fifth Element on Amazon.

12 Monkeys (1996)

Sent decades into the past, James Cole (Bruce Willis) is put up to the task of preventing a devastating plague from being released. In a race against time, the unsuspecting hero encounters all manner of obstacles and crazed characters in Terry Gilliam’s 1996 sci-fi adventure, 12 Monkeys.

Rent/Buy 12 Monkeys on Amazon.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Considered one of the best action movies of all time, James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day took everything that worked about its predecessor and turned it up a few notches. This story of survival, redemption, and making a better world is just as good in 2024 as it was back in 1991.

Stream Terminator 2: Judgment Day on Netflix.
Stream Terminator 2: Judgment Day on Paramount+.
Rent/Buy Terminator 2: Judgment Day on Amazon.

Jurassic Park (1993)

Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, a movie that defined 1993, is one of those massive blockbusters that combines elements of multiple genres to create an unforgettable experience. Sci-fi, action, adventure, comedy, drama, they’re all there in what is -- and forever will be -- the greatest dinosaur movie ever made.

Rent/Buy Jurassic Park on Amazon.

Ghost In The Shell (1995)

The ‘90s saw a golden era of anime, and one of the best examples is Mamoru Oshii’s adaptation of Ghost in the Shell. Set in a futuristic 2029, the movie follows Motoko Kusanagi (Mimi Woods) as she tracks down a mad scientist who is hacking into the brains of cyborgs before the damage cannot be undone.

Stream Ghost in the Shell on Freevee.
Stream Ghost in the Shell on Tubi.
Rent/Buy Ghost in the Shell on Amazon. 

Galaxy Quest (1999)

Released in 1999, Galaxy Quest finds the perfect balance between homage and parody with its story inspired by shows like Star Trek and the lore and fandom surrounding them. Tired, jaded, and bitter, the stars of a fictional TV show find themselves on a real-life space adventure after an alien civilization mistakes their series for the real thing.

Stream Galaxy Quest on Paramount+.
Rent/Buy Galaxy Quest on Amazon.

The Iron Giant (1999)

Though it wasn’t a box office success, The Iron Giant has since become one of the most cherished and beloved sci-fi and animated movies of the ‘90s. Brad Bird’s touching and powerful adventure film follows a young boy as he strikes up an unlikely bond with a massive alien robot, a machine being hunted by the government.

Rent/Buy The Iron Giant on Amazon.

Contact (1997)

With great performances, stellar and inventive visual effects, and a controversial movie ending we’re still debating, Contact had it all. Robert Zemeckis’ 1997 sci-fi thriller stars Jodie Foster as Dr. Ellie Arroway, a brilliant scientist who comes in contact with a mysterious alien civilization with technology far eclipsing anything on Earth. But like other great sci-fi films, that’s only part of the story.

Rent/Buy Contact on Amazon.

Stargate (1994)

Scientists and soldiers form an uneasy bond after humans discover a mysterious gateway that can transport them to an alien planet that looks very similar to ancient Egypt in Stargate. But after visiting the magical world, the travelers find themselves trapped by its tyrannical leader.

Stream Stargate on Tubi.
Rent/Buy Stargate on Amazon. 

Dark City (1998)

After waking up alone and confused, John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) finds himself on the hook for a series of murders, crimes he has no memory of committing (or not committing). In his attempt to solve the mystery, however, he finds himself falling a little deeper into the madness of it all in Dark City.

Rent/Buy Dark City on Amazon.

Strange Days (1995)

Set in a world in which people become addicted to experiencing recordings of others’ memories and experiences, Strange Days follows Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes), a former cop-turned-dealer. When one of the recordings shows a grisly crime, Nero goes back to his old ways to solve the case. 

Buy Strange Days on DVD on Amazon.  

Starship Troopers (1997)

A movie that perfectly blends sci-fi and satire, Starship Troopers is one of the most misunderstood movies of the ‘90s. On one hand, it’s about humanity getting revenge against a civilization of bugs who killed millions of people, while on the other, it’s an exploration of fascism, imperialism, and every other ism in the book.

Rent/Buy Starship Troopers on Amazon.

Men In Black (1997)

After having a chance encounter with an extraterrestrial criminal, Agent J (Will Smith) finds himself as the new partner for Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) as they try to prevent an interstellar war from destroying the universe. Men in Black checks all the boxes when it comes to sci-fi, action, and movie tie-in music videos.

Stream Men in Black on Peacock.
Rent/Buy Men in Black on Amazon.  

Independence Day (1996)

One of Will Smith’s best movies, Independence Day follows humanity’s effort to come together and defeat a malevolent alien force that is determined to wipe out all life on Earth. A massive box office hit, this 1996 blockbuster also features some of the most terrifying movie moments of the ‘90s.

Stream Independence Day on Hulu.
Rent/Buy Independence Day on Amazon.

Total Recall (1990)

After undergoing an experimental virtual reality procedure to visit Mars, Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) realizes that his life isn’t what he thought it was. Total Recall, a wild adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s novel of the same name, does a lot of things well, including some key Arnold freakouts.

Stream Total Recall on Paramount+.
Rent/Buy Total Recall on Amazon.  

Gattaca (1997)

Upon learning that he wasn’t accepted into a space program because he was deemed “in-valid,” Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) draws up a plan to use the DNA signature of another man (played by Jude Law) to make his dreams come true, in Gattaca.

Stream Gattaca on Max.
Rent/Buy Gattaca on Amazon. 

Fire In The Sky (1993)

Inspired by the alien abduction account told in the book The Walton Experience, Fire in the Sky follows a group of friends who find themselves in the middle of a terrifying situation after one of them is abducted by aliens and the others are accused of killing him. The story only gets stranger from there.

Rent/Buy Fire in the Sky on Amazon.

Mars Attacks! (1996)

With Mars Attacks!, Tim Burton created one of the strangest movies about Las Vegas and one of the goofiest alien movies ever made. There’s just so much going on in this fun throwback to mid-century sci-fi stories, including its bonkers cast.

Rent/Buy Mars Attacks! on Amazon.  

Cube (1998)

Vincenzo Natali gave audiences one of the most unique and terrifying sci-fi experiences of the ‘90s with Cube. This low-budget sci-fi horror film follows a group of random strangers who wake in a series of cube-like rooms with no explanation and no memories of how they got there. Paranoia, claustrophobia, and madness are aplenty in this cult classic.

Stream Cube on Freevee.
Stream Cube on Tubi.
Rent/Buy Cube on Amazon.

The X-Files: Fight The Future (1998)

About halfway into the show’s run, The X-Files got the big-screen treatment with 1998’s Fight the Future. Serving as a narrative bridge between the fifth and sixth seasons,  Rob Bowman’s movie follows Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) as they unwittingly uncover a government conspiracy revolving around, you guessed it, aliens.

Rent/Buy The X-Files: Fight the Future on Amazon.

eXistenZ (1999)

David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ follows a game designer (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh) as she goes on the run from a killer and teams up with a young businessman (Jude Law). But their journey isn’t a simple Point A to Point B affair, as they fall into a place between the rules of reality and virtual reality.

Buy eXistenZ on 4K on Amazon.

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

Considered one of the best Star Trek movies, 1996’s First Contact feels very much at home with The Next Generation TV series and is a must-watch for fans of the franchise. After following a Borg ship through a wormhole, the Enterprise crew finds themselves trapped in the past with no way of getting home, or so they think.

Stream Star Trek: First Contact on Paramount+.
Rent/Buy Star Trek: First Contact on Amazon.

Predator 2 (1990)

Though Arnold Schwarzenegger didn’t return, there’s still a lot to love about Predator 2. Replacing the jungles of the first film with the busy streets of Los Angeles, the movie follows a group of cops and special agents as they try to combat the technologically advanced and deadly predator before it’s too late.

Stream Predator 2 on Hulu.
Rent/Buy Predator 2 on Amazon.

Back To The Future Part III (1990)

Back to the Future Part III, which is primarily set in the Old West, follows Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) as he goes back in time to save Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) one final time. The mixing of old and new creates an exciting and clever way of wrapping up the beloved franchise.

Stream Back to the Future Part III on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Back to the Future Part III on Amazon. 

Demolition Man (1993)

Though it's cheesy and silly, Demolition Man is a gem of a movie. This 1993 sci-fi action flick starring Sylvester Stallone as a renegade 20th-century cop waking up in the future to take on an old enemy is just so much fun.

Rent/Buy Demolition Man on Amazon.

If you’re all caught up with these great flicks, check out our breakdown of all the upcoming sci-fi movies that could very well become classics before long. 

I love anime, and there are some badass female anime characters that I have to give props to. Today, I’m going to dive into seventeen of the best, from movies or television, that are the epitome of badass – whether for good or not.

Mikasa Ackerman (Attack On Titan)

If you know me, you knew Mikasa Ackerman would be high on this list. Out of all the non-Titan characters in Attack on Titan, Mikasa is the human woman that I would not only trust with my life but also fear for it if I pissed her off.

Starting her journey after Eren saved her as a kid, Mikasa has only continued to grow in strength over the multiple arcs of Attack on Titan. I mean, hailing from the Ackerman clan, it's only right that she would end up with immense bouts of strength that are unimaginable by human standards.

Even with that, her attitude about everything is what makes her badass — she does not let anything fly and will do her absolute best to protect her friends and family.

Usagi Tsukino (The Sailor Moon Franchise)

Sailor Moon is a good anime that has really stood the test of time. Of course, I had to mention Usagi Tsukino, the main character of the anime.Usagi is not only a badass with Sailor Moon's powers but also a genuinely good person.

She literally gets her powers after performing a selfless deed, and from there, she teams up with a magical cat to find a magical artifact and saves the world along the way. I don't think you can get more classically badass than that.

Historia Reiss (Attack On Titan)

I know this isn’t necessarily who you instantly think of when the term ‘badass’ comes to mind, but over the last year or so I’ve learned to develop a liking for the Queen of Paradis.

I think it’s just because I’ve really come to understand how much pressure the poor girl was under and how, despite everything, she rose to the occasion and took on literally the most powerful role in the entire nation to protect not only the Scouts and Eren but the people of Paradis as a whole. And somehow, she kills it. She may be small but she is mighty – and I have to give her props.

Revy (Black Lagoon)

Black Lagoon is a classic anime from the 1990s that features modern-day pirate mercenaries. If you were me and grew up watching Revy in this show, you would be a changed woman.

The Chinese-American gunfighter of the 'Black Lagoon' was the epitome of badass and still is to this day. With her combined survival skills, sass, and so much more, her deadly personality will charm anyone who watches this series for the first time. Heck, she still charms me now.

Mitsuri (Demon Slayer)

I didn’t used to like Mitsuri, but that was mainly before I watched Demon Slayer Season 3 and absolutely fell in love with who she is – because let’s be honest, all of us want to be Mitsuri.

Not only is she badass in her form and is able to take on anything, she is quite possibly the sweetest anime character out there when it comes to protecting those she loves. She will literally do anything with a smile on her face and she is so sure of herself that I can’t help but love and respect her. I need to see so much more of when the Infinity Castle films come out.

Yor Forger (Spy X Family)

I've talked ad nauseam about Yor Forger from the wholesome anime Spy x Family. I could still go on about her for hours. But for now, I'll only go on for a little bit, because...space.

Simply put, Yor is what I want to be as a mother. She's kind and caring and really goes out of her way for her child. But she knows how to get business done — and by business, I mean killing bad guys and taking names. Now all I need is Season 3 of this show and I can be happy.

Maki Zensen (Jujutsu Kaisen)

I fell in love with Jujutsu Kaisen not long after its release, and I have to say that Maki — not Gojo — stole my entire heart.

I don't know, man; something about a badass underdog makes me want to cheer for them. While she doesn't have the typical curses a sorcerer would use, her skill with her weapons is admirable, and watching her fight leaves my mouth hanging open every time.

Power (Chainsaw Man)

Chainsaw Man is hands down an intense anime, and probably one of the most intense I’ve seen in years and I can’t wait to see it continue – so I knew when I updated this, I had to put down Power.

While she’s certainly a bit of a wild card, as she’s a literal blood fiend, I can’t help but find her actual abilities amazing. She is able to manipulate blood to literally anything she wants and can wield it as a weapon easily. Pair that with her bratty, sarcastic personality and you have a winner for me.

Nezuko (Demon Slayer)

Demon Slayer Season 3 only cemented my love for Nezuko in this popular anime. The character is the little sister to Tanjiro – arguably one of the best anime protagonists – and usually, she's a little girl in a demon body who has to hide from the sun.

But at night, and when her brother is threatened, she transforms into this badass demon that can literally kick things so far that you'd think they would fly into another country. She can rip things apart quickly, and I am always in shock whenever I see it. I'm genuinely blown away.

Pieck Finger (Attack on Titan)

While there are plenty of other female characters in Attack on Titan, I want to mention Pieck Finger, one of the Marley Warriors, who was an enemy-turned-ally towards the Attack on Titan finale.

Aside from being unjustly pretty (I am so jealous of her flowing hair), Pieck earns my respect for one reason — she does not back down. While her Cart Titan isn't the strongest of all the main Titans, her resilience is what makes her amazing — how she is able to bounce back every time, no matter what. That's the type of badassery I need on my side.

Makima (Chainsaw Man)

So I’ve read the Chainsaw Man manga and I know all about Makima, and whatever you think of her, you need to throw expectations out the window because she is literally never what you assume. She’s the definition of “unpredictable.”

But that does not change the fact that her powers are scarily badass.

In the show, we don’t really know what she is able to do, only that she’s eerie in the best ways and she is able to control others in a way that no one else can – and usually ends in their death. I can’t even fathom getting on her bad side.

Nobara Kugisaki (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Another Jujutsu Kaisen pick that I had to put here is Nobara Kugisaki. At first, you think she's just another part of a trio like most animes tend to have.

But then you see just how badass she is in the second half of Season 1, taking on demons with Yuji Itadori by her side and somehow staying toe-to-toe with Mahito with her curse technique in Season 2 — and no, I will not be discussing what happened to her, please and thank you.

Nami (One Piece)

Nami's transformation in general in One Piece should be studied. She has always been badass with her thieving and other skills, but it's how she applies those later that makes her even more badass.

She grows up a lot over the course of One Piece's many arcs and uses her abilities to help others, which automatically makes her one of the best Straw Hat Pirates, in my opinion.

Momo (Dan Da Dan)

I know, I know, people are going to look at me like I’m crazy because she’s really just a teenager who is somehow surviving an alien abduction and all that, but ya’ll, come on, we would not be as brave or as badass as Momo is in this series.

Dan Da Dan was one of my favorite 2024 anime and I’m still waiting for Season 2 later this year, and personally, I think a big reason is because of Momo. Aside from the relationship building with her and Ken, she legit does not take anyone’s crap and will do whatever it takes to defeat both the paranormal and aliens, as we have seen several times. I mean, she has powers, for goodness sake. I can’t help but admire her.

Shinobu Kocho (Demon Slayer)

I had to put Shinobu from Demon Slayer in here. While she wasn't featured in Season 3 (or even Season 4 for that matter), I love how mysterious, but powerful she is.

From the first moment I saw her in that butterfly outfit with those giant eyes that seemed to hold years' worth of secrets, I was going to be so intrigued by her. And then I saw her really fight, and I knew I was hooked. If anything, she's one of the most powerful Hashiras there, and I would go down fighting with her.

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki (Naruto)

Is this cheating because she’s a literal goddess? I don’t know, I just love her.

Naruto is an anime that is essentially one of the most-known IP’s of all time, and one of the most powerful, badass female characters ever is Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. She is able to travel through space, wipe memories, shoot beams from her eyes – she literally is the definition of OP but we love her for it. And personally, who wouldn’t want a goddess on their side?

Motoko Kusanagi (Ghost In The Shell)

Last but not least, we have to talk about Motoko Kusanagi, a woman reincarnated into different cybernetic bodies from the Ghost in the Shell series. I am not talking about the live-action adaptation; Motoko is an excellent character with a lot of background that makes her badass.

She hunts down the Puppet Master in different ways but has a sense of humor while doing so and can stand her ground amongst many males around her. She's the epitome of badass and deserves all the love.

Truthfully, this makes me want to rewatch all these fantastic anime again, and if you're new to anime, there are plenty of great ones to watch. I think it’s time for a binging marathon.

While all forms of art require imagination, the genre of science-fiction is one in which it is especially crucial. Films in this category envision entire worlds of a bright (or dark) future or one inhabited by lifeforms of a greater intelligence — much like the filmmakers who created some of the following films that earned a Rotten Tomatoes score of more than 90%. The following are some of the all-time greatest sci-fi movies that won over most critics, according to the review aggregator site.

Aliens (1986) - 98%

The debate over which of the first two (and arguably best) Alien movies is the greater installment only gets hairier when you see that they both have a 98% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. Regardless, writer and director James Cameron’s Aliens — featuring Sigourney Weaver’s Oscar-nominated return as Ellen Ripley — is the best to watch for fans of action movies.

Arrival (2016) - 94%

To call Arrival one of the greatest alien invasion movies of all time is major oversimplification, and not just because it has a staggering 94% score on RT. Director Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar-winning adaptation of Ted Chiang’s short story, “Story of Your Life,” is an astonishingly inventive and hopeful meditation on how human beings interact disguised as a story about struggling to understand our extra-terrestrial visitors.

Back To The Future (1985) - 97%

All it takes is a look at Back to the Future’s 97% RT score (out of 89 critic reviews) and 94% audience score (out of more than 250,000 user reviews) to understand why it is considered one of the best time travel movies of all time. However, if you want specifics, director Robert Zemeckis’ iconic ‘80s classic boasts brilliantly charming performances from Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, a remarkably clever plot involving Marty McFly meeting his parents as teens in the 1950s, and Alan Silvestri’s rousing score, to name a few highlights.

Brazil (1985) - 98%

Monty Python member Terry Gilliam went on to become known as one of cinema’s most audacious and unique visionary filmmakers, and Brazil is, perhaps, his most audacious and unique film (which is really saying something). The 98% of critics who praised this bizarre Oscar-winner about a disillusioned bureaucrat whose wild daydreams begin to come true especially admired its cheekily comic twist on more dour, Orwellian themes.

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1997) - 94%

In Steven Spielberg movies, you may find aliens that are kind (E.T.) or volatile (War of the Worlds), but the visitors from Close Encounters of the Third Kind lie somewhere in the middle. As its 94% RT score will show, this fantastic tale — with timeless special effects and one of John Williams’ best Spielberg movie scores —  “is important” and really “means something.”

The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) - 95%

At its best, science-fiction is used as a valuable tool for reflecting on our current society or delivering a much-needed message, and one of the smartest and most influential examples to come out the 1950s’ B-movie era is The Day the Earth Stood Still. Even modern critics that contributed to its 95% score on RT regard this story of an alien (Michael Rennie) and a robot addressing the human race with an urgency for peace as a timeless classic of great importance, perhaps now more than ever.

