12 Shocking Implications Of 2017 Movies You Totally Missed

6. Whitewashing Is Totally Fine If You're Self-Aware About It - Ghost In The Shell

The live-action Hollywood adaptation of Ghost in the Shell courted plenty of controversy out of the gate for "whitewashing" the original manga's protagonist Motoko Kusanagi, who for the new movie was renamed Mira Killian (Scarlett Johansson).

In a move both brave and stupid, the film opted to roll the casting controversy into its own narrative, by revealing in act three that Mira's original identity was indeed Motoko, and her brain was eventually placed inside the Caucasian shell known as Mira.

This only incited the fan rage further, as it was perceived that Paramount was attempting to "hang a lampshade" on the whitewashing, by effectively saying, "because we're self-aware about it, it's OK."

Though it's perfectly easy to watch the movie on its own terms without even considering the racial implications, to many who want to see greater representation in Hollywood, especially when adapting properties from other cultures, this gross plot twist sent completely the wrong message.

At least the movie bombed, proving that a popular actress alone can't elevate offensive material, making it less likely that other studios will attempt similar nonsense in the future.