The archaic phrases help to make the action depicted seem all the more futuristic, all the more alien and all the more intense. For example, the film’s opening scene, in which Motoko is “born,” is made all the more jarring thanks to the juxtaposition of a choir singing an old Japanese prayer.
But what makes this atmosphere tangible, in my opinion, is the beautifully oriental soundscapes that Kawai brings to the film. Artists like Massive Attack (progenitors themselves of the now-resurgent trip-hop genre), Grimes and The Weeknd have all been haunted by the immense atmosphere of the film, particularly its vision of a futuristic Japan that’s haunted itself by its past.
Kenji Kawai’s soundtrack to this film is almost as instrumental as the setting and characters themselves, brilliantly breathing an air of grounded classicism into a somewhat lofty film.īefore even addressing the music itself, one must first look at its influence in a contemporary setting. But an oft-overlooked feature of this landmark film is the music itself. The Matrix, Surrogates, Chronicle, GiTS: SAC, Psycho-Pass…), its unique vision of a bleak cyberized future essentially gave birth to the cyberpunk genre, brilliantly paving the way for movies like The Matrix and shows like Dollhouse. Progenitor of a thousand imitiations (e.g.
Review Summary: How do you soundtrack a movie about the future and souls? With old Japanese prayers, that’s how!