It's a particularly touchy subject because the source material is very conceptual, therefore there will be proportionally more people looking for that in the mo

It's a particularly touchy subject because the source material is very conceptual, therefore there will be proportionally more people looking for that in the movie than any generic sci-fi. I watched both, and I definitely noticed that the main concept has been dumbed down... but then, so what? Aesthetics is a core part of the medium, so it's perfectly justified to enjoy a movie in large part for that. So ultimately it's about what one is looking for; it definitely won't please people seeing GitS through a cerebral lens, but it will certainly please the other end of the spectrum - people looking for a good looking, high-concept sci-fi.