The 2017 release of the live action version of the hit 1995 anime “Ghost in the Shell” released with some skepticism. Fans were excited, but skeptical, to see Scarlett Johansson bring the famous character Major into the real world.

While Johansson played an excellent Major, the film as a whole was lacking in the story, which is surprising since the original was fantastic and gripping until the end. For the non-anime fan, “Ghost in the Shell” (2017) follows Major Mira Killian, a human who is enhanced with cybernetics, though she’s really just a brain in a robot body (fans of the original might recognize the differences right away as Major’s name is different in the 1995 release). Right away we’re introduced to a frantic Major being rushed into some sort of operating facility. Immediately, Ghost in the Shell (2017) diverges from the source material to make itself different.

Unlike the original film, the 2017 release focuses more on Major’s journey on finding out what she is instead of who she is. Instead of trying to figure out what she is and where she fits into this world as a human brain in a robot body, it’s a journey of self-discovery with an ultimately unsatisfying twist at the end, wrapped up with a neat little bow.

Fans of the series will be happy to see at least a few characters return from the original, while others are dropped entirely. Batou (Pilou Asbæk) returns as Major’s partner and confidant (with a little back story on his cybernetics) and Daisuke Aramaki (Takeshi Kitano) as the director of Sector 9.

There’s no lack of beauty in Neo-Tokyo, with the cyber punk and sleek vapor-wave style aesthetics, and that’s really where the film shines, between the city-scapes and wonderful fight scenes; if nothing else the film is wonderful to look at for two hours.

Overall, Ghost in the Shell was enjoyable but also a letdown for fans, as it seems like the filmmaker and director viewed the source material but chose to drop it other than a few major points.