In the future, the line between human and robot is blurred. People regularly get cybernetic enhancements to improve themselves which range from what are essentially just built-in walkie talkies to upgraded eyes that can zoom in and see through things. Geisha-bots roam the streets of Japan and enormous holograms advertise on the sides of city buildings. Ghost in the Shell (2017) follows the first of her kind, Major. Unlike ordinary enhancements, Major’s brain was transplanted into an entirely robotic body by the corporation Hanka Robotics. She works on a special task force called Section 9 which fights terrorism for the Japanese government. While on a counter terrorism mission, Major begins a quest in which she learns more about her mysterious past.

In contrast with my typical style of summarization, I decided to omit the actress who played the lead character and the characters full name. That’s because the protagonist, Major Motoko Kusanagi, was played by Scarlett Johansson. That might sound a little peculiar. Afterall, the movie, based on a manga (Japanese comic) of the same name, takes place in Japan. So why is the main character played by a prominent white actress?

This is the controversy surrounding the movie, and is just one instance of Hollywood whitewashing Asian characters. Another instance can be seen in Marvel’s Doctor Strange, where ‘The Ancient One’ (who in the original comics was an Asian man) is played by Tilda Swinton. 

But let’s return to Ghost in the Shell (2017). It makes sense that this movie would become best known for this controversy because the plot literally features the ghost of an Asian woman being put inside of Scarlett Johansson’s robot body (which is a pretty straightforward parallel for Asian roles being replaced with non-Asian actors). TIME magazine has covered the controversy of this movie in more depth, which highlighted the criticisms that the Johansson’s character was almost exclusively referred to as Major in promotional material (which is understandable if you’ve seen the movie, although this may be due to a change from the source material) and the fact that the special effects team apparently tested CGI to make characters look more Asian. TIME also has another article which compiles the thoughts and feelings of Asian actors. George Takei criticized film studios for whitewashing to protect the profits of their films, and Margaret Cho pointed out that most Asian roles are for stereotyped sidekicks and leads are often reserved for non-Asian actors. 

Outside of Asian erasure, is this movie any good? No. Not really. It’s visually impressive, and it has an interesting concept, but it falls flat. Ghost in the Shell (2017) is most notable for its casting conundrum. Instead of watching the live action 2017 film, the general consensus online is that you are much better off watching the 1995 animated movie instead (as a bonus, it even features Japanese actors as Japanese characters).