A refreshing effects-driven diversion from reality

FOLLOWERS of Scarlett Johansson's career will note that she has the ability to project character and charisma with conviction in any given circumstance, whether as a young, lonely housewife in Lost in Translation (2003), Woody Allen's muse in a trio of dialogue-driven European films, man-devouring alien roaming Scotland in Under the Skin (2013), husky-voiced computer operating system (Her, 2013) or superhero in a skin-tight costume (Black Widow in Marvel's Avengers franchise).

She comes through again with plenty of style and purpose in Ghost in the Shell, a visually-arresting live-action remake of the popular manga series devised by Masamune Shirow, featuring a cyborg law-enforcer up against viciou…