Scarlett Johansson Kicks Major Ass in the First 'Ghost in the Shell' Trailer

Watch the first trailer for 'Ghost in the Shell' starring Scarlett Johansson.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Fans of Ghost in The Shell who were worried that the filmmakers would whitewash the upcoming movie version of their beloved manga and anime series can breath a little easier Sunday, following the release of the hugely anticipated film’s dizzying first trailer. 

Since announcing that Scarlett Johansson was set to play The Major, a hyper-advanced soldier whose mind is human but whose body is artificial, the film’s producers came under fire for casting a white woman as a character who’s Japanese in the source material. Anxieties grew after producer Steven Paul told BuzzFeed that their version wasn’t “just focused on the Japanese,” and that their approach would be “international.”

So while yes, Scarlett Johansson is indeed still white in our first real look at her character, the rest of the movie looks to have embraced the dystopian, cyberpunk aesthetic elements that made the original work such a touchstone in the fabric of Japanese culture.

Look closely enough, and you might even notice some of director Rupert Sanders’ frame-by-frame homages to Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 anime version. And though it’s hard to decipher much in terms of plot just based on the trailer alone, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the notoriously complex source material, Ghost in The Shell will be a visual feast if nothing else. But will it be enough to get all the skeptics on board? We’ll find out when it hits theaters March 31, 2017.  

Watch the trailer above. 

 

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