The Endless (2017) - 92%

At 92% on RT, The Endless remains the highest-rated film yet by the inventive filmmaking duo of Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, who also lead the cast as brothers revisiting the cult they escaped from years ago. Without giving too much away, if you are a fan of time loop movies, you do not want to miss this one.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) - 99%

While most films about aliens involve human beings suffering a tragic fate at the hands of malevolent creatures, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is an entirely different breed (even if the original idea for it was much darker). Steven Spielberg’s story of a lonely boy befriending a lost creature from another planet captured the hearts of critics (99% on RT) and audiences alike, and still inspires people of all ages to this day.

The Fly (1986) - 93%

The key to a great movie remake is to take the original concept and twist it in a way that makes it stand firmly on its own, and David Cronenberg’s reimagining of the 1958 sci-fi classic, The Fly, is a quintessential examples. With a 93% critic score and an 83% audience score on RT, this terrifying romantic tragedy about a scientist (Jeff Goldblum) slowly transforming into a fusion of man and insect will surely leave you afraid, very afraid.

Forbidden Planet (1956) - 96%

Not many people realize this, but Forbidden Planet is actually an epic, high-concept, sci-fi retelling of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Perhaps that is why this story about a crew of space travelers who find a world inhabited by only a doctor and his daughter is still so highly acclaimed to this day, boasting a 96% on RT, currently.

Ghost In The Shell (1995) - 95%

At 95% on RT, Ghost in the Shell is one of the most acclaimed Japanese anime films of all time. The story of a cyborg who begins to ponder her own humanity while tracking a man who hacks the brains of part-human, part-machine hybrids is an astonishing visual treat and may be more relevant today than ever.

Godzilla (1954) - 93%

Truly the king of the monsters, Godzilla is the face of countless classics — only a few of which have exceeded 90% on RT, including the one that started it all. Originally called Gojira, what has earned Ishirô Honda’s seminal blockbuster a 93% on RT is not just its hair-raising, larger-than-life thrills, but its post-war social commentary.

Gravity (2013) - 96%

Alfonso Cuarón won his first Best Director Oscar for this intense Sandra Bullock movie that proves you do not necessarily need nefarious otherworldly creatures to make outer space terrifying. Yet, it was mostly its immersive cinematography and seamless special effects that earned Gravity a 96% on RT out of 362 reviews.

Her (2013) - 94%

It barely seems fair to call Her a science-fiction movie, because humans have become so attached to technology that the idea of falling in love with an AI is not so far-fetched. Perhaps that is why 94% of critics on RT found themselves so moved by the romance between Joaquin Phoenix’s divorced love letter writer and Scarlett Johansson as his digital personal assistant, in writer and director Spike Jonze’s not-too-futuristic, Oscar-winning dramedy.

The Host (2007) - 93%

Not to be confused with 2020’s Host — which is actually one of a few horror movies above 90% on RT — this creature feature would also count as one of the best Korean horror movies in recent memory, let alone of all time. Boasting an impressive 93% on RT, The Host proves that Academy Award-winning Parasite director Bong Joon-ho is, among many other genres, also a master of sci-fi.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978) - 92%

While the first (out of many) cinematic retellings of Jack Finney’s seminal, paranoia-fueled novel remains the highest-rated adaptation so far, this 92% rated version is one of the most celebrated thrillers of the 1970s. Also one of Jeff Goldblum’s best movies, if there is anything that Phillip Kaufman’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers specifically has over the original 1956 classic it's a bolder approach to its bleak concept and hopelessly eerie tone.

The Iron Giant (1999) - 96%

One of the most underrated animated movies of its time — with underwhelming box office returns to prove it — The Iron Giant is, luckily, remembered today as a smart, heartwarming, and thrilling classic, with an impressive 96% RT score and 90% audience rating to show for it. Vin Diesel gives one of his best performances as the voice of the titular, gargantuan extra-terrestrial robot in the film that paved the way for director Brad Bird to become one of Pixar’s greatest icons.

Looper (2012) - 93%

Rian Johnson is a master of subversion — not just in how he crafts stories that keep audiences on their toes, but in the way he turns a certain genre on its head (such as film noir) by fusing it with an entirely different genre (such as sci-fi), like he does with Looper. Most of the 93% of positive critic reviews on RT agree that its already amusing concept — a mafia hitman (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) wrapped in a cat-and-mouse game with his future self (Bruce Willis) — is elevated by its top-notch performances.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - 97%

It is rare when the fourth installment of a decades-old franchise ends up being its most acclaimed chapter among both critics and audiences, but with a 97% critics score and 86% audience rating, that is the case for Mad Max: Fury Road. This dazzling, non-stop trek through a surreal desert landscape sees Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron at their best, and fully realizes George Miller’s maddening post-apocalyptic vision, making it the best of the Mad Max movies, easily.

Metropolis (1927) - 97%

If you have ever been curious about getting into silent films, a good choice to start would be Fritz Lang’s visually stunning, highly influential utopian drama. Even though H.G. Wells himself did not seem to care for it in his New York Times review, Metropolis has a fresh 97% rating out of 138 critic reviews and a 92% audience score that solidifies it as one of sci-fi cinema’s finest, nearly a century later.

Repo Man (1984) - 98%

While Repo Man was certainly not a hit when it was first released — it only made $129,000, according to Box Office Mojo — it is now regarded as one of the most underrated films of 1984. Certified fresh on RT with a 98% score, the bizarre satire stars Emilio Estevez as a punk-turned-repossession agent pursuing a Chevrolet Malibu that he discovers is carrying something truly out-of-this-world.

The Road Warrior (1981) - 95%

While the original Mad Max had some amusing sequences and served as a fitting backstory for the titular anti-hero, the sequel is the film that would come to visually and tonally define the franchise and most post-apocalyptic thrillers to follow. Critics like Roger Ebert recognized that The Road Warrior is relatively thin on plot, but grand in magnetic, high-energy action, resulting in 95% on RT — making it the second highest-rated in the franchise below Fury Road.

Snowpiercer (2013) - 94%

Rarely has the post-apocalyptic genre ever been so brutal, so claustrophobic, so imaginative, and thought-provoking than with Bong Joon-ho’s electrifying adaptation of Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette’s graphic novel. Chris Evans gives one of his best performances as a caboose passenger leading a revolt against the wealthy inhabitants of a self-sustaining bullet train in an uninhabitable Earth in the 94% rated Snowpiercer.

Stalker (1979) - 100%

Andrei Tarkovsky was an artist of extraordinary talent, from the stunning scope of his films’ visual aesthetic to the depth of their highly audacious stories. The movie considered his magnum opus — backed by a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes — is Stalker, which is a transfixing odyssey through maddening darkness in pursuit of one’s greatest desires. 

Star Trek (2009) - 94%

The highest rated installment of the Star Trek movies on Rotten Tomatoes is not the one you might have assumed. J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot, starring Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock, has a stellar 94% rating and is one of just two to fall within the 90% - 100% range.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) - 93%

With the release of an ambitious, wide-scale, interplanetary adventure unlike anything the world had seen before, George Lucas changed the world of cinema as we know it forever. The very first chapter of the Star Wars saga (in order of release, that is), sits at a 93% critics score and a 96% rating among audiences on RT, only further proving its stunning appeal.

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - 94%

Critics and audiences are in pretty close agreement over what is the best Star Wars movie. Certified fresh at 94% with 97% of fans showing their love on RT, The Empire Strikes Back remains one of the quintessential examples of how well a sequel can surpass its predecessor.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) - 93%

Continuing a saga as revolutionary and widely worshipped as the Star Wars franchise is no easy task, but director J.J. Abrams pulled it off in the eyes of critics and most fans. Star Wars: The Force Awakens — which brings back fan favorite characters and introduces new ones — may only have an 85% audience score, but with a 93% critic rating, is tied with A New Hope as the series’ second-highest rated film on RT.

The Terminator (1984) - 100%

Some fans of James Cameron’s time-spanning, technophobic franchise may agree that Terminator 2: Judgment Day is the best of the series, but that is not what the stats say. The terrifying cat-and-mouse game that started it all and made Arnold Schwarzenegger a massive star, The Terminator, earns a rare 100% on RT.

Wall-E (2008) - 95%

There are so many great Pixar movies, that it is hard to choose which one deserves to be called the best, but there is a strong case to be made for the 95% rated Wall-E. One-part dialogue-free one-man show, one-part heartwarming romance, and another part bold, foreboding satire, this story of a cute little robot tasked with cleaning up a desolate earth gives you a lot to think about and even more to feel.

Do you agree with the critics that these are the best sci-fi movies cinema has offered yet?

As of this past May, it has officially been 26 years since Super Mario Bros. the first and most notorious of video game movie adaptations, was released. These kind of cinematic adaptations have improved since then, with some films even achieving the status of ‘watchable’. However, the genre has moved with anything but Sonic-like speed. Now, over a quarter century since that ignominious start, the video game movie genre has yet to produce a truly great film, and the video game movie age long heralded has yet to arrive.

While the reasons video game movies have failed are myriad, it should not be a mystery to anyone why Hollywood keeps trying to make them. Take a look at the release calendar and you’ll find that the modern box office is driven by remakes, sequels and franchises. What they all have in common is recognizable IP. In a Hollywood gun-shy about taking chances on original films and a moviegoing public seemingly uninterested in them, the most valuable commodity and the safest bet is movies based on existing intellectual property.

The video game industry is full of such intellectual property, popular titles and characters in an industry with a net worth of $131 billion and growing. Given the popularity and visibility of various video game titles, it is no wonder that Hollywood keeps trying to make video game adaptations happen, the hope being that they could be the new blockbuster cash cow, succeeding or existing alongside our current comic book movie age.

In spite of that hope, and at least a few valiant attempts, that hasn’t happened. But where video game movies have failed, another genre may succeed. There are some positive recent signs that anime adaptations could provide the fuel to Hollywood’s IP-driven machine to become the next breakout blockbusters.

Now it should first be noted that unlike video games, anime is natively cinematic storytelling, and plenty of anime films have already been financially successful. Films like Spirited Away, Pokemon: The First Movie and Your Name have all found huge success either domestically or abroad. But live-action Hollywood blockbusters are still a largely undiscovered country for the Japanese art form.

That isn’t to say that Hollywood hasn’t tried, but like video game adaptations, a lot has been lost in translation with some of the attempts. There are the old low-budget films like Fist of the North Star and The Guyver (with Mark Hamill!), which are probably unwatchable through modern eyes. Then there are more recent failures, like Netflix’s Death Note and Ghost in the Shell, which on top of whitewashing concerns, committed the cardinal sin of not being any good.

And of course we can’t forget to mention the two adaptations that are to anime adaptations what Super Mario Bros. is to video game movies: Dragonball Evolution and The Last Airbender. I know Avatar: The Last Airbender might not qualify as ‘true anime’ to purists, but to the laymen, it might as well be. These are two of the most loathed films ever made among certain fandoms and a poor representation of their source materials.

The tide may be beginning to turn though. Earlier this year Alita: Battle Angel, based on Yukito Kishiro’s manga, which was also adapted into a two-episode anime, made $404.8 million worldwide. While that almost certainly fell short of profitability for the expensive film, it still bests all but the most successful video game movies and has inspired a highly passionate fanbase, even though critics were lukewarm on it at best. So it wasn’t an outright failure.

Alita’s performance isn’t the only possible sign that the market might be ripe for more blockbuster anime adaptations. Anecdotally, anime seems to be more mainstream than it used to be. Like comic book characters and much of geek culture, anime fandom is no longer uncool and is now just another beloved facet of our pop culture tapestry.

Netflix has invested heavily in anime and it wouldn’t be doing that if there weren’t financial imperative to do so. The premiere of the iconic Neon Genesis Evangelion series on Netflix in June brought with it coverage from across the media landscape (and a little bit of controversy), including publications like The Washington Post and The New Yorker.

While Pokémon falls into both the video game and anime realms (it's more video game), the relative success of Detective Pikachu is also a good sign that audiences will buy in to these weird worlds. Also earlier this year, the animated film Dragon Ball Super: Broly was a surprising success, earning $30.7 million domestic and $114.1 million worldwide. These all add up to a marketplace where there is demand and at least some clear willingness to engage with anime content.

That anime content will be coming courtesy of some impressive talent. Alita was the work of director Robert Rodriguez and producer James Cameron, and attaching big name talent to future anime adaptations seems to be the tack that Hollywood is taking with future efforts, which provide hope that anime adaptations have a bright future ahead of them.

News broke last year that Sunrise and Legendary Entertainment are partnering to bring Gundam to the big screen. Then earlier this year came the news that famed comic book writer Brian K. Vaughan has signed on to pen the screenplay for the live-action adaptation of the mecha anime franchise. When it comes to valuable IP, Hollywood could certainly do worse than Gundam.

Mobile Suit Gundam first premiered 40 years ago and in the decades since it has spawned many anime series, movies, manga, novels and toys (merchandising=$$$). The franchise has generated billions over the decades, and because there is no single Gundam story, Legendary’s film can still bear the name and be an entirely new narrative without risking claims of not being faithful. Big robots fighting may not be as popular domestically as abroad, but Gundam has more cultural cachet than something like Pacific Rim and with Brian K. Vaughan writing, it might actually be good.

Then there is Attack on Titan. The hugely popular and highly acclaimed anime series, based on Hajime Isayama’s best-selling manga, will come to an end after its fourth season next year, but Warner Bros. is hoping it is just the beginning for the property with a live-action adaptation (there was a live-action Japanese adaptation in 2015).

IT director Andy Muschietti has been tapped to direct Attack on Titan for Warner Bros., although his recent hiring to direct DC’s The Flash throws things into question. Warner Bros. is reportedly hoping to have The Flash in prep by January 2020, so assuming Andy Muschietti is still doing Attack on Titan, and there have been no reports to the contrary, he could tackle that after.

Following IT’s wild success and with this September's IT Chapter 2 also looking to be a smash hit, Warner Bros. should have a great relationship with Andy Muschietti, and if he still wants Attack on Titan, he should get it. The series is inherently cinematic, very popular and Muschietti seems like the right guy to bring the friendships and the horror critical to the series to the big screen.

Andy Muschietti has also been attached to a live-action Robotech so clearly the director has interest in anime properties, but with so much on his plate we haven’t heard much about this one in a while.

That’s not all. There is also Your Name. from Paramount and Bad Robot. The Amazing Spider-Man and 500 Days of Summer director Marc Webb is signed on to direct the remake of the wildly successful romantic fantasy drama anime from 2016. Legendary is also producing a live-action feature film based on the My Hero Academia manga/anime, according to THR. Even on the TV side there’s a live-action series for Avatar: The Last Airbender and Cowboy Bebop starring John Cho both coming to Netflix.

Then there’s Akira. Up until this week, Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi was attached to adapt Katuhiro Ôtomo’s seminal 1988 film, but now he is doing Thor 4 and Akira is on hold indefinitely. It’s another blow for a movie that can’t seem to escape development hell, but there is hope that Taika Waititi will return to the project once he’s done with his Marvel flick.

There are no guarantees that any of these anime adaptations will work. As video game adaptations have shown, good intent can only take you so far and lots of anime properties could have some real accessibility issues for wider audiences with stuff that just doesn’t translate.

Not to mention that these IPs won’t be nearly as recognizable to general audiences as something like Halo would be. So there is plenty of reason to be skeptical that anime adaptations will succeed in the unforgiving blockbuster arena. But unlike video game adaptations, these stories have all at least been proven in film or television formats.

I’m sure many will say that they would rather Hollywood not ruin their favorite anime with live-action adaptations, but when has that ever stopped the industry from capitalizing on existing IP? Japan’s anime industry is worth $19 billion, a pittance compared to the video game industry’s $131 billion but far from chump change. These are valuable properties that people care about and studios can’t and won’t ignore that in the IP arms race.

The technology is finally at a point where it can do many of these grand, fantastical stories justice in live-action. And we should be excited that Hollywood seems to be attaching talented people who care about the properties to its upcoming anime projects.

As we’ve seen with video game movies, that is no guarantee of success, but it’s worth a shot and reading the tea leaves it seems like Hollywood and the market is more ready than it’s ever been for a real push of anime adaptations. I'm not saying they will replace or be as successful as the interconnected world of superhero movies, but in a stale blockbuster marketplace, maybe anime could provide something new and different while still having a built-in audience.

Now can we please get a proper Dragon Ball movie?

Check out our premiere guide to see what’s headed to theaters this year and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all your movie news.

The tree jokes are flying across social media after actress Scarlett Johansson's latest comments on casting backlash. Johansson has faced whitewashing accusations for Ghost in the Shell and most recently backed out of a role playing a transgender man, Dante "Tex" Gill, in the movie Rub & Tug.

She initially responded to the Rub & Tug casting controversy by directing critics to the trans roles recently played by Jeffrey Tambor in Transparent, Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club, and Felicity Huffman in Transamerica. However, that defense didn't go over well, so she dropped out of the Rub & Tug movie completely.

Now, in a new interview with As If magazine (via Daily Mail), Scarlett Johansson shared further frustration with the "political correctness" in modern casting.

UPDATE: Scarlett Johansson responded to how the Daily Mail published her As If magazine piece, saying her conversation was edited for clickbait and taken wildly out of context. Here's her statement:

Back to original story:

Scarlett Johansson is now being defended or criticized, depending on your point of view. Some people are joking about giving her tree or animal roles, while others agree with her larger point about the role of actors being to play people who are not themselves.

Many agree with the idea that art should be free of restrictions, but the interpretation seems to be in contention. To some, like Johansson, that means she should be able to play someone who is trans, for example, or traditionally Japanese in manga. Also, her star status helps projects actually get made and gives them a better chance of doing well (unless there's backlash and the movie suffers).

To others, art being free of restrictions means freeing casting away from mostly white, straight, cisgender stars like Scarlett Johansson. It means freeing your mind to give roles to other less represented people around the world, allowing them to get the kind of exposure that creates A-list stars like Scarlett Johansson. It also means supporting greater representation in media by allowing trans actors to play more roles, including (but not limited to) portraying a real-life trans person on the big screen.

Scarlett Johansson is not the only actor to defend the idea of actors being able to play anyone. Bryan Cranston recently talked about that when facing (very mild) backlash for playing a disabled man in The Upside. Here's part of what Cranston said about that:

That's not too different from what Scarlett Johansson has been trying to say. And his note about "a business decision" likely means Bryan Cranston already has star power and can help sell the movie alongside Kevin Hart. You could argue a disabled actor could've gotten a showcase to become a star alongside Kevin Hart, but that's part of the debate Cranston is encouraging.

Ghost in the Shell director Rupert Sanders (no stranger to controversy himself) defended casting Scarlett Johansson when the whitewashing calls first came out:

Andy Serkis also passionately defended Scarlett Johansson against the Rub & Tug casting backlash:

Scarlett Johansson does seem to be singled out as the poster child for casting backlash, despite the other examples she herself initially mentioned for Rub & Tug. She's in a position of great influence as a Marvel Cinematic Universe star, as well as a respected dramatic actress, and the highest-paid actress in the world. So the Black Widow star is held to a higher standard than many others.

