2029 a female government cyber agent and the Internal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of the Puppet Master - a computer virus capable of invading cybernetic brains and altering it's victim's memory. Created by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and codenamed Project 2501, this 'hacker' is actually a prototype virtual agent which has now defied it's makers by seeking asylum within a new host body outside of the electronic net. Now the two agencies must maneuver against each another in a violent, high-tech race to capture the omnipresent entity. GHOST IN THE SHELL took the world by storm exhibiting a new dimension of anime with unprecedented and mesmerizing cinematic expression. Seamlessly merging traditional cel animation with the latest computer graphic imagery, this stunning sci-fi spectacle broke through the boundaries of mainstream animation with detailed artistic expression and a uniquely intelligent story line. The film has gone on to inspire a generation of filmmakers and has become the most revered anime feature of all time. Veteran anime writer/director/producer Mamoru Oshii, working in conjunction with the animators at Production I.G. (BLOOD THE LAST VAMPIRE, KAIDOHMARU, KILL BILL) brought to life Masamune Shirow's vision. This excellent cyberpunk thriller was co-produced by Manga Entertainment and enjoyed both critical and popular success at the U.S. box office and was the first Japanese animated film to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Top Video Sales Chart.

While there are some good things to be said for Warner Bros' DVD release of Batman, one of those things is not how it makes full use of the DVD format. Aside from a handful of production and cast notes, and some film recommendations, the DVD has no extras. The disc includes both full-frame and widescreen versions of the movie. The widescreen version is an anamorphic transfer preserving the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio of the movie. The transfer is very crisp and clean, with no sign of grain, and minimal compression artifacts and edge enhancement apparent throughout. The print used is very clean and shows no degradation. Colors are accurate and vivid throughout (while the scenes that are required to look grey and forbidding achieve a respectably sullen coldness) with no smearing or blending, and blacks are nicely solid and detailed. Earlier video transfers of this movie tended to push the luminance levels too high, leaving darker areas a kind of ugly grey-green. The soundtrack, originally Dolby Stereo, has been remastered to Dolby 5.1. The resulting track is clean and clear, with good dialogue separation, but is somewhat lacking in dynamics and does not make particularly good use of either the subwoofer channel or the surrounds (there is some surround work, mainly for ambience, but the majority of the soundstage is across the front). The French-language track is the original Dolby 2.0 track, with levels pushed to the wall. The voice cast seems a bit odd, but the dubbing is adequate. The disc has 31 chapter stops and is packaged in a cardboard snapper case.