Ever since the original Ghost in the Shell anime movie was released back in 1995, many succeeding science-fiction movies have tried to capture the same level of techno-apocalypse the movie is famed for. More than that, the said anime movie also tried to explore existentialist themes and even question the very nature of what it means to be human.
This is all the while delivering a complex cyber-terror plot between corporations. It was so good, that the 2017 Hollywood remake fell short of the high expectations. There is simply nothing that can replicate the original Ghost in the Shell. Hence, we turn our attention to similar movies that stand out on their own but also explore the same subject matter and themes, in case you can't get enough of what Ghost in the Shell gave you.
BLADE RUNNER SERIES
Fun fact: the first Blade Runner film actually preceded Ghost in the Shell. It came out in 1982 and set the precedent for cyberpunk movies in Hollywood. It tackles similar core issues to Ghost in the Shell where machines have learned to question their own humanity but focuses more on that philosophical aspect of robotic existence.
Meanwhile, the sequel, Blade Runner: 2049 more or less exceeds expectations and is sure to give the viewers a more severe bout of existential crisis. In both Blade Runner movies, we see androids contemplating a higher meaning for their lives and wanting to be treated as humans instead of just mere machines since the line between the two has become too blurred.
THE MATRIX TRILOGY
The Matrix owes much to Ghost in the Shell and likely never would have existed without the said anime movie. The Wachowski brothers, the films' directors, have even expressed that the primary inspiration for their cyberpunk blockbuster is Ghost in the Shell. As such, you'd find plenty of references and borrowed stuff in The Matrix movies, particularly the first one.
The Matrix does set itself apart by questioning reality and free will more than identity crisis or machine existentialism. In the end, it manages to be a unique film franchise on its own and an important cultural cornerstone, especially in action cinema. Even if you've watched it already, do yourself a favor and refresh your memory.
THE ANIMATRIX
Here's something that The Matrix fans will love and appreciate. The franchise was successful enough to get its own expanded universe anthology spinoff called The Animatrix. It's a collection of animated shorts that explain The Matrix franchise and how the human-machine war came to be.
The Animatrix is a lot heavier than The Matrix trilogy, however, and is something you don't watch if you severely lack sleep or are drunk. Of course, the animations are a nice touch if you want to draw comparisons between this one and the Ghost in the Shell film. All in all, it also explores the same ideas as The Matrix trilogy which pretty much brings it close to Ghost in the Shell.
ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL/BATTLE ANGEL ALITA
By now, you're probably fond of strong female leads with an identity crisis after watching Ghost in the Shell. So, here's a recommendation from Hollywood, Alita: Battle Angel. It's the western adaptation of the anime movie Battle Angel Alita which is basically the same movie but made more modern and live-action. You won't lose much by preferring to watch one or the other.
Both films explore the story of Alita, an android found in the scrapyard by a mechanical doctor. Turns out Alita had quite a colorful and violent past which makes her a desirable commodity in the eyes of the elite in the film's cyberpunk world. It's more lighthearted and less heavy than Ghost in the Shell, for that matter.
DREDD
We're not talking about the hideous and campy Judge Dredd movie from 1995 featuring Sylvester Stallone. No, please avoid that one; we're referring to the 2012 remake called Dredd starring Karl Urban as Judge Dredd himself. It's an underrated gem that spares no expense taking advantage of its stellar cast and dizzying action.
The film's plot can be summarized shortly; Dredd has to take his new rookie partner in a routine 911 call check which quickly spirals into hell after they find out the whole apartment complex where the call originated is a gang den. It's nonstop action in the flavor of cyberpunk, something you'll like if you enjoyed Ghost in the Shell's action set pieces.
I, ROBOT
2004's I, Robot might not be well-received by the critics, but it's significant enough to have its own meme culture and quotable ideas. This is thanks in part to how it tackles the continuously blurring line between humans and machines. At the heart of it all is a police officer played by Will Smith who's prejudiced against robots due to a bad experience.
Somehow, he still gets entangled in a corporation's plot to be an even bigger corporation with fewer limitations. I, Robot explores concepts similar to Ghost in the Shell where machines have begun gaining sentience and practicing some of their newfound human capabilities.
APPLESEED
If you want something as close to Ghost in the Shell as possible, then you can't go wrong with another anime movie made by the same filmmakers. It's called Appleseed and chronicles the story of two lovers who survived a great war. The twist is that one of them (the male) got turned into a robot due to his injuries.
Even so, both tried to make their new life work in the ruined world that's still on the brink of another war. Since it's also made by the same creator as Ghost in the Shell, it also has several sequels, meaning you'll find no shortage of Appleseed to watch unless you binge them all.
EX MACHINA
Ex Machina is the philosophical part of Ghost in the Shell but expanded into its own harrowing tale of human hubris. The movie starts rather innocently with a young and outstanding programmer who gets invited into a tour and social experiment. Only, the said experiment is all about testing how close you can turn a robot into a human female.
It's a haunting tale that somehow mirrors our own society and its treatment of sexes. Of course, it also deals with the dangers of artificial intelligence and how humanity's carelessness for ethics or morality can lead to self-destruction. Sounds familiar?
ADVANTAGEOUS
You probably haven't heard of Advantageous before since it's an indie film. However, we can assure you Ghost in the Shell fans that it's worth every minute of your time. Advantageous deals with heavy notions like eternal youth and portrays this when one of the film's characters elects to transfer her consciousness to a younger body.
Doing so allows her to have better economic opportunities and practically immortality. That's something the protagonist of Ghost in the Shell is too familiar with. In any case, this film alone is worth watching even if you're not coming from Ghost in the Shell.
MINORITY REPORT
It might now tackle the same heavy subject matter as Ghost in the Shell, but Minority Report is still a thought-provoking psychological action thriller that asks some serious and important questions. In a sense, it falls in the same league as the said anime movie.
If you haven't seen it yet, Minority Report revolves around a revolutionary technology called Pre-Crime which detects criminals before they even commit the crime. Problem is, one police officer finds himself under the crosshairs of Pre-Crime and must now escape the system he used to catch potential criminals. Do watch it if you want an intricate conspiracy plot in the same vein as Ghost in the Shell.