Screen Junkies have released a spot-on honest trailer for one of 2017’s biggest box office flops, Ghost In The Shell.

The tongue-in-cheek trailer pokes fun at the film’s watered-down plot, dodgy action tropes, and of course Scarlett Johansson’s controversial casting at the title character, which led to accusations of whitewashing.

Ghost In The Shell only grossed $170 million at the global box office earlier this year. Set against an $110 production budget, which doesn’t include marketing or distribution costs, this represents a sizeable loss for makers Paramount Pictures. 

Ghost In The Shell was created by Masamune Shirow in 1989 as a manga or Japanese comic book, before being made into a cult Japanese anime movie six years later. Hollywood’s remake was plagued by whitewashing accusations as soon as Johansson was cast as its lead, the Major.

The story is set midway through the 21st century and follows the exploits of a fictional counter-cyberterrorist organization called Public Security Section 9, which is led by a character called Major Motoko Kusanagi, now hailed as a Japanese icon.

“I certainly would never presume to play another race of a person,” Johansson later said in defense of her casting. “Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive.” 

“Having a franchise with a female protagonist driving it is such a rare opportunity,” she added. “Certainly, I feel the enormous pressure of that – the weight of such a big property on my shoulders.” 

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