Films, News, Trailers

Trailer Watch: Scarlett Johansson Fights Back in “Ghost in the Shell”

“Ghost in the Shell”

“I know I have a past. I’ll find out who I was,” vowed the Major (Scarlett Johansson) in the first trailer for “Ghost in the Shell.” The second trailer for the highly anticipated film sees the Major make good on that promise.

An adaptation of the beloved Japanese manga of the same name, “Ghost in the Shell” follows the Major, “a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9,” its official synopsis reads. “Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, Section 9 is faced with an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic’s advancements in cyber technology.”

But as the first trailer suggested, all is not what it seems. There’s more to the story, and the Major is determined to get to the bottom of it. Section 9 seems to be operating under false pretenses. “They didn’t save your life,” the Major is warned. “They stole it.”

While she can’t remember much of her past, the new spot reveals that the Major had a family. “Remember that,” she’s urged.

Of course, the new footage of the special-effects heavy movie isn’t all exposition and revelations. There’s also lots of dazzling fight scenes, including the Major dodging bullets.

Johansson’s casting in the iconic role has been a source of controversy since the news was first announced. Many fans believed the role should have gone to an Asian actress, and criticized the live-action “Ghost in the Shell” for whitewashing its protagonist, originally named Major Motoko Kusanagi, particularly when Asian actresses are so underrepresented in high-profile Hollywood films.

“I certainly would never presume to play another race of a person. Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive,” Johansson recently told Marie Claire. She seemed to defend the decision by claiming that “having a franchise with a female protagonist driving it is such a rare opportunity. Certainly, I feel the enormous pressure of that — the weight of such a big property on my shoulders.” While it’s absolutely true that big-budget female-led films are rare — and Johansson does have a lot of pressure on her shoulders — it’s essential to bear in mind that gender inequality and racism intersect in Hollywood (and of course elsewhere).

According to a report from Dr. Martha Lauzen and the Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film, females comprised 22 percent of protagonists featured in the top 100 domestic grossing films of 2015. Only three percent of all female characters in the 100 highest-grossing films of 2015 were Asian. As far as we can tell, zero of the films centered on Asian female protagonists. So do women in Hollywood have it bad? Absolutely. Do white actresses have significantly more opportunities than actresses of any other race? Absolutely. And it’s important to acknowledge that, and to understand why people are so frustrated by Johansson’s casting (and Emma Stone playing Allison Ng in “Aloha,” Mackenzie Davis being offered the role of Mindy Park in “The Martian,” etc.)

We hope that Johansson, who has repeatedly taken public stands against sexism and has done a lot of amazing work for Planned Parenthood, is open to discussing this matter in more depth in the press surrounding the film.

Directed by Rupert Sanders (“Snow White and the Huntsman”), “Ghost in the Shell” hits theaters March 31. The sci-fi film’s cast includes Juliette Binoche (“Clouds of Sils Maria”), Kaori Momoi (“Memoirs of a Geisha”), and Rila Fukushima (“Arrow”). ‘

Johansson’s recent credits include “Sing,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “The Jungle Book,” “Hail, Caesar!” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” and “Lucy.”


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