Plus, she's had this come up more than once. And instead of doing what, say, Ed Skrein did for Hellboy (boy did he make the right call to skip that movie), she doubles down on her initial positions ... but then, in the case of Rub & Tug, backs off anyway. The market for a Rub & Tug movie would probably need the support of the communities Johansson turned off with her comments, so dropping out was probably the only move there.

There's no single way to look at this, but one thing is clear: Scarlett Johansson has people thinking and talking about the current reality and future evolution of Hollywood casting.

Over the past few years, the subject of inclusion and visibility in the media has been a hot topic issue in the entertainment world. The #OscarsSoWhite movement championed diversity, while #TimesUp encouraged the strength of women in the industry. There has also been a call for more transgender stories, specifically played by trans performers. While Ryan Murphy's FX series Pose is groundbreaking for its cast of trans actresses, Scarlett Johansson was recently cast as a transgender man in the upcoming movie Rub & Tug. After the internet was set ablaze yesterday in response, Johansson's rep actually released a statement on her behalf, which reads:

This statement, which is reportedly from Scarlett Johansson herself, the actress cites the various critically acclaimed performances of transgender characters by cis actors. Given the precedent set in the past, Johansson seems to take umbrage with being singled out in regards to Rub & Tug.

In Scarlett Johansson's rebuttal to Bustle, she specifically mentions the Amazon series Transparent, as well as award winning movies Dallas Buyer's Club and Transamerica. All of these projects have been critical darlings, while also celebrating the performances of Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman respectively. On paper, it would seem like Johansson's upcoming role in Rub & Tug is no different.

The flip side to that argument comes down to timing, and 2018 is decidedly more "woke" about trans issues. Therefore, Scarlet Johansson's critics take issue with the entire situation, rather than the actress herself.

Scarlett Johansson's controversy around Rub & Tug will remind many of the issue surrounding her 2017 sci-fi blockbuster Ghost in the Shell. Based off the anime of the same name, Johansson taking on the role of a typically Japanese protagonist was seen as a case of whitewashing. Ultimately the conversation helped to sink Ghost in the Shell, and it bombed at the box office, while also receiving poor critical response.

Rub & Tug's issue with casting a cis actress to play a trans man will likely be exacerbated due to Scarlett Johansson's previous issue with Ghost in the Shell. While the Marvel hero is the most bankable star in Hollywood, controversies have been known to have a direct affect on movie and TV production. Roseanne and House of Cards have both seen their stars ousted in highly publicized falls from grace. And while Johansson's statement mentions Jeffrey Tambor for his role in Transparent, the actor has been fired from the show after sexual misconduct accusations, in addition to formerly being celebrated for his portrayal of Maura.

Overall, the subject of inclusion and onscreen representation is showing no signs of slowing, so this may be a conversation that the entertainment world will be having for quite some time. Scarlett Johansson was most recently seen in Isle of Dogs and Avengers: Infinity War. Be sure to check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

We're almost finished with 2017, and as was the case in 2016 and every other year that movies have been screened, the cinematic offerings were mixed. There were certainly quite a few successes, from the award contenders to excellent horror fare. But on the other end of the spectrum are the disappointments; the movies that we hoped would be enjoyable, but ultimately didn't meet or exceed our expectations.

While not all of the movies on this list (which are listed in order of release) could be considered critical disasters overall, they nonetheless failed to live up to their box office potential during their time in theaters. Starting off, let's look at a movie that was intended to revitalize a franchise that was at the height of its popularity on TV in the 1990s.

Power Rangers

Like most reboots, Power Rangers had to appeal to longtime fans of the property and newcomers who knew little to nothing about the teenagers with attitude. While the movie is by no means a train wreck, as it does have decent character moments peppered throughout, it failed to be the contemporary Power Rangers movie many were hoping for. From instances of off-putting humor to few action scenes with the characters actually morphed, Power Rangers felt uneven and didn't feel like a worthy successor to Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Given the mixed critical reaction and poor box office performance, it's less likely (but not impossible) we'll get Power Rangers 2 and the introduction of the Tommy Oliver Green Ranger.

Ghost In The Shell

Ghost in the Shell was already facing backlash ahead of its release for casting Scarlett Johansson as The Major, but upon hitting theaters, moviegoers soon learned there were other issues present. Visually, Ghost in the Shell was a treat, capturing much of the same imagery from the original manga and animated film. Regardless, in almost every other area, it failed to deliver, be it because the plot was too convoluted or it simply didn't honor the source material close enough. Few American adaptations of manga and anime stories have been successful, and we can add Ghost in the Shell to the ever-growing list of ones that weren't.

King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword

Following the Sherlock Holmes movies and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., director Guy Ritchie decided to once again put his own spin on an existing property/lore. This time the subject was King Arthur, and after several delays, The Legend of the Sword finally hit theaters in May 2017, to little acclaim and box office fanfare. Although the latest King Arthur flick was packed with action (as one would hope), that didn't make up for the movie's uneven tone, proving that just because something is updated and feels more contemporary doesn't make it better. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword also only made $143 million globally, so it's safe to say that there won't be any follow-ups.

Alien: Covenant

Director Ridley Scott's return to the Alien franchise in 2012 with Prometheus drew polarizing reactions, much of which stemmed from how the prequel was distanced from the original mythology. So for Alien: Covenant, Scott attempted to have the best of both worlds by combining the seeds he'd laid in Prometheus with that classic Alien lore, and the results were less than satisfying. As a sci-fi movie by itself, Alien: Covenant is decent, but as the latest Alien entry, the story fails to be the breath of fresh air that this series needs, mainly due to its underwhelming story. The movie also underperformed at the box office, making only a little over $240 million worldwide. Scott is already working on Alien: Covenant 2, so maybe the third time's the charm?

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

While the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was met with praise, its successors have been met with more mixed to negative reactions, and there was hope that Dead Men Tell No Tales might finally be the installment that revitalized this series. While its commercial performance was satisfactory, like On Stranger Tides six years before, Dead Men Tell No Tales failed to impress critically. Despite being helmed by new directors and having Javier Bardem playing the main antagonist, the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean entry was all flash and little substance, proving once more that sometimes it's best to let certain franchises die off rather than keep them going with mediocre follow-ups.

The Mummy

The Mummy is a great example of how you shouldn't start building a cinematic universe until releasing at least one good movie that can stand on its own first. Not nearly as entertaining as the Brendan Frasier Mummy movies (well, the first two, anyway), the Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella-led Mummy reboot not only did a disservice to the legacy of The Mummy and the Universal Monsters as a whole, it was also just a poor excuse for an action movie. It was more concerned with laying the groundwork for the Dark Universe rather than telling a compelling story. As a result, not only was The Mummy a bomb both critically and commercially, but the Dark Universe may be dead on arrival.

Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets

This year director Luc Besson finally delivered the Valerian cinematic adaptation that he'd been tinkering with ever since working on The Fifth Element. Sparing no expense, Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets was visually staggering and captured the feel of the source material well. However, on the story side of things, the Valerian movie was less satisfying, feeling muddled and overcrowded. Throw in that it only made $225 million worldwide, and it doesn't seem likely that we'll be re-exploring this colorful universe on the big screen again.

The Dark Tower

The Dark Tower series is arguably Stephen King's most popular non-horror property, and for a decade fans waited for the theatrical adaptation to arrive. Sadly, the movie didn't do justice to the original novels. At only 95 minutes long, there wasn't enough time to properly explore the mythology King built on the printed page, and Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey's involvement weren't enough to save this movie from being disjointed and a pale reflection of the books that had come before. The Dark Tower saga may be better suited to be adapted as a television series, so let's hope that project one day gets off the ground to make up for the Dark Tower movie.

Suburbicon

You'd think that a murder mystery movie written by the Coen Brothers, directed by George Clooney and starring Matt Damon would at least make for an interesting fall theatrical experience, right? Well, Suburbicon wasn't that by any stretch of the imagination. This is one of those movies that suffers from lack of identity, and it's hard to pinpoint whether it was trying to be a satirical comedy, provide meaningful social commentary, etc. Rather than being an awards contender, Suburbicon was just a bust on all levels, and it only made $9 million off a $25 million budget.

Justice League

While Justice League wasn't quite as critically polarizing as the likes of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, it also failed to keep the wave of goodwill flowing that Wonder Woman provided earlier in the year. Although the DC team-up movie did have some nice character moments, it was also plagued with numerous other issues, from a messy story to an inferior CGI villain. It's worth noting that some of Justice League's problems stemmed from unforeseen behind-the-scenes predicaments, but regardless, the end result wasn't the Justice League movie fans deserved. The DCEU will still go on, but it remains to be seen if a Justice League sequel will move forward.

This poll is no longer available.

2017 has a solid lineup of movies getting released each week. From Beauty and the Beast, John Wick 2, The Fate of the Furious and Fifty Shades Darker, to a bevy of superhero movies, all the way to the next Star Wars movie, 2017 movies will hopefully give us plenty to see in the theater. To help you see what movies are coming soon, what movies are playing in theaters now, and what's scheduled for later in the year, we've compiled a list of movie titles and release dates into one handy schedule.

Keep in mind that dates and titles are subject to change. We'll do our best to keep this listing as up-to-date as possible throughout the year...

Take a look into the future with us, as we show you what's coming to a theater near you in 2017.

Hidden Figures - Friday, January 6

A Monster Calls - Friday, January 6

Underworld: Blood Wars - Friday, January 6

The Bye Bye Man - Friday, January 13

Monster Trucks - Friday, January 13

Sleepless - Friday, January 13

Split - Friday, January 20

The Founder - Friday, January 20

Live By Night - Friday, January 20

Patriots Day - Friday, January 20

The Resurrection Of Gavin Stone - Friday, January 20

Silence - Friday, January 20

xXx: The Return of Xander Cage - Friday, January 20

A Dog's Purpose - Friday, January 27

Bastards - Friday, January 27

Gold - Friday, January 27

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter - Friday, January 27

Blumhouse Untitled Horror - Friday, February 3

Rings - Friday, February 3

Same Kind of Different as Me - Friday, February 3

The Space Between Us - Friday, February 3

Fifty Shades Darker - Friday, February 10

John Wick: Chapter Two - Friday, February 10

The Lego Batman Movie - Friday, February 10

A Cure For Wellness - Friday, February 17

Fist Fight - Friday, February 17

The Great Wall - Friday, February 17

Patient Zero - Friday, February 17

Get Out - Friday, February 24

Rock Dog - Friday, February 24

Before I Fall - Friday, March 3

Leap! - Friday, March 3

Logan - Friday, March 3

The Shack - Friday, March 3

Kong: Skull Island - Friday, March 10

The Wall - Friday, March 10

Beauty and the Beast - Friday, March 17

The Belko Experiment - Friday, March 17

Free Fire - Friday, March 17

CHiPs - Friday, March 24

Life - Friday, March 24

Keep Watching - Friday, March 24

Power Rangers - Friday, March 24

Wilson - Friday, March 24

The Boss Baby - Friday, March 31

Ghost In The Shell - Friday, March 31

Step Sisters - Friday, March 31

The Zookeeper's Wife - Friday, March 31

The Case for Christ - Friday, April 7

Going In Style - Friday, April 7

Sleight - Friday, April 7

Smurfs: The Lost Village - Friday, April 7

Wonder - Friday, April 7

Gifted - Friday, April 7

Graduation - Friday, April 7

The Fate Of The Furious - Friday, April 14

Spark - Friday, April 14

Born in China - Friday, April 21

Unforgettable - Friday, April 21

Leap! - Friday, April 21

Free Fire - Friday, April 21

The Promise - Friday, April 21

Untitled Blumhouse Horror Project II - Friday, April 28

The Circle - Friday, April 28

How to be a Latin Lover - Friday, April 28

Untitled Paramount Event Horror Film in IMAX - Friday, April 28

Sleight - Friday, April 28

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Friday, May 5

The Dinner - Friday, May 5

Three Generations - Friday, May 5 (Formerly About Ray)

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword - Friday, May 12

Lowriders - Friday, May 12

Snatched - Friday, May 12

Paris Can Wait - Friday, May 12

Alien: Covenant - Friday, May 19

Everything, Everything - Friday, May 19

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul - Friday, May 19

Baywatch - Friday, May 26

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales - Friday, May 26

Captain Underpants - Friday, June 2

Wonder Woman - Friday, June 2

Dean - Friday, June 2

The Mummy - Friday, June 9

It Comes At Night - Friday, June 9

Megan Leavey - Friday, June 9

My Cousin Rachel - Friday, June 9

The Hero - Friday, June 9

Beatriz at Dinner - Friday, June 9

47 Meters Down - Friday, June 16

All Eyez On Me - Friday, June 16

The Book of Henry - Friday, June 16

Cars 3 - Friday, June 16

Rough Night - Friday, June 16

Maudie - Friday, June 16

Once Upon A Time In Venice- Friday, June 16

Transformers: The Last Knight - Wednesday, June 21

The Bad Batch - Friday, June 23

The Beguiled - Friday, June 23

The Big Sick - Friday, June 23

Baby Driver - Wednesday, June 28

Despicable Me 3 - Friday, June 30

The House - Friday, June 30

Spider-Man: Homecoming - Friday, July 7

A Ghost Story - Friday, July 7

War for the Planet of the Apes - Friday, July 14

Wish Upon - Friday, July 14

Dunkirk - Friday, July 21

Girls Trip - Friday, July 21

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets - Friday, July 21

Atomic Blonde - Friday, July 28

Emoji Movie: Express Yourself - Friday, July 28

An Inconvenient Sequel - Friday, July 28

The Dark Tower - Friday, August 4

Detroit - Friday, August 4

Kidnap - Friday, August 4

Wind River - Friday, August 4

Annabelle: Creation - Friday, August 11

The Glass Castle - Friday, August 11

Good Time - Friday, August 11

Ingrid Goes West - Friday, August 11

The Nut Job 2 - Friday, August 11

The Only Living Boy In New York - Friday, August 11

The Trip to Spain - Friday, August 11

The Hitman's Bodyguard - Friday, August 18

Logan Lucky - Friday, August 18

Lemon - Friday, August 18

Patti Cake$ - Friday, August 18

All Saints - Friday, August 25

Birth of the Dragon - Friday, August 25

Crown Heights - Friday, August 25

Leap! - Friday, August 25

Tulip Fever - Friday, August 25

A Boy Called Po - Friday, September 1

Jackals - Friday, September 1

Temple - Friday, September 1

Unlocked - Friday, September 1

9/11 - Friday, September 8

Home Again - Friday, September 8

It - Friday, September 8

Trophy - Friday, September 8

American Assassin - Friday, September 15

mother! - Friday, September 15

Friend Request - Friday, September 22

Battle of the Sexes - Friday, September 22

Kingsman: The Golden Circle - Friday, September 22

Ninjago - Friday, September 22

Stronger - Friday, September 22

Victoria and Abdul - Friday, September 22

Woodshock - Friday, September 22

American Made - Friday, September 29

Don't Sleep - Friday, September 29

Flatliners - Friday, September 29

Lucky - Friday, September 29

Blade Runner 2049 - Friday, October 6

The Florida Project - Friday, October 6

The Mountain Between Us - Friday, October 6

My Little Pony - Friday, October 6

Breathe - Friday, October 13

Goodbye Christopher Robin - Friday, October 13

The Foreigner - Friday, October 13

Happy Death Day - Friday, October 13

Marshall - Friday, October 13

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women - Friday, October 13

Swing Away - Friday, October 13

Geostorm - Friday, October 20

Only The Brave - Friday, October 20

Same Kind of Different as Me - Friday, October 20

The Snowman - Friday, October 20

Tyler Perry's Boo 2 - Friday, October 20

Wonderstruck - Friday, October 20

All I See Is You - Friday, October 27

Jigsaw - Friday, October 27

Suburbicon - Friday, October 27

Thank You For Your Service - Friday, October 27

The Killing of the Sacred Deer - Friday, October 27

The Square - Friday, October 27

A Bad Moms Christmas - Wednesday, November 1

LBJ - Friday, November 3

Roman J. Israel - Friday, November 3

Thor: Ragnarok - Friday, November 3

Daddy's Home 2 - Friday, November 10

Lady Bird - Friday, November 10

Murder on the Orient Express - Friday, November 10

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Friday, November 10

Justice League - Friday, November 17

The Star - Friday, November 17

Wonder - Friday, November 17

Coco - Wednesday, November 22

Darkest Hour - Wednesday, November 22

Call Me By Your Name - Friday, November 24

The Current War - Friday, November 24

The Disaster Artist - Friday, December 1

Wonder Wheel - Friday, December 1

I, Tonya - Friday, December 8

Just Getting Started - Friday, December 8

The Shape of Water - Friday, December 8

Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi - Friday, December 15

Ferdinand - Friday, December 15

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle - Wednesday, December 20

The Greatest Showman - Wednesday, December 20

All the Money in the World - Friday, December 22

Downsizing - Friday, December 22

Father Figures - Friday, December 22

Hostiles - Friday, December 22

Pitch Perfect 3 - Friday, December 22

The Post - Friday, December 22

Phantom Thread - Monday, December 25

Molly's Game - Monday, December 25

The live-action version of Ghost in the Shell was a movie that struggled to find an audience on the big screen. Now, a new video counts every single reason why. CinemaSins is at it once again telling everything wrong with Scarlett Johansson starring in a movie based on a Japanese anime. Check it out.

Most of the initial criticism of the new Ghost in the Shell was centered around the casting of Scarlett Johansson in a story that originally took place in Japan, and while CinemaSins does deal with those issues a bit, it's much more focused on other ideas, like the fact that the movie seems to fill itself with random future technology for no other reason than to show off digital effects, as most of it is unnecessary to the film. The number of hologram advertisements certainly does feel a little excessive. That sort of thing was cool in Blade Runner but now every movie that does it just looks like it's trying to copy Blade Runner. Surely there's another way that somebody can imagine how commercials will be made in the future.

It's also pointed out that the movie uses a lot of the iconic imagery of the Japanese anime that inspired it, including pulling some scenes directly from the original. However, since the plotline of the live-action version bears almost no resemblance to the original, these scenes feel forced and out of place. It's understandable why the filmmakers would want to include them, as fans of Ghost in the Shell are clearly expected to be a major part of the audience, but unfortunately, the new film simply doesn't do enough with these moments to make them work in the story.

The video does take Ghost in the Shell to task for the way that it tried to explain away the casting of white actors as Japanese characters. The film clearly tries to create a reason that it thinks justifies the decision. Of course, ultimately, the problem is that the film really just creates an excuse, not a reason for the change.

Ghost in the Shell walks away with 126 sins and a sentence of existential crisis. In the end, the real problem with Ghost in the Shell is that it just wasn't a very good movie. It's not nearly as smart as it wants to be and the story doesn't engage the audience, leading to a film that simply moves in between action sequences with dull plot exposition.It's basically not even worth worrying about the white washing issue. If Ghost in the Shell had actually cast an Asian actress, they just would have cast an Asian actress in a bad movie, and that doesn't really help anybody.

