“Ghost in the Shell (2017)” wows the audience with it’s beautiful presentation, but is ultimately a mediocre film with a plot that tries nothing new and a sub-par performance from Scarlett Johansson.

The film takes place in Japan in the not-so-distant future, where the line between human and the cybernetic is becoming increasingly blurred. It is now commonplace to have data ports on your body, along with enhanced robotic limbs — making them more vulnerable to hackers and cyberterrorists. Major (played by Scarlett Johansson) is the first of her kind: a human mind, but an entirely robotic body. Major, along with Batou (played by Pilou Asbæk) and the rest of Section 9 provide a counter to those terrorists.

When “Ghost in the Shell” begins to ask the philosophical questions associated with Major’s existence, it ultimately fails. I recognize that the original 1995 anime and this new live action movie are completely different, but it’s hard not compare the two. While I wasn’t particularly impressed by the original, it asked questions concerning what made a human, and what separated our souls, our ghosts, from our physical bodies. And I recognize, to appeal to a broader audience, these had to be simplified, but the director still chose to tease these questions, only to give them a lame resolution.

The plot was about as mediocre as it gets. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t anything I hadn’t already seen in another action or sci-fi movie. That said, because of some of the more interesting ideas that the film showed in the beginning, the plot felt worse than it actually ended up being.

The acting in “Ghost in the Shell” wasn’t phenomenal, but it did the job. Scarlett Johansson left a lot to be desired, looking as if she was just going through her four acting faces that she does in all of her movies. Maybe her acting was stiff to reflect that fact that she was a robot, but she looked either confused or disconnected the entire movie.

When the movie was announced with Scarlett Johansson as the lead actress, there was immediately controversy with accusations of whitewashing. I personally had no issues with it, as it’s simply business, with Johansson being one of the most bankable actresses in Hollywood. Even though the controversy could have been avoided in the first place, I felt that the movie justified why Major wasn’t Japanese.

The movie’s strongest aspect was easily the visuals. Neo-Japan is a huge futuristic city, with bustling traffic, and huge, neon colored, holographic advertisements. Each set is so visually appealing, from seedy nightclubs to the busy street markets and the interiors of all of the government buildings. All of the citizens have different cybernetic implants and enhancements, so that no two look exactly the same. Major looked especially great — the opening scene shows the creation of her robotic body, which is showcased throughout the rest of the movie.

The plot may have differed from the original anime, but there were many visual callbacks and some action scenes throughout that served as nice references to fans of the series.

Past the visuals, the action was also very well done and showcased Major’s enhanced body capabilities very well. The climax fight especially will please fans of the original.

“Ghost in the Shell,” even with it’s impressive visuals and exciting action, is held back by the lack of depth in the story, and by Johansson’s apparent lack of charisma.

While keeping in mind that the bar set by “Dragonball: Evolution,” and “Speed Racer” (a guilty pleasure of mine) was extremely low, “Ghost in the Shell” is certainly the best live-action adaptation of anime yet, and gives me some hope for future adaptations such as “Akira” and “Death Note.”

As long as you don’t go into “Ghost in the Shell” expecting a deep, thought-provoking, sci-fi story, you will certainly be entertained for the duration of the movie.