My first impression was that there was a huge budget cut on this one. The animation is far below the classics we are used to. It is nowhere near movies like, Ghost in the shell, Ninja scroll, Akira etc.It is all talk. And thanks to the budget, its just images with mouths moving. The plot is dull and outdone.I sat through 1/3 of this movie.I'll recommend those i remember that you should see rather than this: The three i listed above, Patlabor, Cyber city odeo, a lot of studio Ghibli's movies, Battle angel Anita & Appleseed.

Section 9 is again following leads to solve a case involving brain hacking, a mysterious Puppeteer who seems to be able to push people to kill themselves or do things they do not want, terrorism and so on and so on. Major Kusanagi is not part of the team, though, as she left Section 9 to find her identity.As with the other Ghost in the Shell films and series, Solid State Society is about the dissolution of the human soul, as well as the multitude of states in which it can coalesce. It is thought provoking, to say the least. The animation is great, too. The story has a few holes in it, which chipped a little at the perfection of everything else, but still good.Bottom line: if you are a sci-fi fan, an anime fan, a Ghost in the Shell fan or a fan of intellectually challenging movies that are also accessible and not obtuse, and especially if you are all of the above, you need to see this movie.

I'm quite a big fan of Masamune Shirow, though I haven't seen much of his recent work. I was first exposed to his intelligent and mildly titillating style in 1994 with Dominion: Tank Police. What was great about that series was the comedy, aesthetic genius and hot chicks. Ghost in the Shell came out the following year and was incredible work. Though a bit complicated for the youngster I was at the time, there were at least loads of tits.This latest and third movie is pretty damn slick. I haven't watched the Stand Alone Complex series', but the story was engaging and thought-provoking regardless.I'm really interested in concepts of the cyborg, and visions of the future. I'm not convinced by the idea of downloading a personality into a computer, but most of Shirow's work makes interesting observations of the social problems which would accompany such a move.The story in this installment is particularly interesting, and follows an attempt by a person or persons unknown to solve political and social problems by manipulating cyber-brains through the global network. Far too complex to waste time explaining, it makes for a great 100 minutes.The animation is superb, on the most part. The characters and backdrops are awesome, yet occasionally suffer from blatant CGI-ness. Smooth and beautiful it may be, but like the second Appleseed film, it just doesn't look right. Animation is not live action or CGI or any combination of the two, and a degree of difference is what makes each media interesting and fluent. For me, that aspect of this feature was whack, and distracting. Also, CSI-style shaky-cam in anime?? Rubbish.The music is very good, though not quite as good as the first film, and there is a diabolical song in the first 10 minutes that made my arsehole close-over. Otherwise, the awesome Yoko Kanno (Macross Plus) goes beyond mood-music and achieves an awesome synthesis.There's a reasonable helping of Shirow sexiness, though not enough. Needs more greased up babes. His trademark cool style in mecha and costume design remains strong, without succumbing to Matrix-style pansy over-styling. The film could have done with more comic relief, however. Shirow is a very funny guy, and this series of films has never really allowed that to find a place. Shame.The direction is good, though makes obvious what an influence Mamoru Oshii's (Patlabor, Jin-Roh) personal style had on the direction and attitude of the films. That's no bad thing, as he is one of the all-time great directors. It would, however, have been nice to have seen some more impressive personal touches from Kenji Kamiyama.Essentially very good, though perhaps too engorged with the intellect of the last two films, and trying just that little bit too hard to be cool.

--but 3S is a worthy continuation of the GITS:SAC television series on which I've also commented as an IMDb user.Chances are your reading this means you've either seen or know what to expect from 3S or well know the GITS universe and the saga of Public Security Section 9. So neither introduction nor spoilers appear here. But if 3S is your introduction, you could do worse (as I did), and if it inspires you to view the two seasons of the series on DVD, you're welcome to engage with one of the more fully realized and challenging tales of speculative fiction told on the 'tube, by anime or otherwise. (Refrain for now from viewing the first two movies if you've not seen them, for reasons explained further on.)Section 9 still exists, but The Major resigned two years ago. Togusa is in charge, at first harder-edged than you're accustomed to, while an aged Aramaki still plays an authoritative role. Batou is as expected after the conclusion of the series' second season and The Major's departure. Saito returns from a "hellish" engagement in Africa. The rest appears none the worse for prosthetic wear. I'm not all that certain why the Tachikoma return, though perhaps Batou is more the sentimentalist (with clout) at prosthetic heart.No worries, The Major reappears (but did she do something to her nose?), as all try to contend with a "Super Wizard-class" and murderous hacker known as The Puppeteer, the identity of which may not fully satisfy but nonetheless may surprise you.The core premise is a well-reasoned conjecture on the impact of an aging and shrinking home-grown "natural" demographic on a service-oriented economy and extraordinarily high-tech society. I would've liked to have seen this fleshed out, but there's only so much possible in a hundred or so minutes with room for the obligatory hyper-action sequences. References to the translated phrase "Noble Rot" give you some idea, and what's involved is more "Steady State" than "Solid State," though I can also understand the marketing decision behind the title choice.3S is NOT a continuation of the first two GITS movies any more than the television series, but there is a direct homage to the end of the first GITS movie. At times you'll think you're viewing that movie, but the divergences outweigh the similarities. 3S also continues the series' style of not quite telling the whole story, which if done well acts as a hook for further viewing as well as thinking. Kanno Yoko's characteristically excellent musical score also borrows from the television series, and I'm glad the movie translates Origa's lyrics for the opening and ending theme songs from Russian to English.All in all, it's not to complain. The mere fact that I allow an anime series to sustain my interest in its characterizations and plot line over years of viewing is revelation sufficient, as most conventional film series don't. My hat is off to all involved.