While there are many filmmakers who love to let audiences see all the scenes that didn't quite make it into a feature film, there are also some who aren't big fans of it. It turns out that it's the latter camp in which Ghost In The Shell director Rupert Sanders can be categorized, and during a recent interview I learned why you shouldn't expect any deleted scenes on the movie's soon-to-be-released Blu-ray. Said the director,

The point of view that Rupert Sanders takes on this issue is certainly an arguable one. While deleted scenes can allow audiences to get a sense of the movie that could have been, there is a degree to which any film is created from a director's specific choices. That vision is presumably featured in the final print/theatrical cut, and anything that didn't make it in wound up on the cutting room floor for a reason. Given how some deleted scenes can wind up being very memorable, change perceptions of a finished movie, or not come across in proper context, there's good reason not to reveal them.

Continuing, Rupert Sanders emphasized that while the Ghost In The Shell Blu-ray won't feature any extra sequences, everyone should be sure to check out the behind the scenes material that the project. The documentaries cover the extensive work not only done by the people of Weta Workshop and Weta Digital down in New Zealand, but scores of people in multiple departments who worked hard to make the live-action film a reality. Said Sanders,

The filmmaker made it very clear that he is very proud of the work done by the hundreds of people who worked on Ghost In The Shell, but even went a step further by acknowledging his love of the kind of featurettes you can find on home video releases. In fact, he acknowledged two notable behind-the-scenes looks that have served as inspiration for him as a filmmaker:

Fans will be able to feast their eyes on these special features, as Ghost In The Shell will be available in 4K, 3D, standard Blu-ray and DVD on July 25th - and for those who just want to catch the movie, you can catch it on DigitalHD now!

It's like the major movie companies know that you'll be spending more of your time outside, because this July is going to be a rather slow month, especially in the movie releases department. Still, there are a few big gems in here, notably The Fate of the Furious and Kong: Skull Island Blu-ray and Digital releases, and some other flicks that should be fun for fans. Namely, though, July is proving to be a bigger month for TV, as the various networks are starting to put out titles a bit earlier than the fall dates we are used to. Some of these sets are going to be bittersweet, as they mark the ending of several series, but they should be a good watch, nonetheless. Take a look below.

If you still happen to be looking for the slew of titles that came out in June, you can take a look at last month's big release list here.

Tuesday, July 4 Blu-ray and DVD Releases

The Zookeeper's Wife

Superstore: Season Two

Week of July 4 Early Digital Releases

The Boss Baby

Murder, She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery

Free Fire

Ghost in the Shell (July 7)

Gifted

Tuesday, July 11 Blu-ray and DVD Releases

The Fate Of The Furious

Smurfs: The Lost Village

Underground

The Tunnel: Sabotage (Season 2)

The Lost City Of Z

The Missing: Season 2

The Magicians: Season Two

A Quiet Passion

Week of July 11 Early Digital Releases

Billions (July 10)

Going In Style

Gifted

Murder, She Baked: A Peach Cobbler Mystery

She Makes Comics

Tuesday, July 18 Blu-ray and DVD Releases

Kong: Skull Island

The Expanse: Season 2

Teen Wolf: Season 6, Part 1

The 100: Season 4

Resident Evil: Vendetta

Free Fire

Adventure Time: The Complete Seventh Season

Week of July 18 Early Digital Releases

The Circle

Unforgettable

Murder, She Baked: A Deadly Recipe

Sleight

Tuesday, July 25 Blu-ray and DVD Releases

The Boss Baby

Ghost In The Shell

Unforgettable

Duck Dynasty: The Final Season

Pretty Little Liars: The Complete Seventh And Final Season

Girls: The Final Season

Emerald City: Season One

Gifted

Week of July 25 Early Digital Releases

Snatched

Ghost in the Shell did not have a great opening weekend. Things are not expected to improve from here. As such, it looks like Ghost in the Shell may be the first big box office bomb of 2017. It's going to lose a lot of money. Based on the current trends Ghost is expected to lose at least $60 million when it's all said and done.

Ghost in the Shell was unable to break $20 million at the domestic box office when it opened this past weekend and the film has only made a bit over $60 million globally as of now. Based on current tracking, including expected box office in countries where the film has yet to open, the high-end expectation is that Ghost in the Shell will finish up with about a $200 million take. Based on a $110 million production budget, with additional marketing and other costs added on top of that, that would mean the film will end up $60 million in the red. If Ghost doesn't even make it to $200 million, as Deadline reports some are predicting, the damage will be even greater.

Ghost in the Shell was a controversial film from day one as the casting of Scarlett Johansson was met with criticism by many who felt it constituted the whitewashing of a character who was originally portrayed as Japanese. It's impossible to tell just how much of an impact that had on the film's lackluster box office. Overall the film simply did not review well either, which also clearly did not help the situation.

The film is about to open in China, which has, on more than one occasion, brought financial success to movies that did not perform well in North America. However, science fiction doesn't necessarily do well in China, unless it includes Arnold Schwarzenegger, and even if the film opens well this weekend, with The Fate of the Furious set to open there next week, Ghost in the Shell is expected to wither on the vine after that.

For a lot of movies, $200 million globally would be a perfectly respectable number, however, the $110 million production cost is high for what is ultimately a niche project. While Ghost in the Shell is one of the most popular anime films of all time, the film was going to need to draw in moviegoers not familiar with the source material if it was going to be successful. Clearly, that did not happen.

There's still hope that Ghost in the Shell could outdo expectations and still come out ahead, or at the very least lose less money. We'll be keeping our eyes on this box office numbers to see how Ghost in the Shell ultimately turns out.

The subject of inclusion, diversity, and visibility on TV and film has been one of the entertainment world's biggest hot button issues. After being put in the spotlight during the #OscarsSoWhite controversy from two Oscars ago, cases of whitewashing often go viral, and backlash begins. And in the case of Scarlett Johansson's anime adaption Ghost in the Shell, it may have all but sunken the blockbuster. Because in addition to the mixed reviews the film received, it failed to recoup its investment by accruing 60.1 million on a $110 million budget. And now Paramount has responded to Ghost in the Shell's failure.

Kyle Davies, domestic distribution chief for Paramount, recently spoke to CBC about the follies of Ghost in the Shell. Regarding the film's poor box office performance, he said:

Look like it's all ScarJo's fault.

All kidding aside, the announcement of Scarlett Johansson's casting as The Major put Ghost in the Shell in hot water before it even began. Comic book purists were unhappy with changing the character's race, and advocates for Asian inclusion in Hollywood saw this as yet another case of whitewashing. With so few meaty leading roles available for Asian actors, many believe that changes like this shouldn't be made any longer.

Marvel's Doctor Strange faced similar backlash with the casting of Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One. In the comics, The Ancient One is an Tibetan man, so fans were gobsmacked to see the role was changed to a Celtic woman. And while folks seemed to find the same issues with this casting, Doctor Strange wasn't DOA the way that Ghost in the Shell seemed to be. This could be due to the MCU's millions of fans who were willing to shell out cash to see the latest installment. But Doctor Strange also fared better with critics, although Paramount's Kyle Davies seems to imply that Ghost's reviews were poor due to the controversy, rather than the film itself.

It should be interesting to see if Ghost in the Shell's failure affects other projects moving forward. If the controversy surrounding Scarlett Johansson's casting essentially sunk the film, it may give future films pause before they change a character's race in order to facilitate a white actor. While both Johansson and Tilda Swinton are impressive actresses, perhaps these types of casting decisions are a thing of the past.

Ghost In The Shell entered into cinemas with a whimper over the weekend, as a mixture of poor reviews and negative energy over the casting of Scarlett Johansson combined to leave audiences disinterested. After grossing just $18.7 million at the U.S. box office so far, there's little to no chance of the film kick starting a franchise as originally planned.

So where did Ghost In The Shell, which admittedly was overflowing with slick, stunning visuals and boasted a fine leading performance from Scarlett Johansson, go wrong? Well, here are four mistakes that Ghost In The Shell made that stopped the film from being entertaining, let alone a success.

The Movie's Tediously Plotted

Ghost In The Shell seems to wear the term "all style, no substance" as a badge of honor. Director Rupert Sanders and cinematographer Jess Hall deserve credit for creating an alluring and captivating film to behold, which makes it doubly disappointing that what they do with it is so utterly tedious. We're not given enough depth and details surrounding the growth and prevalence of cybernetics, while the plots of Scarlett Johansson searching for both the supposed villain Hideo Kuze (Michael Pitt) and her true identity are presented in such a cold and ho-hum fashion that you never once feel invested. In fact, because it's so dull, you end up letting the plot pass you by completely and instead focus on (and wallow in) the gorgeous visuals. But after a while even that gets boring, and by the time you return your attention to Ghost In The Shell's actual plot, you've long become bored and instead are counting down the minutes until it's finally over.

It Doesn't Probe Any Existential Themes

It's not even that Ghost In The Shell doesn't possess strong ideas and themes. The Major (Scarlett Johansson) finds herself constantly questioning whether she's more human or cyborg, as the pull of Motoko Kusanagi's brain inside her skull means that she's looking to find a true connection and forge her own identity. Yet, these existential themes are never probed in a compelling or intriguing fashion, while not enough of an attempt is made for the audience to resonate or invest in The Major's struggles and her plight. Scarlett Johansson tries her upmost to create such a link, and in fact puts in one of her most disciplined and touching performances to date as a result, but Jamie Moss, William Wheeler and Ehren Kruger's script doesn't ask the right questions, and Rupert Sanders' direction is too emotionless, robotic, and distant for you to ever actually care.

There's No Personality In The Characters

It also doesn't help that none of the characters in Ghost In The Shell are even remotely interesting. In fact, I'd even go as far as to say this is the least I've ever cared about a movie ensemble. Sure, Scarlett Johansson puts in a towering performance as The Major, but we're only given a good enough reason to truly care about her right at the end of the movie, and for the most part she's just moodily plodding through the film. Pilou Asbaek's Batou isn't humorous enough, the rest of Section 9 are indistinguishable, Peter Ferdinando's villain is lackluster, Juliette Binoche's Dr. Ouelet is a cliché and has an arc that we've seen dozens of times before, while the most interesting character, Michael Pitt's Kuze, is kept in the shadows for most of the running time.

There Aren't Enough Action Or Set Pieces

Ultimately, though, Ghost In The Shell just doesn't have enough action or set-pieces, especially when you consider that it has Scarlett Johansson leading the way and cost $110 million to make. The final scene in particular is almost thrust upon us, and you only realize as it's coming to an end that this is how Ghost In The Shell is going to close out. Rupert Sanders actually handles the action scenes quite well, as they're shot in clear, fluid, and energetic fashion. But none of them up the ante of Ghost In The Shell, and they're all just fine rather than astounding. Which, when you consider that the time in between these scenes is truly dull, means that Ghost In The Shell is never able to develop a rhythm and leaves it to just digress into a lifeless mess of a film.

April got off to a sleepy start, kicking off with three new releases that failed to impress.

Number one this weekend went to animated The Boss Baby. With $49 million it barely edged out the Beauty and the Beast remake which banked $47 million on its third weekend out.

Anime-to-live-action remake Ghost in the Shell landed with a thud, earning just $19 million for a third place debut. Combined with the $40 million it has taken in elsewhere in the world, the PG-13 adaptation is in a tough spot against its $110 million production budget and undisclosed, but certainly large, internationally marketing costs.

The Zookeeper's Wife opened at tenth place with just $3 million, but given that it started in just 540 locations, it banked $6,200 per location, higher than the $5,500 per theater total for Ghost in the Shell.

The end of the first quarter brought a new record for the box office. Domestic movies banked nearly $3 billion in the first three months of the year, topping last year's $2.88 billion. First quarter totals have been climbing since 2013, helped by the influx of big budget movies into March release dates as animated and comic book movie sequels have begun sucking all the cash out of the summer season.

For the full weekend top ten, check out the chart below:

The American remake of Ghost In The Shell has been a long time coming. Originally touted in 2008, it was eventually decided that director Rupert Sanders and Scarlett Johansson would be the ones responsible for making the American version of the beloved and ground-breaking manga.

As well as the pressure of doing the source material justice, one of the duo's many other tasks was bringing the futuristic version of Tokyo to life in a vibrant and alluring fashion. The use of 3D was always going to be integral in achieving this goal, while its deployment in action sequences would also allow viewers to feel more involved and invested.

We're going to take a look at how well Ghost In The Shell actually used 3D by giving it the To 3D Or Not To 3D treatment. If you want a proper review you can find that here. But if you want to know if Ghost In The Shell is worth spending a few extra pennies on so that you can watch it in 3D, then have a gander below.

Ghost In The Shell is certainly ripe enough to be a 3D film. First of all, the fact that it's a sci-fi film gives it plenty of scope to play with, especially since it is packed to the brim with robots, each of which have appendages that surprisingly open up and embark on violence. Plus, the film is set in a futuristic Tokyo, where giant holograms hover over the city and advertise to people below. It is also an action film, too, meaning that as these scenes unfold, director Rupert Sanders and his 3D team could have bullets and debris fly towards us, or utilize the depth of field to show us what's going on further away.

The problem is Ghost In The Shell just doesn't use its 3D enough. It actually gets off to a really good start with it, though, as the 3D in the shelling sequence is smoothly and grippingly incorporated, as it is for the first action sequence, too. In fact, during this period of the film, you're more worried that it's actually going to be overused. But those worries don't last long, and are in fact instantly reversed as the 3D dwindles so much that it becomes non-existent. Yes, it is constantly present with the aforementioned holograms, but only barely and not to an eye-catching extent. In fact, by the end of Ghost In The Shell, the use of 3D has become so absent that the two occasions it was superbly deployed are a distant memory.

Again, during the shelling and first action scene there are a number of items that come out of the screen that draw your attention. They're not necessarily used in an engaging or correct manner, as there's at least one occasion where it's so brazenly presented that you're taken out of the cinematic moment, but it's certainly noticeable. However, Ghost In The Shell gets such a low score in this category because right at the end of the film it includes the most gratuitous and pointless use of before the window 3D that I have ever seen. I can't get into too much detail because doing so would force me to reveal a spoiler, but it includes water, and is genuinely laughable.

Ghost In The Shell deserves a little more credit for its use of beyond the window, as it is wisely used to add to the expanse and bustle of Tokyo. It's just a pity that there's not enough going on in the background to really warrant it. There's also a nice underwater sequence that features The Major swimming amongst the fishes that utilizes it impressively. But it is all a little rudimentary and as Ghost In The Shell continues on, and the action sequences dry up, it becomes less prominent or apparent.

It feels harsh to score Ghost In The Shell so low on its brightness because Rupert Sanders and cinematographer Jess Hall clearly use a dank color palette to bring a grittiness to its urban setting, a la films like Blade Runner. But there were opportunities to make the color and brightness of its holograms truly pop. There's also seemingly a constant shadow hanging over the film that repeatedly diffuses any potential color or brightness from emerging, too. That was clearly Rupert Sanders' intention, so you can't criticize the film for being so visually cold. But it also means that you probably shouldn't pay the extra dosh to see Ghost In The Shell in 3D.

At this point it should be clear that Ghost In The Shell's flirtation with 3D was more fleeting than serious. So much so that on several occasions when I took off my glasses while watching the film there was hardly any blur. Usually, the more blur there is, the better the depth of the 3D, which proves that there were many occasions when Ghost In The Shell use of the technology was minimum.

It's hard to feel sick when the 3D technology is hardly being used at all. To be fair to Ghost In The Shell during the moments when the 3D is more prevalent it is incorporated seamlessly, and the shelling sequence especially is proof of what can be achieved with the technology and what it can add to movie-going experience. Bar straining your eyes for actually trying to spot the 3D on show, you feel completely fine and dandy throughout the experience, which is why it deserves full marks.

There's just not enough 3D on show for me to recommend you paying more money to see Ghost In The Shell in the format. Those of you that do will be able to point to the aforementioned shelling and fight scenes as evidence that it was just about worth it. But as it becomes less prominent and basically diminishes entirely, you'll be left feeling as though those involved missed an opportunity to make the futuristic world of Ghost In The Shell rich, resplendent and memorable.Click her to visit our full To 3D Or Not To 3D Archive.

Scarlett Johansson's more than a little curious about the overall importance of our bodies. The lithe and limber actress who endures physical tortures as Marvel's Black Widow, or at the center of Luc Besson's Lucy, likes to explore -- in non-tentpole efforts -- the use of our outer shells, and the perceptions that our bodies and our images have on the reality of our existences. It's true. A conversation that Johansson helped to start in the mesmerizing sci-fi thinker Under the Skin continues in her recent Ghost in the Shell, a live-action adaptation of a popular Japanese manga with a main character investigating how her ghost (soul) ended up in a particular shell (body).

Johansson's fascination with this spiritual conundrum has to be the main reason why you'd cast her -- a prototypical Western, Hollywood, A-list movie star -- in a futuristic movie that, in the past, has given a platform to Japanese characters. Masamune Shirow's 1989 epic Ghost in the Shell has been translated on the page and in animated, on-screen form before, but never once prior did the "shell" of Major look like an American woman. Purists may be bothered by this change. (Heck, "may" is an understatement... the outrage over the perceived white-washing has dominated the conversation on Rupert Sanders' Ghost in the Shell interpretation.

In context, however, the casting of Scarlett Johansson as Major for this updated Ghost in the Shell didn't bother me in the slightest. As the elaborate and visually spectacular opening sequence explains, the story is set in a future where cybernetic enhancements to human bodies are commonplace. Major (Johansson) starts off as a brain rescued from a person who nearly died in a boating accident. The brain is preserved in a synthetic body -- a "ghost" placed inside of a "shell." Once complete, Major is trained to be a police officer, investigating the seedy Section 9.

So really, the "shell" in a telling of Ghost in the Shell can (and almost should) look different every time this story is told. Part of the mystery of this neo-future crime noir is learning the identity of Major's original brain, but once we know who it belonged to, does it change the race of the synthetic casing holding the brain... the casing that happens to look like Scarlett Johansson? For some, it does. For me, if didn't. Major could look like a man, a woman, a featureless drone or a candy cane. The question of the "ghost" -- or the essence that comes with the brain -- wouldn't change. That, I thought, was the moral of the story.

Essentially, though, the debate over casting is the least of the issues plaguing Rupert Sanders' Ghost in the Shell, as the overall package is technically proficient but in desperate need of some personality. Major is, by design, a cool and detached character, a brain operating its body the way that gears would operate a wristwatch. She shows the same level of emotion whether she's mowing down a squad of heavily-armed adversaries or confronting the woman who might have been her mother in a past life. Either Sanders asks Johansson to play every beat on the same note, or she chose to do that on her own, but it doesn't help to raise the pulse of this alleged thriller at any point during its run.

