Ghost in the Shell is such an incredibly dense film. Visually and narratively, it’s overstuffed with ideas and suggestions and implications.

Huge swathes of the film are devoted to long, slow takes on the scenery, wherever it is. In particular, the sequence set to Kenji Kawai’s “Ghost City” is one of my enduring images of the film, a kind of interlude or intermission between the two halves of the story. Long, lingering shots of the buildings, the ferries, the waterways,…

A brutally boring conclusion to a truly dreadful trilogy. There's no way to describe this as being anything other than a chore, an hour and a half of pseudo-philosophy barely dressed up with some kaiju-on-kaiju action.

When Ghidorah finally appears and Godzilla actually wakes up some 45 minutes in, I'm pretty sure Godzilla doesn't even take a step before Ghidorah starts gnawing on him and they both become immobile. While there's a lot to be said for practical effects, it…