The rest of the cast, however, could have picked up Johansson's slack. Two male characters interact with Major over the course of her central investigation, and neither leave an impression. Pilou Asbaek plays Batou, Major's partner on the police force who adopts Gary Busey's bleach-blonde looks but doesn't attempt the loose-canon swagger that Busey always brings. Michael Pitt, meanwhile, plays Kuze, the villain whom Major is tracking, and he could have chewed a little more scenery (or any, really) to inject Ghost with some needed flavor. Alas, it doesn't happen.

For these reasons, Ghost in the Shell is an unnecessary adaptation of an already-appreciated story that largely glides along on the surfaces of this beautiful nightmare without ever relishing in the grit and oddities that make the source material unique. It lacks even one memorable set piece, an action sequence that would allow me to say, "Yes, see it just in order to witness THAT on the big screen." Numerous times during Ghost in the Shell, I thought of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, and the impressive way that Sir Ridley Scott photographed a futuristic world that oozed and dripped with tangible atmosphere. You actually believed that Scott built his worlds, then took a camera crew to them in order to film his action. Every frame of Sanders' effort looks like it was created in a computer, with shiny, unblemished tech that never feels organic or real. And that's a real shame.

When it was announced that Ghost in the Shell was being made into a live-action film, fans celebrated. When it was announced that Scarlett Johansson was going to play the lead, the response was significantly less enthusiastic. The fact that a white person had been cast in a film that was originally Japanese led to a significant backlash. Now the actress at the center of the controversy has spoken out. Johansson says that she would never try to play her character as somebody of a different race and that her character will work in the film because the Major is a character without any identity at all. In her words...

It seems clear from Scarlett Johansson's comments to Good Morning America that the fact that her character at least looks like a white person, while the rest of the film is still set in futuristic Japan, will be explained in some way in the movie. She says she viewed the character as completely without identity, she's a brain inside a machine, not a person of a particular race.

Of course, from the trailers that we've seen it appears clear that the question of identity, and just who the Major really is, looks to be a central question that the new film will deal with. The character looks to be caught between two sides, one who claims that turning her into a mechanical person saved her life, and another that claims that those same people stole her life from her. It's entirely possible that the racial question will somehow fit into this part of the plot, it will be interesting to see how it is handled.

Ultimately, the question seems to be, was this version of Ghost in the Shell created in such a way that casting Scarlett Johansson, or somebody like her, was a necessary part of the story, or did they simply contrive something in the script that justified her casting? It's a nuanced difference and one that won't necessarily even be clear from our side of the movie screen.

All questions will be answered when Ghost in the Shell debuts this Friday. While it's unlikely that all issues regarding casting will be solved by the final film, we're certainly curious to watch and see what this new version of Ghost in the Shell has to say.

While March was a major month for movies - from Logan to Beauty and the Beast - it's all coming to an end with a relatively quiet week . We've got a manga coming to life with the action thriller Ghost in the Shell, and a new cinematic treat for the little ones with the release of the animated Boss Baby. It's gonna be a Rotten Week!

Just remember, I'm not reviewing these movies, but rather predicting where they'll end up on the Tomatometer. Let's take a look at This Rotten Week has to offer.

I'm sure the idea of Scarlett Johansson in a "nude suit" packing heat and shooting cyborgs has more than a few fanboys absolutely on life tilt. Just the imagery alone likely draws folks out of the shadows to see the live action version of the popular manga comic, Ghost in the Shell. But take one look at the trailer for this film and you can see some serious flaws in production. It's a telling sign when of a troubled film when you can't understand the general plot line from the marketing. It might mean there simply is no plot, but rather a mash up of years of the comic storylines and arcs. Frankly, I had no idea what was going on here except a bunch of shooting, Johansson looking a bit weird, more shooting, some robotics, shooting, and a some CGI bits . That is a bunch of red flags.

Director Rupert Sanders has one other big budget meh showing with Snow White and the Huntsman (49%), and I suspect this one gets a similar critical response. While fans of the original might like the live action version (think Resident Evil), I can't see any scenario where this appeals to a broader audience (Scarlett or no Scarlett). It just looks too hacky and niche to work.

Is there anything scarier than a baby in a suit? Something's just so disconcerting about a little kid who could (potentially) be in full control of the world around them. Makes me feel very uncomfortable. But so goes the story of the Boss Baby, who's set to uncover an evil world plot about the inequality of love being dispersed throughout the world while also earning the ire of his new older brother. Does the plot sound like a mess? I'm glad to hear that, because it did to me too, and the critical consensus is already heading towards the dumpster.

DreamWorks has betting hitting some solid Rotten Tomatoes numbers in recent years with Trolls (74%) and Kung Fu Panda 3 (87%) as their most recent critical wins. Over the long term they've been solid with most movies hitting around 70% or higher. But this one's going to miss bad. Most critics agree that it has some laughs, but the premise makes little to no sense, and the story is completely lacking. I can't imagine it gains much traction as the week goes on and this could end up as the studio's worst reviewed film.

Overall, it was a solid week for the Rotten Watch. Two out of the three predictions fell within my 10 percent range of success, with one miss that I don't even feel that bad about. First off, CHiPs (Predicted: 30% Actual: 20%) just sucked and critics said it loud. It was pretty easy to see this one coming. When a comedy trailer doesn't give you much in the way of laughs then you can pretty much see the writing on the wall. I'm a big Dax Shepard fan, but this one missed the mark. When you go the comedy remake route with an old 80's show it's important to hit all of the comedic notes. It didn't happen here.

Meanwhile, Life (Predicted: 76% Actual: 67%) fell just within range of my prediction. It dropped some over the course of the week, with more and more critics realizing/coming to grips with a movie that is basically a remake of an 1970s classic. Now, that shouldn't doom a movie right from the start. Plenty of these kind of homages play well with critics, and this one was fine. But critics didn't go crazy about the story of astronauts who are terrorized by an alien on their ship.

And finally, I missed on Power Rangers (Predicted: 25% Actual: 46%), and I had actually assumed my guess would be way too high. I saw a scenario that had this film way into the single digits. But it came close the middle with some critics recognizing it for being better than the source material and fun enough to appeal to a large audience.

Next time around we've got The Case for Christ, Going in Style and Smurfs: The Lost Village. It's gonna be a Rotten Week!

Movie and anime fans must be more than familiar with the Ghost in the Shell live action movie by now. Adapted from the popular Japanese film and anime series, the American version has understandably been accused of whitewashing several roles -- most notably that of the main character played by Scarlett Johansson. There's very little at this point that Ghost in the Shell can do to sway those opponents, but the movie is trying to win back some favor. In a move for hardcore fans, the Japanese dub of the movie will feature three voice actors from the original series reprising their roles.

As reported by Kotaku (via Japanese site Natalie), the Japanese dub of Ghost in the Shell will feature the voice talents of Akio Otsuka, Koichi Yamadera, and Atsuko Tanaka, who all provided the voices of main characters from the original anime. Only Japanese audiences will be able to experience this specific dub, while fans living in other parts of the globe will have to exercise some heavy duty bootlegging if they want to see it.

Atsuko Tanaka is returning to voice The Major, a character she portrayed in the 1995 anime feature and the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series. Back then the character was named Motoko Kusanagi, but has been simplified to The Major for obvious reasons. Likewise, Otsuka will return as the voice of Batou (played by Pilou Asbæk) and Yamadera will voice Chin Han's Togusa. Both voice actors have played the roles on numerous occasions.

In many ways, this is a smart and nice way to pay tribute to Japanese audiences -- where voice acting is treated a little more glamorously than it is in the states -- but it does not overshadow the main controversy in my mind. Again, it's a sweet touch, but there might be too much bad blood some people going into this movie to forget about the fantastic voice over casting.

Ghost in the Shell is directed by Rupert Sanders and follows The Major, a cyborg who is in charge of an elite group tasked with combating cyber-terrorism. When The Major learns that the company that built her may not have been truthful about her origins, she suddenly becomes hunted and must find the answers she seeks.

To get an idea of what this dub will sound like, here's the trailer for the original Japanese 1995 film; just picture ScarJo's face whenever The Major talks.

Ghost in the Shell is scheduled to hit theaters on March 31, 2017.

Summer doesn't actually begin until we're most of the way through June, but the summer movie season used to always begin during the Memorial Day Weekend at the end of May. In recent years, however, studios have simply had too many big tentpole projects to fit between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and the "summer movie season" has slowly begun to creep earlier and earlier in the year.

Well, we've got some news for you folks. The summer movie season is pretty much already here. We get our first big comic book movie of the year on coming up with Logan, and from there on out it's pretty much blockbuster after blockbuster until the end of July. Even if we count the first weekend of May as the normal time for summer movies, there are still several big films between now and then.

March 3 - Logan

As previously mentioned, the highly anticipated Logan is our start to the big budget movie fest on Friday, March 3. The movie is looking to be massive. The fact that it will be Hugh Jackman's farewell to the role that made him a star would be big enough. However, based on early reviews, the movie isn't just big, it's also really good. There's even been discussion that the movie could be Oscar worthy. Lots of people will be talking about this one, though it's not clear for how long, since the next big movie comes out just a week later.

March 10 - Kong: Skull Island

And when we say "big movie," we emphasize the "big." Kong: Skull Island brings back the giant ape who has been a major Hollywood player for decades. With a cast that includes the likes of Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston, we can't wait to see what this fresh take on King Kong will bring. It's also the next chapter in an eventual plan for King Kong vs. Godzilla. So it has that going for it too. Every time King Kong comes to the screen is an event, and this is no exception.

March 17 - Beauty and the Beast

Of every major tentpole feature being released this year, it's possible that none are more anticipated than Beauty and the Beast. It's pre-selling tickets on par with your average superhero movie, which means this one is already destined to have a massive opening weekend. Everything we've seen implies that fans of the animated version are going to love the live-action production, and any newcomers may fall in love with Beauty and the Beast the way so many of us did back in the 1990s.

March 24 - Power Rangers

And speaking of things that were hot in the 90s, a week after Beauty and the Beast makes its bow, the Power Rangers will follow. While the new film looks to be taking itself a bit more seriously than the original TV series, fans will surely flock to this one just to see what they're doing with the beloved property. The success of this one is far from guaranteed, but the hope is certainly that it will hit as big as any other movie in March.

March 31 - Ghost In the Shell

Finally, wrapping up what somehow became 90s nostalgia month is the live-action adaptation of Japanese manga and anime franchise Ghost in the Shell. While Power Rangers is clearly trying to go in a new direction from the original series, the film version of Ghost in the Shell looks to be trying to capture everything people loved about the anime movie. The only downside is that if the movie turns out to be good, people will probably only become more upset with the decision to cast Scarlett Johansson in the movie.

April 14 - The Fate of the Furious

While March is stacked with sure-fire box office winners, at least for one weekend, April isn't nearly as clear. Most weekends have movies that might become big successes, but the only one we can be absolutely sure about is the latest Fast & Furious movie. The last one in the franchise became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. This fact may be the reason that so many big movies are hitting in March instead of April; they're all afraid The Fate of the Furious will run them down at the box office.

Warning: possible spoilers ahead for Ghost in the Shell. Don't read any further if you want to stay in the dark leading up to the film's release!

We have seen plenty of movies inspired by American comic books, but few that take direct inspiration from Japanese manga. That's where Ghost in the Shell comes in. Rupert Sanders' live-action depiction of the classic Japanese property is slated to hit theaters later this month, and the Scarlett Johansson fronted film already looks like a badass action-adventure that will satisfy die-hard fans and newcomers alike.

While the anticipation for Ghost in the Shell has become agonizing, a lucky segment of the moviegoing populace was recently invited to check out 15 minutes of IMAX footage from the upcoming sci-fi epic. We were in attendance for one of these screenings, and we were blown away by what we saw. You're probably dying to know what we saw, so let's dive in and discuss the iconic "shelling" sequence.

The Shelling Sequence

The initial sequence shown to IMAX audiences is one of the most iconic images and concepts from the entire Ghost in the Shell universe: the "shelling" sequence. The scene involves The Major having her brain removed from her dying body and placed into a robotic "shell" that effectively turns her into a weapon. It is a beautifully constructed sequence (complete with a seriously impressive synthwave soundtrack), and it mainly shows the birth of our hero. We see her brain (encased in a metal frame) implanted into a skeleton, and then layer by layer a functioning body is built around her. Eventually, The Major wakes up in shock over what has happened, and we watch her slowly but steadily come to terms with who (what) she now is.

One of the first things that we noticed going into the shelling sequence is the fact that it is not a direct adaptation of the sequence from the original Ghost in the Shell anime. The cast and crew have taken certain visual cues, but the sequence in which The Major receives her robotic body is not a shot for shot recreation from the source material. It's close to what we generally expect it to look like, but it also definitely stands on its own.

That is something that becomes echoed numerous times throughout the Ghost in the Shell footage shown to IMAX audiences. The film seems like a thematic adaptation of what fans have come to know and love about this material, and specific shots are indeed included in the overall product, but the film is trying to carve out a niche for itself and work within the live-action format. Movies like Captain America: Civil War have proven that this school of thought works, so we think it might be the right course of action for Ghost in the Shell as well.

Of course, the shelling sequence wasn't the only footage that IMAX audiences got to see from Ghost in the Shell. Check out the next page for an in-depth discussion of one of the film's badass action scenes!

Hostage Rescue

The second sequence shown to audiences in the IMAX prescreening takes place one year after the shelling sequence. It opens on a single take shot (which is absolutely gorgeous, by the way) that sweeps through the city and finds The Major standing on a rooftop conducting surveillance on a meeting taking place in the building below.

Eventually, the meeting is attacked by a group of unidentified assailants, and The Major leaps into action -- literally. Dropping her cloak, she jumps off of the building (a shot ripped straight from the anime) and switches over to stealth mode. Taking out several attackers from outside the window of the meeting, she then leaps through the glass and proceeds to take down all of the bad guys with speed and precision. She lingers for a second over the last robot she kills (apparently seeing a parallel between herself and the machines she has gunned down) and storms out when her reinforcements enter the room to help her.

A few things pop out during this sequence that set Ghost in the Shell apart from the competition -- the first of which is the skill of the cinematography. These scenes are beautifully shot, and the action is crisp and clear. There is an abundance of slow-motion camerawork, which may prove somewhat divisive among members of the audience, but I found it very effective in conveying the speed and skill of our main character. There's minimal shaky cam work here, and the action sequences (at least in what footage the IMAX audiences were shown) keep the shots wide with few cuts.

Beyond the camerawork in the film, Ghost in the Shell's blend of CGI and practical effects is very notable and commendable. There are a number of digital effects used in this hostage rescue sequence, but they are embedded quite seamlessly into a sea of practical sets and characters. The whole thing feels very tangible and doesn't fall into traps that slipped up the Star Wars prequels.

All in all, this hostage rescue sequence is an incredibly tense action scene that actually sells Ghost in the Shell as a live-action anime. While many adapted sequences (particularly in the comic book genre) often fail to capture the overall aesthetic and style of their source material, this film seems to have genuinely endeavored to make itself look like a live-action Japanese cartoon. It is an enthralling prospect, and it made me (someone who is not very into manga or anime) interested in getting more involved in this particular style art and storytelling.

Ghost in the Shell will hit theaters on March 31. For now, make sure to check out a badass trailer for the upcoming sci-fi action film on the next page!

Ghost in the Shell is a very popular Japanese anime and manga, but if you've never experienced them, you probably have little idea what's actually going on in the ads. A new trailer will fill in at least some of these details. Of course, even if you are familiar with the original material, you may want to check out the trailer, as it may not exactly like the stories you remember.

While previous trailers and ad spots for Ghost in the Shell have been very interesting to look at, they haven't done much for us in the story department. This new full trailer, coming on the heels of the Super Bowl ad, goes a long way to explaining a lot of what is going on in the world of the film. Ghost in the Shell will see the cyborg character played by Scarlett Johansson, The Major, investigating an enemy who has the ability to hack the human mind. At the same time, this same villain, or somebody else, seems to be trying to help The Major understand who she was before she became a mostly machine agent of the government. It seems that the truth of that matter may not be what she believes it to be.

While the first half of that story, showing a technology based enemy, falls in line with what fans of Ghost in the Shell would be expecting to see, the other part of the trailer, which had been hinted at previously, seems to include the idea that the creation of The Major was not done as a way to save her, as she believed, but instead was potentially done against her will. While the backstory of the character has never been delved into deeply in the previous versions of the story, there has never been much indication that the government organization that she worked for, called Section 9, had any intentions beyond upholding the law. It's possible of course, that the trailer is using editing to intentionally mislead the audience in order keep the surprise.

To be fair, between the original comic, the 1990s animated movie, and the animated series that followed that, no two versions of the story have been entirely identical, so even if the live-action Ghost in the Shell makes a significant departure, that doesn't mean that it won't tell a good story in its own right.

Ghost in the Shell came under fire when Scarlett Johansson was cast in the lead role due to the fact that the Japanese story would not have a Japanese actress in the lead. It will be interesting to see if there may have been a more intentional reason for that change due to other ways that the story is being modified for the live-action version.

What do you think of the way the new Ghost in the Shell is shaping up? Is this looking good or is it looking like a mess? Let us know in the comments.

Last night's Super Bowl was a mixed bag, depending on if you were rooting for the underdog Atlanta Falcons, or cheering their defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots. However, it was a pretty good night for movie fans, as many films came bearing big game gifts for all of us to enjoy. We must admit, it can sometimes be hard to find those spots readily available for viewing the morning after, and all of the clicking and searching can be quite repetitive.

As duty bound public servants to the entertainment community, we here at CinemaBlend would like to help make your lives easier. It's Monday, you don't want to annoy yourself first thing in the morning looking for the Ghost In The Shell Super Bowl spot. So just as you'll see the list of big game spots from various advertisers all over the internet, we're proud to present this handy guide to all of the movie flavored Super Bowl spots that aired last night.

But on top of that, we wanted to make things a little more interesting. So this year's TV spots have been ranked according to just how impressive they were. Feel free to compare your rankings to ours as you read through the list of 2017's Super Bowl movie trailers!

9. Transformers: The Last Knight

Honestly, you can say a lot of things about the Transformers movies. But one of those things you can't say about Michael Bay's franchise is that it's visually boring. This trailer for Transformers: The Last Knight not only proves our point, but it shows one of the most devastating moments in the series: Bumblebee v. Optimus. That said, it was a pretty quick look at what we've got to look forward to, and judging by that look, the jury's still out on how to feel about this one.

8. Ghost In The Shell

If the trailer to Ghost In The Shell didn't already promise some trippy visuals, this brand new Super Bowl spot only built on that foundation of thrills. The final shot of Scarlett Johansson's face partially deconstructed, with a quick glimpse of Michael Pitt's villain thrown in there, says it all. However, there wasn't a lot of new material to look at, much like Paramount's other offering of the night.

7. Life

Honestly, Life is still a bit flat in some opinions, as the film looks like a cross between Gravity and The Thing. That being said, this spot did have one moment that took our breath away, and that was Jake Gyllenhaal's tortured guise being subjected to either extreme G-force, or the creature born of this film's first act. Either way, it hit home, and it gave us our first look at a more fully grown creature, so we're interested.

6. A Cure For Wellness

One of the more surprising choices for a Super Bowl ad came from Fox's home court, as A Cure For Wellness saw some ad time during the big game. While the spot certainly doesn't sour us on the film, it didn't do a lot to jazz the potentially new audience members to go see it. That said, the imagery on this film is still haunting, and we're nevertheless excited to see where this cure takes us.

5. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

FINALLY! Johnny Depp appeared in a spot for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales! Normally, with a blockbuster this huge and this anticipated, you'd have seen something more by now. But with a new army of baddies under Javier Bardem's Captain Salazar, as well as a look at Orlando Bloom's Will Turner starting to look just like his father, we're actually pleased to see that this is not only still happening, but it looks kind of good.

4. Logan

Sometimes, the simplest way is the best way to go. There was some new footage added to this Logan spot, but the film was still kind of guilty of the sin of "not much new going on here." That said, it's the way everything is presented, with the haunting cover of "Amazing Grace," and the violent imagery countering that pastoral hymn, that makes this spot a winner. Wolverine looks like he's finally getting his due with this flick, and it's about damned time.

3. Baywatch

Oh man... Baywatch jumped a whole bunch of rungs on our "must see" list for this summer, and it's all because of how, if you'll excuse the pun, balls out it's going. As if the quips weren't funny enough to lure an audience, Zac Efron's gag with the star spangled Speedo gives his admirers something to look at, while giving the rest of us a good chuckle. Not to mention, between his one line reaction and the entirety of The Fate of The Furious spot, Dwayne Johnson is the MVP of Super Bowl LI's ads.

2. The Fate of The Furious

Speak of the devil, The Fate of The Furious pulled the same trick its theatrical trailer did: started nice and slow with some familiar sights and sounds, but then gradually ramped up to the insane finish. That finish included some improvisational water skiing... on ice... with Tyrese on a car door and Dwayne Johnson tugging him with an ice tank. What could possible beat that?

1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

If you answered, "What could possible beat The Fate of The Furious?", with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, then you're not only correct, but you must be a regular reader. With some new looks at old friends, new looks at new friends, and a sweet remix of Fleetwood Mac's The Chain, we've just about seen all we need to lock us in for the second volume of this series. Though a little Kurt Russell action in the next month or so wouldn't hurt.

For many, Sunday's Super Bowl is really just a delivery mechanism for commercials. For movie fans, this means commercials for some of the biggest movies of the year. But you don't need to wait until Sunday to see them all. The Super Bowl spot for Ghost in the Shell is available now and it certainly looks like something that might grab attention this weekend. Check it out.

If putting Scarlett Johansson on TV screens around the world looking nearly naked isn't going to make people pay attention, nothing will. From that moment, which is also incredibly iconic to those that are familiar with the original Ghost in the Shell anime, we get Johansson kicking ass and taking names. Much of the audience might not necessarily know the name of this movie, but we're guessing many will want to know more after seeing this.

It's only a brief spot, Super Bowl airtime is expensive after all, so the ad spot doesn't have the time to show us a lot. However, we do see that iconic moment of our lead character falling off the top of a building, while she is essentially naked. In the TV safe version of the same scene, the character is clearly a cyborg, as her skin is broken up into clear plates. From there we're given a lot of the film's impressive imagery. While we can't know yet just how good the movie will be, the filmmakers have clearly done their part to try to bring the anime and manga to life in a live-action film.

Ghost in the Shell has been one of the more controversial topics in Hollywood over the last several months following the announcement that Scarlett Johansson would be playing the lead in the live-action version of the Japanese anime. Since this version of the story still takes place in Japan, it would have seemed fitting to cast somebody who was actually Japanese or at the very least, Asian.

While the look of the new Ghost in the Shell is probably still all wrong to a lot of fans when it comes to the lead actress, there's no denying that everything else that we've seen is looking right for those who want to see Ghost in the Shell brought to life on screen. We'll be keeping our eyes on this one to see what final result is when the film hits screens March 31.

For movie fans, there are few things that have become more endlessly enjoyable than trailers. As short films designed to get us excited about the release of an upcoming project, they have become works of art in their own right over the years. Of course, the best trailers are the ones that can convert people who may not be excited about a movie, and that is precisely what the first preview for Ghost in the Shell did back in November. Audiences have been wondering when they will get their next good look at the upcoming anime adaptation, and it now seems that the second full trailer for Ghost in the Shell will debut later this week when Xander Cage and the xXx franchise finally return to theaters.

A new report from Trailer Track seemingly confirms that the next major trailer for Ghost in the Shell is going to serve as the lead-in for screenings of xXx: The Return of Xander Cage. As the upcoming xXx sequel is slated to debut in theaters on Friday, this means that we can likely expect to see the Ghost in the Shell trailer premiere within that time frame. This definitely makes plenty of sense and ties into how most studios already operate. For example, by now you have probably noticed that Marvel movies tend to be preceded by trailers for other Marvel movies. That is definitely by design. xXx 3 and Ghost in the Shell are two of Paramount's biggest releases within the next few months, and as such they are clearly going to use the former to promote and hype the release of the latter.

Ghost in the Shell has become a movie that actually needs to show more footage in order to win over audiences. As an adaptation of a classic Japanese anime, the source material is already a somewhat hard sell for mainstream American audiences. Beyond that, the film has been marred by controversy ever since Scarlett Johansson signed on to the project as Motoko Kusanagi. The first trailer for the upcoming sci-fi action thriller did quite a bit of work in order to win over some of the naysayers, and the release of more footage will likely help convince die-hard fans of the source material that the project is currently in good hands under the guidance of director Rupert Sanders.

Make sure to stay tuned for more of the latest and greatest details related to Ghost in the Shell. The highly anticipated anime adaptation will debut in theaters later this year on March 31.

In the meantime, watch the first official trailer for Ghost in the Shell again on the next page for an even closer look at the upcoming live-action adaptation of the classic anime!

2017 is set to be another big year for movies, and as such, that means there's going to be a lot of 3D films coming your way as well. Now seeing as we here at Cinema Blend love to put together our "To 3D Or Not To 3D" guide that tell you what to expect with an individual film's presentation of third dimensional thrills, we thought it'd be even more awesome to provide you with a handy guide to what we know, and in some cases what we've heard but cannot yet confirm, will be in 3D throughout this calendar year.

Without further delay, let's see who wants your 3D ticket money in 2017!

Underworld: Blood Wars - Friday, January 6

Monster Trucks - Friday, January 13

xXx: The Return of Xander Cage - Friday, January 20

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter - Friday, January 27

The Lego Batman Movie - Friday, February 10

The Great Wall - Friday, February 17

Kong: Skull Island - Friday, March 10

Beauty and the Beast - Friday, March 17

The Boss Baby - Friday, March 31

Ghost In The Shell - Friday, March 31

Smurfs: The Lost Village - Friday, April 7

Spark - Friday, April 14

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Friday, May 5

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword - Friday, May 12

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales - Friday, May 26

Captain Underpants - Friday, June 2

Wonder Woman - Friday, June 2

Cars 3 - Friday, June 16

Transformers: The Last Knight - Friday, June 23

Despicable Me 3 - Friday, June 30

Spider-Man: Homecoming - Friday, July 7

War for the Planet of the Apes - Friday, July 14

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets - Friday, July 21

The Emoji Movie - Friday, July 28

Blazing Samurai - Friday, August 4

The Dark Tower - Friday, August 4

The Nut Job 2 - Friday, August 18

The Lego Ninjago Movie - Friday, September 22

Blade Runner 2049 - Friday, October 6

My Little Pony - Friday, October 6

Geostorm - Friday, October 20

Thor: Ragnarok - Friday, November 3

Justice League - Friday, November 10

Coco - Wednesday, November 22

Star Wars: Episode VIII - Friday, December 15

Ferdinand - Friday, December 15

Jumanji - Wednesday, December 20

While it's great to see original stories being told in Hollywood, the fact of the matter is that the movie industry is heavily reliant on existing intellectual property. Just look at all the sequels that are being released in 2017, from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to Star Wars: Episode VIII. Following in a close second are the remakes/reboots, i.e. movies that are re-adapting previously released movies or TV shows. Sometimes these are well-received, other times they make us wonder why a studio bothered revisiting this property at all.

Make no mistake, 2017 will be remake/reboot heavy, so we've gathered all of the movies falling under this category that are being released over the next 12 months. Full disclosure, there wont be any entries mentioning direct sequels to previous reboots, which is which is why you won't see something like War for the Planet of the Apes.

Kong: Skull Island

Release Date: March 10th

12 years after Peter Jackson directed the more traditional remake of the original King Kong movie, Warner Bros is taking the giant ape in a different direction with Kong: Skull Island. Set in the 1970s as the Vietnam War still rages, the reboot will see the action taking place on Kong's home turf, as the gigantic gorilla will be dealing with a team of unwanted explorers, as well as some of the other monstrosities that reside on Skull Island, including "skull crushers." Kong: Skull Island also exists in the same universe as the new Godzilla movies, and in 2020, Kong will return to face off against the giant reptile, so don't worry about the ape meeting his demise in this movie.

Beauty And The Beast

Release Date: March 17th

Disney's live action remakes/spinoffs of their classic animated movies have mostly been well received, and Beauty and the Beast looks like it could be the most successful of the bunch yet. Starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as the eponymous protagonists, this re-telling of the 1991 animated movie looks like it will have the right blend of faithfulness to its predecessor and new elements to make it stand out for a new generation. Sure the enchanted characters' appearances take some getting used to, but overall, Beauty and the Beast will surely be one of Disney's biggest hits this year.

Power Rangers

Release Date: March 24th

The Power Rangers have been coasting along on TV almost regularly for over two decades, but the upcoming movie will reboot the original teenagers with attitude from 1993. The basic structure is still the same as it was in Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, with Jason, Trini, Billy, Kimberly and Zack being given their morphenomenal abilities by Zordon to defend Earth from Rita Repulsa. That said, there's quite a bit that physically different in Power Rangers, from the Rangers' suits to Rita Repulsa's costume to even the design of the Putties. This reboot will be a more serious take on the colorful superheroes, more akin to The Hunger Games, and if successful, Lionsgate will surely pull the trigger on an entire series. Green Ranger, anyone?

CHiPS

Release Date: March 24th

The original CHiPs TV series than ran from 1977 to 1983 revolved around two motorcycle police officers in California, mixing light comedy with drama. However, the upcoming movie adaptation will delve fully into the comedic genre, similar to what 21 Jump Street did. Starring Dax Shepard as Officer Jon Baker and Michael Peña as Officer Frank "Ponch" Poncherello, the movie will see the two patrolmen going up against a "sadistic ex-cop," played by Vincent D'Onofrio, and his gang who are causing chaos throughout Los Angeles. Oddly enough, even though the CHiPs movie is being released in March, a trailer hasn't been released yet, so Warner Bros should put something out soon if they want to pique interest.

Ghost In The Shell

Release Date: March 31st

Although this is the first live action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell, it isn't the first movie with that title to be released. Back in 1995, an animated movie based on the manga was released in Japanese theaters and later in the U.S. on home media. Still, the new Ghost in the Shell will be drawing primarily from the original print source material. Starring Scarlett Johansson as The Major, the general plot will remain the same, as The Major and her strike force battling cyber criminals and hackers. Ghost in the Shell has been dealing with whitewashing controversy over the last year, but as a late March release, it should draw a decently-sized crowd to the theater.

Smurfs: The Lost Village

Release Date: April 7th

It's only been three years since the last Smurfs movie came out, but rather than release another live-action/animated hybrid, Sony opted to wipe the slate clean and return those little blue buggers to more traditional surroundings. Smurfs: The Lost Village will be an entirely animated adventure that follows the core group of Smurfs traveling into the Forbidden Forest after Smurfette crosses paths with a creature who leaves her a mysterious map to the Lost Village. Gargamel and his cat Azrael will of course serve as the main antagonists yet again, but considering how poorly received the earlier movies were, reverting to a classic formula is a Smurfing good idea.

Baywatch

Release Date: May 26th

Like CHiPS, Baywatch is going the 21 Jump Street route by being 100% a comedy rather than take itself seriously, which was barely possible with the original TV series. Starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Zac Efron, Alexandra Daddario, Kelly Rohrbach and Priyanka Chopra, among others, this movie will provide just Baywatch fans want: ridiculously good-looking people getting into lifeguard shenanigans on a California beach. Really, what more could you ask for? David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson will also cameo in the new Baywatch tale, but whether this movie will appeal more to longtime fans or moviegoers with no Baywatch ties remains to be seen.

The Mummy

Release Date: June 9th

Rather than revert to the swashbuckling tone of the Brendan Frasier-led Mummy movies, the new Mummy reboot will harken back to the classic movie by incorporating more horror elements into the action narrative. This version will follow Tom Cruise's Nick Morton, Annabelle Wallis' Jenny Halsey and others battling Princess Ahmanet, played by Sofia Boutella, an ancient princess who has been slumbering for over 1000 years and will unleash the malevolence she's built up over all this time on the contemporary world. The Mummy will also be the first entry in Universal's Monster Cinematic Universe, using Russell Crowe's Dr. Henry Jekyll as one of the prime connective threads.

It

Release Date: September 8th

For over 25 years, the It TV miniseries has been the only adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel out there, which starred Tim Curry as the demonic Pennywise. Now Bill Skarsgard is taking the role of the creepy clown for the first theatrical It movie. Aside from moving the action from the 1950s to the 1980s, the story will be the same as before: a group of kids will be terrorized by a shapeshifting creature who exploits its victims fears and phobias to appropriately disguise itself. If all goes well, an It sequel will be released that reunites with the protagonists when they're adults and cross paths with Pennywise again in their home town

Murder On The Orient Express

Release Date: November 22nd

Murder On The Orient Express, Agatha Christie's beloved mystery novel, was first adapted as a movie in 1974, one that's still considered a classic to this day. Since then, there have been other live action re-tellings on TV, but the Kenneth Branagh-helmed remake marks the tale's return to the big screen. This Murder On The Orient Express will star Branagh as detective Hercule Poirot, and its main cast includes Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Josh Gad, Daisy Ridley, Leslie Odom Jr, Michael Peña and Penelope Cruz, among others. While unconfirmed, it sounds like this remake will remain set in the past again rather than the present day, so it will be interesting to see how Branagh differentiates his version from the beloved Albert Finney-led version.

Jumanji

Release Date: December 22nd

Although it's been said that the new Jumanji movie will be a "continuation" of the 1995 movie, it's also been described as more of a "spiritual sequel" than a direct follow-up, so it barely makes the cut on this list. While the original Jumanji saw the eponymous game primarily wreaking havoc in the regular world, the new Jumanji will take its cue from Robin Williams' Alan Parrish and see the main characters being sucked into the game's world. Rather than appear as themselves, the four teenaged protagonists will be represented by avatars, played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Jack Black.

The Six Billion Dollar Man

Release Date: December 22nd

'Member Bionic Man? Sorry, I couldn't resist. Inflation has been killer since The Six Million Dollar Man TV series aired in the 1970s, so for the upcoming movie, it will take six billion dollars to rebuild Mark Wahlberg's version of Steve Austin. While no official plot details have been revealed yet, presumably the same basic structure will be retained. After being caught in accident, Steve Austin will be grafted with bionic implants that enhance his physical abilities. Newly powered, he'll become a secret agent. It's a fitting TV property to be reimagined on the big screen in the age of superhero popularity.

Let's be real: the winter season has never exactly been cinematic heaven. The early months of the year don't get the sheer volume of blockbusters that tend to come out of the summer time; and while the fall is the place for studios to place their prestige pictures, January through March has a long history as a dumping ground. That being said, the cinematic release calendar has evolved greatly in recent years, and as a result there are actually some pretty big and fascinating projects that are set to hit theaters in just a few short weeks.

Which films are these? Lucky for you, below and across the next few pages we've highlighted some of the biggest titles that are set to come out between now and the end of March -- noting not only what it's about, but our expectations as well. With that, let's dive in, shall we?

Split -- January 20

After a string of disappointing features, M. Night Shyamalan came back in a big way in 2015 with The Visit -- the filmmaker finding great opportunity for big scares while utilizing a smaller budget. He's back and ready to do the same thing again with Split, a film that centers on a group of young girls who find themselves held captive by a strange man with dissociative identity disorder. Having premiered at multiple festivals in late 2016, this one already has a good amount of buzz going for it, and it could wind up being a surprise hit.

Bastards -- January 27

Cinematographer Lawrence Sher is probably best known for being the guy who has made Todd Phillips' last few movies so incredibly beautiful, but with Bastards he is stepping into the director's chair for the first time and hopefully is prepared to make us laugh. He certainly has a great cast to work with, as the new film centers on a pair of fraternal twin brothers (Owen Wilson and Ed Helms) who go on a journey to find out who their real father is. The January release date isn't a terrific sign, but we've been surprised in the first month of the year before.

A Dog's Purpose -- January 27

Everybody loves dogs, and it's why every few years or so we get a new movie centering on man's best friend. A couple years ago it was Max, but in 2017 the title de jour is Lasse Hallstrom's A Dog's Purpose. Told from the perspective of a dog who has lived multiple different lives (voiced by Josh Gad), the movie explores both his relationship with his owners, as well as the meaning of his own existence. We fully expect this one to make audiences shed a few tears.

The Space Between Us -- February 3

As the year rolls on, we will certainly see a wide array of big sci-fi blockbusters hit theaters, but Peter Chelsom's The Space Between Us looks to tell a very different story within the genre. It has a great premise, following the first child ever born on Mars as he makes his way to Earth for the first time, and if it capitalizes on its potential it could very well be a fun early-in-the-year treat.

Fifty Shades Darker -- February 10

The sequels are starting up early in 2017, with the first on the schedule being Fifty Shades Darker, director James Foley's sequel to the 2015 Fifty Shades of Grey. The earlier movie had a bit of a mixed release to say the least - panned by critics, and making far more money internationally than domestically, but there will still be many curious eyes watching to see if the new film winds up being an improvement over its predecessor -- furthering the relationship of Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan).

John Wick: Chapter Two -- February 10

John Wick was a movie that seemingly came out of nowhere when it was released back in 2014, but its pure awesomeness and world-building has us foaming at the mouth for Chad Stahelski's John Wick: Chapter 2. Keanu Reeves is back as the titular killer, but instead of a revenge mission, this time around he's traveling to Rome to help an old friend take down an international assassins guild. It'll be curious to see how our own expectations affect this one, but it's easily one of our most anticipated action flicks of the year.

The LEGO Batman Movie -- February 10

Last year wasn't exactly a prime one for Batman, as both of his big screen appearances - in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad -- got slashed to ribbons by critics. However, the Dark Knight is ready to rebound in a big way in 2017 with Chris McKay's The LEGO Batman Movie. Audiences already fell in love with Will Arnett's incarnation of the classic superhero character in 2013's The LEGO Movie, and everything that we've seen from this follow-up looks absolutely superb, from its humor to its reverence of comic book mythos.

A Cure For Wellness -- February 17

We were originally supposed to get this one back in 2016, but we're now just eagerly anticipating it in 2017 instead. Gore Verbinski's A Cure For Wellness is the director's first return to the horror genre since The Ring all the way back in 2002 -- and while the filmmaker's penchant for variety doesn't make this hugely surprising, it does make us all the more excited for his next feature. The story of a young executive (Dane DeHaan) who has to find his boss inside a mysterious health spa has plenty of horrific potential, and the trailers have given us hopes for a few good screams.

Fist Fight -- February 17

We here at Cinema Blend are never going to complain about getting more Charlie Day - and director Richie Keen's Fist Fight marks a major point in the actor's career, as it's his first lead role. The gifted It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is paired opposite Ice Cube in the film about two teachers who prepare to have an out-and-out brawl in their school parking lot, and it looks like it could be a surprise comedy hit early in the year.

The Great Wall -- February 17

Director Zhang Yimou has made a large number of beautiful and impressive films - from Hero to House of Flying Daggers to Curse of the Golden Flower - but in 2017 he is releasing his first ever English-language movie in The Great Wall. Starring Matt Damon, the blockbuster looks like a legitimate fantasy epic, and is actually already raking in the dough thanks to an early release in China. There will be a lot of eyes watching to see how it performs domestically when it arrives in mid-February.

Get Out -- February 24

Jordan Peele has earned thousands of fans thanks to his incredible comedic gifts and collaborations with Keegan-Michael Key... but only in 2017 will we get to see him express his true passion. It turns out that Peele is a huge horror fan, and this year he is planning to scare the crap out of you with his directorial debut, Get Out. The story of a young black man (Daniel Kaluuya) who takes a terrifying weekend trip to the massive estate belonging to his white girlfriend's parents, the movie looks like it has huge potential for scares as well as smart social commentary.

Logan -- March 3

Comic book fans have a plethora of live-action big screen options coming their way in 2017, with a total of six major films populating the calendar -- and the first to arrive will be headed our way on March 3rd. We've been waiting a while for director James Mangold's sequel to The Wolverine, and it appears that we're finally getting the proper treatment of the character we've always wanted with Logan. This time around we're going to finally see Hugh Jackman go into legitimate berserker mode supported by an R-rating, and it's about time given that the future-set story will be the Australian actor's last go-round in the role.

Kong: Skull Island -- March 10

The year 2017 is going to see a number of major franchises really start to boil and get ready to launch huge plans for the future, and Jordan Vogt Roberts's Kong: Skull Island. The new movie is technically a prequel to Gareth Edwards' hit Godzilla reboot from 2014, and while it looks like it will be telling its own independent story - set in the mid-1970s and following an expedition to the titular mysterious location -- it's also expected to set the table for the Godzilla vs. Kong blockbuster that is currently aiming at a date in 2020.

T2: Trainspotting -- March 10

Fans have been patiently waiting for more than 20 years for Danny Boyle to bring back his ragtag group of Scottish heroin uses in a sequel to Trainspotting, and in 2017 we will finally be getting it in the form of T2: Trainspotting. Sure, the title is really stupid, but the fact is that we've been itching to see Ewan McGregor's Renton and his crew back on the big screen, and with the original creative team back at the wheel, we only expect fireworks.

Beauty And The Beast -- March 17

Disney has had some ridiculous success in the last few years crafting live-action adaptations of their beloved animated hits -- and that train looks to keep on rolling in 2017 with Bill Condon's Beauty And The Beast. The first in the line to also be a musical, and featuring an astounding ensemble cast led by Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, the film looks absolutely stunning and fun -- and is all but guaranteed to wind up being one of the biggest hits of the year.

The Belko Experiment -- March 17

Fans will sadly have to wait a couple of extra months before they'll be able to get their peepers on James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 -- but those jonesing for the filmmaker's particular style, creativity and wit should be satiated with director Greg McLean's The Belko Experiment, which is based on an original screenplay by Gunn. Far more in line with Dawn of the Dead and Slither than anything Marvel has come out with, the new film centers on a corporation that is put into lockdown as employees are told by a mysterious voice that they have to participate in a murderous game, or risk being eliminated. It looks like some twisted, clever horror fun, and we can't wait.

CHiPs -- March 24

The influx of feature films based on classic television shows has mostly slowed recently, but we do still get one or two a year, and in 2017 it's Dax Shepard's CHiPs filling the slot. We can't say too much about the movie, as we're still awaiting a debut trailer, but with a cast that includes Shepard, Michael Pena, Kristen Bell, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam Brody, May Rudolph and more, our hopes are set pretty high.

Life -- March 24

Last year, the team of Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and Ryan Reynolds brought us the incredibly awesomeness of Deadpool -- and while director Daniel Espinosa's Life looks like a horse of a completely different color, we are still completely amped for it. The sci-fi story has both a great cast (including Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, and Hiroyuki Sanada in addition to Reynolds) and an awesome Alien vibe, and we can't wait to see how it unfolds.

Power Rangers -- March 24

If you're a '90s kid, you've probably known for a while that a Power Rangers reboot was coming... but now it's actually almost here and just a few shorts months away from release. The movie looks to be keeping all of the basic elements -- from the alien origins, to Alpha 5, to the villainous Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks) -- but the Dean Israelite-directed blockbuster looks like it's taken a page out of Chronicle's book and is going super edgy and gritty with its tale of teenage superheroes.

The Boss Baby -- March 31

As far as animated movies go, 2016 most definitely set a high bar for 2017 to live up to, but we are getting two big family-friendly releases in the first quarter of the year. Following about a month and a half after The LEGO Batman Movie, audiences will see the release of Tom McGrath's The Boss Baby -- the latest release from DreamWorks Animation. McGrath's previous credits include hits like the Madagascar movies and Mastermind -- and he has a great cast in this one led by Alec Baldwin, so we could see some big things for this one when it comes out in late March.

Ghost In The Shell -- March 31

Because of its casting choices -- specifically Scarlett Johansson playing the lead role -- Rupert Sanders' Ghost In The Shell has been at the center of a good amount of controversy for a while now, but based on the first trailer it certainly looks like audiences could be in store for a vivid, stylistic ride that keeps strict ties back to the anime source material on which it's based. The story is high-concept -- following a cyborg police officer as she goes on the hunt for an elite computer hacker -- but the visuals could possibly elevate this one to be special.

A Black Widow movie may not be happening anytime soon, but that hasn't stopped Hollywood from trying to turn Scarlett Johansson into an action star. The actress is no slouch in the kickass department thanks to her time at Marvel and her latest action effort, Ghost in the Shell, will put her in the lead as the cyborg officer, The Major. We've got a new pick of Johansson's lead character, further proving that this isn't someone you want to mess with. Check it out by clicking here.

Thanks to Empire Online, we know have a new photo of The Major. It certainly doesn't reveal much of anything, but it shows The Major ready for some action, her gun and knife held at the ready. The character is seemingly on the hunt, perhaps on the lookout for some kind of enemy?

Ghost in the Shell is an adaptation of a popular anime series of the same name. Taking place in a futuristic world, technology has advanced far enough where it's possible to place someone's conscience mind into a robotic shell. Scarlett Johansson's The Major is a cyborg who has done just that. She leads Section 9, a militaristic cyber-terrorism unit tasked with stopping dangerous criminals. The film will take cues from the "Affection" storyline of the cyber-punk series, which explores The Major's past and whether her transformation was as willing as she remembers it.

Though the film promises plenty of exciting action, it's also "curious and reflective," Johansson told Empire. The actress is no stranger to playing "out of body" roles. She's played "a person without a body [in Her]" and now she's "a mind in a synthetic body." She promises that she will one day go back to playing a regular person with a brain and body together.

Ghost in the Shell is directed by Rupert Sanders and he promises that the film isn't going to suck. Sanders told Empire that "this isn't the shit Hollywood version." That's something he kind of has to say to get people to see the film, but one can certainly argue that casting a white woman in a typically Asian role wasn't the right first step in convincing people. Though the film looks beautiful, it has a lot of work to do to get on people's good side -- especially after the rumor about using CGI to make Johansson look "more Asian."

Ghost in the Shell is looking to hit theaters on March 31, 2017.

The casting of Scarlett Johansson as The Major in Ghost In The Shell provoked a furious backlash, as Motoko Kusangi, the lead character in Masamue Shirow's original manga and the legendary 1995 anime that the upcoming blockbuster is based on, was Japanese. At the trailer launch for Ghost In The Shell that was held in Tokyo, which I was lucky to attend alongside other reporters, director Rupert Sanders was quizzed about the furor that surrounded the casting of Scarlet Johansson, and he stood by his decision.

After being asked to respond to the criticism of Scarlett Johansson as The Major in Ghost In The Shell, Rupert Sanders remarked:

It's not surprising in the least that Rupert Sanders feels this way. As he rightfully points out, Scarlett Johansson is the biggest and most bankable actress in the world right now, while she has been a mainstay of the mainstream for the past 15 years after her earliest roles in The Man Who Wasn't There and Ghost World, both of which were released in 2001. But what makes her perfect for Ghost In The Shell is during this time, she has been able to maintain a cyber-punk aesthetic that will lend itself perfectly to this film.

This is something that Rupert Sanders himself touched upon while at Ghost In The Shell's trailer launch in Tokyo. When asked why Scarlett Johansson was the perfect choice to play The Major in his version of the film, Sanders insisted that there are "very few actresses with 20 years experience with the cyber-punk aesthetic baked in," which Johansson has acquired because of her work in "edgy" films like Lost In Translation and Under The Skin. Sanders also went on to praise Johansson's attitude and toughness, which he immediately recognized as traits needed for The Major, too.

Over the weekend we got our first proper glimpse of Scarlett Johansson in action as The Major in Ghost In The Shell, too, as its trailer was released to a rapturous response from eager movie fans. You can remind yourself why by clicking below to watch the footage.

Of course it would be remiss not to mention the white-washing issues that have so far dogged Ghost In The Shell's production. Unfortunately Rupert Sanders comments don't do too much to dismiss these concerns. That's because we understand why Scarlett Johansson has been cast to lead Ghost In The Shell, but the question remains, because the 1995 anime was so distinctly and proudly Japanese, whether she should have been. While Sanders' version appears to have dropped the character name of Motoko Kusangi, as Johansson's character is simply referred to as The Major, Ghost In The Shell is still set in a futuristic Tokyo, uses Japanese iconography, and the trailer featured so any similar shots from Mamoru Oshii's anime that a side-by-side comparison piece has been released, all of which proves that the upcoming film is still heavily inspired and borrows from its source material, which is a seminal piece of Japanese pop culture. Except it seems when it comes to its leading characters, though, as its protagonist (Scarlett Johansson's The Major), main supporting character (Pilou Asbaek's Batou), and villain (Michael Pitt's Kuze) are all white.

Throughout the event in Tokyo, Rupert Sanders made sure to discuss that Ghost In The Shell had more of an international flavor than its predecessors. Plus, it would be wrong to come to a firm conclusion regarding the whitewashing claims made against Ghost In The Shell without seeing the final film, too, which the trailer suggests will be full of captivating visuals, impressive action, and a probing psychological quandary to keep it bouncing. We'll get to see if the film can answer these problems sufficiently when Ghost In The Shell is released on March 31, 2017.

Thanks to her numerous roles as the Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Scarlett Johansson has already proven herself more than capable as an action star. Unfortunately, that's still not been enough for Kevin Feige and the studio to give the actress her own solo film as the character. Scarlett Johansson is now able to finally scratch that itch with Ghost In The Shell, and she's now admitted that her tenure as Black Widow actually assisted her training for the upcoming film.

Scarlett Johansson made this revelation during the launch of Ghost In The Shell's first trailer at an event in Tokyo on Sunday, which I was lucky enough to attend. The build-up to the footage also included a Q&A with Scarlett Johansson, her co-star Takeshi Kitano and director Rupert Sanders, during which the actress was asked about her training for the film. This led her to respond with:

While just like Black Widow, Ghost In The Shell's The Major clearly knows a thing or two about throttling and dishing out a beating to her foes, that's pretty much where the comparisons end. That's because The Major is a synthetic cyborg that leads the elite task force Section 9 in a bid to stop criminals and extremists in a futuristic Tokyo, who also happens to have had a human brain inserted into her metal skull.

As well as the Q&A and an exhibition for the film's costumes, weapons, and concept art, the first trailer for Ghost In The Shell also finally premiered at the event. It just so happened to be pretty darn stunning, too, and you can check it out in all of its glory below.

Ghost In The Shell will be with us on March 31, 2017, but before then make sure to keep glued to CinemaBlend over the next few days for further stories from the film's Tokyo event.

Next year we finally get a live-action version of Ghost In The Shell, the hugely successful manga from Masamune Shirow that has defined the genre and has been a Japanese pop culture beacon ever since it was originally published in 1989.

Starring Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbaek, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, and Michael Pitt, and directed by Rupert Sanders, there's obvious pressure on the first Hollywood version of Ghost In The Shell to match its predecessors. Over the weekend, Paramount celebrated the release of Ghost In The Shell's first trailer with a huge event in Tokyo, which gave us an inside look at the costumes, weapons, and concept art that will make up the film.

You can have a gander at what was on display, below. Starting with none other than Scarlett Johansson's character The Major:

The Major

The field commander of a Cyborg counter-cyber terrorist squad named Section 9, The Major is described as a "full-body prosthesis" augmented cybernetic human and also just so happens to be played by Scarlett Johansson. As well as the above snazzy bomber jacket, which she wore during an interrogation scene we were privy to at the event, and the Major's police bike Tavor SMG weapon, we were also presented with a look at her tactical uniform and bright white thermoptic pistol.

Batou

Batou is the second in command of Section 9 after The Major, who he also partners with in the field. Batou is an expert marksman and is highly skilled at combat, having originally served as a sergeant in the Army Ranger before he was cyberized. Batou is the most enhanced cyborg in Section 9, and he possesses cybernetic eyes that give him a wide array of visual abilities. In Ghost In The Shell he'll be played by Pilou Asbaek (Game Of Thrones).

Batou's Car

Like any proud motorhead, Batou holds a special affinity for his car, so the vehicle was always going to feature prominently in Ghost In The Shell. In previous animes, Batou has been shown driving a Lancia Stratos and Lotus Esprit. The latter car is the inspiration for the upcoming blockbuster, and it's clear to see why Batou is so devoted to it, as not only does it look like it can burn some serious rubber, but it looks like something that Doc Brown himself would drive all the way up to 88 mph.

Blue Robotic Geishas

As well as proudly boasting about the film's international cast, Rupert Sanders spoke of the importance of paying tribute to Ghost In The Shell's Japanese roots during both his Q-and-A alongside Takeshi Kitano and Scarlett Johansson, and his roundtable discussions with select members of the media (of which we were lucky enough to be part). Despite being shot in New Zealand and Hong Kong, the film takes place in a futuristic Tokyo, and Sanders has looked to evoke the city with an array of Japanese imagery and iconography. This includes a robotic Blue Geisha, who while mesmerizing to look at and perfectly designed, is a little terrifying, too. Especially since when her face opens up she looks like a demented C-3P0.

Concept Art

To give us further insight into the scope and use of technology in this futuristic version of Tokyo various pieces of concept art for Ghost In The Shell were dotted across the room. This included these exterior shots of the city awash with colorful 3D advertisements that help to showcase its captivating visuals.

While we also got a look inside Hanka Robotic's artificial intelligence technology, which is where the Cyborgs are made, too:

As well as one of the robotic brethren that works there, too.

At the event we were also confronted with a variety of phrases and questions, such as, "What are you?" and "Your shell belongs to them ... your ghost is yours," which were written on the walls of the rooms and set up the film's themes. We were also treated to a live version of Ghost In The Shell's original theme from its composer Kenji Kawai. This was played over the film's shelling sequence, which was a remake of the anime's iconic opening. Sanders later admitted, though, that he's not sure if the theme will be in the released version of Ghost In The Shell as he's still not finished the film yet. Just in case it doesn't you can listen to it and watch the shelling sequence, below:

While you're here you should also check out the first full length trailer for Ghost In The Shell again. Especially since it is rather impressive. We've got it for you on the next page:

Keep checking CinemaBlend over the next few days, as we'll be posting further stories from the Ghost In The Shell's Tokyo event, including comments from the Q&A with Scarlett Johansson and Rupert Sanders and my roundtable discussion with the director. Ghost in the Shell opens in theaters on March 31, 2017.

Fans of the classic Japanese anime Ghost in the Shell have been worried that a live-action movie will not do the original justice. However, it seems clear that the remake is taking a lot of inspiration from its source material. The opening sequence which shows the creation of Scarlett Johansson's android character has been released and fans of the anime will find a great deal of it to be familiar. And just like that version, this one is NSFW.

The scene was shown at a press event in Japan and made available by IGN. It follows the creation of Motoko Kusanagi from the cybernetic skeleton, all the way to the creation of the human "shell" that makes her look, at least externally, like everybody else. Of course, most people have clothes on, something that the opening of Ghost in the Shell doesn't deal with quite yet.

One of the difficulties with remakes is that not everybody expects the same things from them. While fans of the original certainly want something that respects the source material, not everybody agrees on how to do that. Do you make a live-action movie that uses identical scenes or do you try to make something that keeps the spirit of the original, but tries to be its own movie? A scene that's this close to the original might make a lot of fans happy, but it's so similar to the original that it might actually upset others who don't want the remake to try and actually recreate the same film and be seen strictly as a movie trying to cash in on its predecessor's popularity. If you're curious just how close the new sequence mirrors the old, check it out below.

Up to this point, everybody pretty much expected that the new Ghost in the Shell would be another in the long line of PG-13 action movies, however, the one thing this scene does is imply that this may not happen. When the original anime was rated by the MPAA it was given an R-rating due to its violence and animated nudity. It's hard to gauge how the MPAA could view a scene like this. While this isn't exactly nudity, it's awfully close, and depending on how much we see in the complete film it could be that the new movie is going for R-rating just as its predecessor had.

What do you think about the new Ghost in the Shell does seeing this homage to the original give you more hope for the film as a whole? Let us know in the comments.

Ghost In The Shell Just Dropped A Ton Of Pictures Of Its Costumes, Weapons And Concept Art, See It Now >>

As one of the most popular manga comics to ever be released, it's not surprising that there's a lot of pressure on Ghost In The Shell to deliver. The first trailer for the film has now been released and it gives us a clear indication of the style, scope, and creativity that has gone into Ghost In The Shell, while at the same time suggesting that the sci-fi action thriller will deliver. You can check out the first trailer for Ghost In The Shell in all of its glory by clicking below.

I was lucky enough to travel to Tokyo this weekend to see the trailer for Ghost In The Shell alongside Scarlett Johansson, Rupert Sanders, and Takeshi Kitano and a rather raucous crowd, each of whom appeared to adore and then celebrate the footage when it came to an end. It's easy to see why, too.

Not only did it suggest that it could be a merging of Blade Runner and The Matrix (a comparison that I immediately recognise as hyperbole, as well as a bar that no film of any ilk could match), but the first trailer for Ghost In The Shell did a sterling job of succinctly setting up the film's plot and showing that director Rupert Sanders has a good handle on the mood, urban setting, and action sequences.

It also helps that Scarlett Johansson looks like the ultimate bad-ass in the film, too. The 31-year-old will portray The Major in Ghost In The Shell, who is a cyborg policewoman that has a human brain. Alongside her own special task force Special 9, The Major is tasked with thwarting cyber criminals and hackers. But when a new enemy raises his head and starts to sabotage Hanka Robotic's artificial intelligence technology, The Major is pushed to the limit and is forced to question her own identity, too.

There's been a lot of talk surrounding Ghost In The Shell ever since it was announced that Scarlett Johansson would be taking the lead role of The Major, even though she's white and the manga character was Asian. This first footage in no way brings an end to this hugely important discussion, but it at least suggests that Ghost In The Shell has some cinematic positives, too.

We'll finally get to see Ghost In The Shell when it's released on March 31, 2017. Keep glued to Cinemablend over the next few days for coverage from my Ghost In The Shell Tokyo press event, which will include pictures of the costumes, weapons, and robots, as well as news from the Scarlett Johannson, Rupert Sanders, and Takeshi Kitano Q&A.

One of the most highly anticipated movies of next year is the live-action film based on the Japanese anime Ghost in the Shell. A great deal has been made about how the film looks, specifically in regards to the cast members, but now a new featurette reveals a little bit more about how the movie will look overall. It certainly looks like they've gotten a lot about the film's cosmetics right. Check it out.

Ghost in the Shell is one of the most popular anime films of all time. It's unique look is certainly one of the reasons that it has appealed to audiences all over the world, not simply in Japan. The clip, which focuses on Mamoru Oshii, the director of the original anime, checking out the set, also shows off some of the visuals that we'll be seeing when the movie hits screens early next year.

While a bit of what we're seeing is done in front of green screens that are still green, so we have no idea what it will actually look like in the final film, we do see Scarlett Johansson as The Major moving through city streets that look both futuristic, yet run down and dirty. It's very much the same look that the original anime had. The Asian influence is certainly there as well, in the form some inspired robotic characters.

Ghost in the Shell has been the target of criticism ever since it was announced that Scarlett Johansson would be playing the lead role of The Major. The film, like the anime that it is based on, takes place in Japan and all of the characters were originally Japanese. Casting a white actress to take the lead role was a problem for many. Regardless, the film moved forward and it certainly seems that, lead role notwithstanding, the movie is going to try to present a very faithful adaptation of the anime, at least from a visual standpoint. It feels like animation has come to life. The original director seems to like it. Although, James Cameron said nice things about Terminator: Genisys once too. We know how well that turned out.

What do you think of this look at Ghost in the Shell? Is it everything you were hoping it would be? Let us know in the comments below. Ghost in the Shell will hit theaters March 31, 2017.

21 years have passed since Ghost In The Shell burst on to the scene with its first animated adaptation, and the world is still very much attached to the source material. So much that the upcoming live-action film with Scarlett Johansson has come under fire for several incendiary reasons. With the public in need of some persuasion as to why this project has been worth the effort, the folks behind the film's marketing have released five cryptic looks at the world of iconic anime, starting with the clip below.

These cryptic trailers come courtesy of the official Twitter feed for Ghost In The Shell, and if you're looking for hints towards the actual story, you're probably in the wrong place. Each look is 10 seconds long, with five looks in total being deployed in rapid succession. This is enough to suggest that a long form trailer is more than likely on the way, but if the Rupert Sanders directed film were to leave its ad campaign with only these five ads in play, we'd actually be quite impressed. Believe it or not, a robo-geisha walking down a hallway says more than any quick cut car chase ever could.

Our second teaser shows Scarlett Johansson's Major unplugging from her power cradle, getting ready to face the day. Her dwelling looks as sparse as you'd expect an android to keep their living quarters, complete with a decent view of the dark, drab view of New Port City. As if that wasn't confusing enough, the next clip added shows off Johansson's Major enticing a stranger who's never seen anything like her.

Our next teaser for Ghost In The Shell actually isn't related to Scarlett Johansson's Major character. Rather, it's a short glimpse of actor Beat Takeshi in the role of Daisuke Aramaki, one of the only human members of the elite Section 9 task force that the Major belongs to. He might be human, but he looks pretty bad assed to us, as he calmly fires his revolver at an unknown party, and empties the shells on to the ground.

The last teaser is probably the most mysterious, as we return to Scarlett Johansson's Major, and see her infiltrating a space that looks occupied by a circle of what could best be described as "techno-monks." All circled around a terminal of some sorts, we hear a voice off camera saying "This is just the beginning." Indeed, it is.

These first few looks at Ghost In The Shell are curious enough to make us want to see more, but at the same time seem to hit just the right level of curiosity in a way that other trailers seem to have forgotten about. Again, a full trailer seems to be in the offing for the near future, but at this point we think we're actually sold enough on what's been seen to give this one a shot. Though a couple more cryptic teasers couldn't hurt, as that'll keep us busy between now and the March 31st release date intended for the film.

Maybe one of the most hotly debated movies right now is the adaptation of Ghost in the Shell. The film made headlines when it announced that Scarlett Johansson would be playing the lead role of Major Kusanagi, a cyborg who leads a task force to fight criminals and is Japanese in the original manga. Johansson's character has been retooled as simply The Major, but it still left lots of fans feeling rightfully burned and angry over what they saw as Hollywood whitewashing. Throw in the supposed testing of technology to make the actress "appear more Asian" and the producers had a real fire to put out. Steven Paul is one of those producers, and he defends their casting choice by claiming that the story of Ghost is the Shell is an international one, and that fans will be happy with the finished product.

The team behind Ghost in the Shell have remained relatively quiet about the controversy and backlash, but producer Steven Paul has recently opened up about the film. Paul spoke with BuzzFeed to discuss fan concerns, and insisted that people would be happy with the finished project. In his mind, Ghost in the Shell was not entirely focused on Japan.

Looking at the entire cast and not just Johansson, the international view has been reflected so far. The movie also stars Takeshi Kitano, Rila Fukushima, Yutaka Izumihara, Kaori Momoi, as well as Pilou Asbæk, Michael Pitt, and Juliette Binoche. Does this make Johansson's casting more forgivable? Johansson is the highest grossing actress in the world, so it's easy to see the appeal in casting her in a relatively unknown property to general moviegoers. Whether or not this makes it okay to cast the lead role with a white actor will probably be debated for some time.

I have no familiarity with the Ghost in the Shell manga, so I can't confidently say if Paul is right or wrong about it being an international story, but his logic feels more like a response than a reason. Even if the story does concern all corners of the globe, why does that mean the main character can't be Asian? The decision to hire Scarlett Johansson seems to be based on the quality of footage no one has seen yet. And even if Ghost in the Shell is a great movie that expertly adapts the source material, does that still count if the lead character is white washed? It's a question we won't know the answer to until the movie comes out, and even then it might still be unforgivable to some audience members.

Ghost in the Shell is directed by Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) and written by Jonathan Herman and Jamie Moss. The film is currently scheduled to release on March 31, 2017.

Paramount’s live action adaptation of the manga Ghost in the Shell has been a source of controversy over the last several years, primarily due to Scarlett Johansson being cast as the lead despite the character being an Asian woman. Yesterday, the studio released its first look at the actress as protagonist Motoko Kusanagi, but the complaints didn’t subside in the slightest. Now there’s word that the production may have considered making Johansson look more Asian via visual effects for the movie.

According to ScreenCrush’s sources, after the controversy surrounding Scarlett Johansson’s casting in Ghost in the Shell hit, Paramount and Dreamworks commissioned a company to come up with some visual effects tests that would “shift her ethnicity” during post-production. Johansson’s Motoko Kusanagi was reportedly the main focus for the test, although it was apparently done without her knowledge. Regardless, this idea was soon “rejected.” When asked for comment, Paramount acknowledged that a visual effect test was run, but denied it was for Johansson, instead saying it was for a background actor in a specific scene.

While we may never know for sure whether Scarlett Johansson was actually subjected to these visual tests, the very idea of Ghost in the Shell trying to change her ethnicity is troubling. Johansson’s casting is one of the more recent examples of “whitewashing,” i.e. when white actors are cast in non-white roles. While the story mentions that this was another example of “beauty work,” the progress that adjusts an actor’s physical appearance to make them look younger or more fit, the outcry from this would have been significant, especially in a time when more diversity is being called for in Hollywood so that non-white actors can get proper representation.

Despite Scarlett Johansson’s popularity, Ghost in the Shell has come under fire for not casting an Asian actress in a role that originated from Japan. That being said, changing Johansson to look non-white in post-production would have just made the situation worse, and definitely seems badly reactionary rather than something that would be planned ahead of time. If they wanted to have an actress who looked Asian for the movie, casting an Asian lead would have been more practical than throwing all those visual effects on Johansson.

Based on the original manga, Paramount’s Ghost in the Shell adaptation will follow Johansson’s Motoko Kusanagi (who is referred to here as The Major), a cyborg who leads intelligence agency Sector 9 in battling cyber crime. They’ll face their greatest threat yet when a new enemy tries to destroy the Hanka Robotic’s cyber technology. The movie’s cast also includes  Pilou Asbæk as Batou, Michael Pitt as Hideo Kuze, Takeshi Kitano as Daisuke Aramaic and Juliette Binoche as Dr. Ouelet.

Ghost in the Shell hits theaters on March 31, 2017.

An American remake of the anime classic Ghost in the Shell is a project that has been brewing damn near forever. Though it looked like it was never going to get made, momentum has been rolling right along recently. They have a director, a release date, a big time star in Scarlett Johansson, and now the movie even has its very own villain.

Based on the 1995 film, which itself is based on Masamune Shirow’s 1989 manga of the same name, Ghost in the Shell is one of the most popular, influential anime properties of all time. Dreamworks has been working on an American remake for years, and now Deadline reports that they’ve found another key piece of the puzzle, as Sam Riley is in early talks to play the main antagonist. There’s no hard and fast deal in place just yet, though both sides reportedly want this to get done.

Riley has played a couple of real-life iconoclasts in recent films, playing Jack Kerouac in an adaptation of On the Road and Joy Division front man Ian Curtis in Control. The British actor’s highest profile role to date has been in Maleficent, though he’ll be seen shorty in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Should he sign on for Ghost in the Shell, he will play The Laughing Man, a fanatical extremist and hacker trying to take down a massive robotics company called Hanka Robotics. Scarlett Johansson plays the hero, a special forces cyborg who leads the elite law enforcement unit Section 9, devoted to taking down the most dangerous criminals—they also happen to be employed by Hanka. No conflict of interest there.

It’s going to be really interesting to see how much of the dense thematic framework in Ghost in the Shell translates or at least survives the adaptation. Visually, the original is a hugely influential film—you can see the obvious imprint in the Wachowski’s Matrix movies for example—and there are themes of sexual and gender identity, technology run amok, and many more that are just as prescient and important today as they ever were, perhaps even more so.

Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) will handle the directing duties, while the latest version of the script is coming from an unlikely source, Jonathan Herman, who penned this summer’s surprise hit NWA biopic, Straight Outta Compton. Preproduction is rolling along right now, and they movie also recently added Johansson’s Lucy co-star Pilou Asbaek to the roster.

Assuming the whole thing doesn’t fall apart between now and then, Ghost in the Shell is scheduled to open March 31, 2017.

Ghost in the Shell – a live action adaptation of the popular Japanese manga series – has been trapped in development hell for quite some time. The only real concrete information that has been released for fans is the fact that it will star modern day action queen Scarlett Johansson. Now, it seems the creative forces behind the project have taken a major step forward.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jonathan Herman – who most recently penned the script for the highly acclaimed Straight Outta Compton – has been tapped to write the screenplay for Ghost in the Shell. Previous drafts of the script have already been written by William Wheeler and Jamie Moss, with Herman brought in to fine-tune weaker elements of the script – much like he did for the N.W.A biopic.

For those unaware, Ghost in the Shell centers on a Special Forces cyborg (Johansson) in charge of Section 9, a unit employed by a company called Hanka Robotics. The unit is tasked with the job of taking down terrorists and criminals led by a mastermind called The Laughing Man – a fanatic hacker intent on taking down Hanka Robotics. The film is based on a popular Japanese manga series of the same name, written by Masamune Shirow.

This news of Herman's hiring should come as pleasant reveal for fans of Ghost in the Shell who have trepidations regarding the upcoming film. The project has recently come under fire for casting Scarlett Johansson in the lead. Despite her increasingly strong repertoire in the action genre as of late – with a big presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as the surprise success of Lucy – many saw her casting as odd due to her being a white American woman, and the franchise is very much Japanese. This has led to many accusations of Hollywood of once again whitewashing an international property.

If the success of his previous outings are anything to go by, Herman’s talents as a screenwriter seem to have no issue in crossing genres or cultures. In addition to the upcoming Ghost in the Shell, he has added his touch to a remake of Scarface, as well as The Birds. This move should instill confidence that the man’s talents are not restricted to specific styles, settings, or characters, and that he is trusted by studios with fairly sacred properties.

We will bring you more news about Ghost in the Shell as it becomes available to us. For now, it is set to hit theaters on March 31, 2017.

Nexon announced that there's a new free-to-play multiplayer shooter inbound for PC gamers based on Shirow Masamune's popular manga series Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex. The name of the game is called First Assault and it's made to appeal to fans of Combat Arms.

The new trailer for the game was spotted by Rock, Paper, Shotgun and you can see the minute long mixed-cinematic trailer in action below.

The game puts players in the role of either an elite police squad with high-tech gadgets or terrorist groups attempting to infiltrate the town.

It's a classic team deathmatch MOFPS, mirrored after many of the other games in the sub-genre such as Sudden Strike or Genesis A.D. In fact, First Assault Online shares a lot of similarities with Genesis A.D. insofar that they're both team deathmatch oriented shooters, both of them are set in the future, both of them allow players to make use of advanced augmentations to change the way the battle unfolds and both of them allow players to make use of the environment to get around quickly or break through objects to take down foes. The only major difference between both is that First Assault Online has a more stylish anime art-style to it that helps slightly differentiate it from the horde of other faceless FPS clones out there like Combat Arms and Alliance of Valiant Arms.

As far as the gameplay and skills go, there will be eight different characters that players can choose from, each with their own skillsets and abilities. Players can upgrade and unlock new skills as they progress through the game and rack up points per each round. Nexon announced that developers Neople will also have an implementation into the game that allows players to intersect their skills with other players – tag-team, if you will.

The press release doesn't go into a lot of details about the ability to tag-team but it's called “SkillSync” and using it in tactical ways with teammates will allow players to upgrade their abilities on the battlefield and do additional damage or take further advantage of the augmentations.

Some of the abilities were briefly described in the press release, including making use of Motoko's octo-camouflage similar to Metal Gear Solid IV, or more accurately similar to the original manga and anime where Motoko used it on various occasions to get the jump on foes.

Gamers interested in this Ghost in the Shell free-to-play shooter won't have to wait long at all to get their hands on it. Nexon announced that the closed beta for the game will start on October 1st and run through October 4th. They announced that closed beta sign-ups are currently open and you can register right now over on the official website to some time in with the free-to-play shooter.

Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex – First Assault Online is scheduled to fully launch on PC in 2016.

We haven’t heart a lot on that Ghost in the Shell movie, a live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime. Scarlett Johansson, who’s been kicking ass and taking names in the Avengers movies and Lucy, was reportedly offered a whopping $10 million to take the lead role a while ago, but now it looks like that has been finalized.

According to Variety, the project isn’t officially greenlit, but ScarJo is on board. That alone means it’ll likely get the go-ahead any day now. Who can say no to one of the biggest actresses working in Hollywood today? Plus, the project already has Steven Spielberg backing it; he’s been wanting to make this movie happen for some time. With Rupert Sanders of Snow White and the Huntsman in the director’s chair, DreamWorks has just about everything in place.

A Ghost in the Shell live-action movie has been in the works for some time, but has hit a number of snags along the way. The story focuses on a member of a special covert ops unit within the Japanese National Public Safety Commission. ScarJo already has experience playing a member of a secret organization fighting to keep the world safe, but this one focuses on technology-related crime. The property was first published back in 1989 by one of the largest Japanese publishing companies, Kodansha, and it has since generated three anime movies, an anime TV and three video games. The 1995 anime flick was pretty Matrix-y, as it took place in the future and followed a cyborg cop named Motoko Kusanagi who is tasked with tracking down a cyber-terrorist called The Puppet Master. It was a hit in the US, and now all that’s missing from this franchise is the live-action version.

Margot Robbie was said to be in talks for the leading role earlier this year, but this character was tailor made for Johansson. From her voice acting role as the A.I. in Her to her butt-kicking heroines, it seems like all her steps have been leading up to this. The great thing about Ghost in the Shell is that, like many adaptations, it already has a built-in audience with the right mix of elements — mainly action, sci-fi and sex appeal — to also bring in fresh viewers. Considering how beloved this world is by anime lovers, perhaps this will transform into the next big movie franchise.

Until Ghost in the Shell gets the green light, we won’t get a sense of the production schedule. Though, Johansson has a couple big projects lined up, including the Coen Brothers’ Hail, Caesar and The Jungle Book, not to mention her Marvel commitments. Still, with the promise of $10 million, she’s got some incentive to fit this in.

The popular sci-fi, futuristic cyborg anime Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex will be transformed into a series of games by publishing giant, Nexon. Shocking right? Well, the real surprise to the story is that there hasn't been any confirmation on the style of games Nexon plans to make, but they do admit that they will be in multiple genres. Could it be that a JRPG is in the works?

According to Nexon's CEO Seungwoo Choi commented about picking up the GITS license, saying...

There are zero details given on what Nexon has planned. None. Zilch. Nada.

However, Nexon does confirm that there will be multiple games and that they will be design with “attractive concepts in diverse genres.” The games will also borrow from the Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex, Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C 2nd GIG and Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society Series.

Now most of us know that Nexon is primarily known for free-to-play MMOs. Reaching outside of this genre has not been nor has it ever been a prime directive based on the games Nexon has developed or acquired. As many fans of Ghost in the Shell know, the series would probably make for a piss-poor MMO, and while the general atmosphere and themes could be interesting in an MMO environment, the real meat and potatoes of the franchise has always been its character studies and cyborg-relation story arcs. In other words, Nexon may not be working on a Ghost in the Shell MMO.

What I'd love to see is Nexon go ahead and break out a JRPG similar to Sega's Resonance of Fate. I think that would be a perfect fit for the newly acquired license. But given Nexon's silence on the matter, we can only wait and see what they plan to do with the brand.