I just finished watching Ghost in the Shell, a film that many said was a significant influence on the Wachowski brothers in their creation of the Matrix trilogy.
I'm a geek. I get geek stuff. I don't get this film.
I see the references as noted in the wikipedia article on the film, and their impact on the development of the Matrix trilogy. What I don't get is the "massive significance" that has been noted by many in the manga/cyberpunk/tech groups who revere this film.
It's kind of embarassing for me as someone who, if given the opportunity, would wholeheartedly support the embedding of camera and recording equipment in my body – believe me, I can't remember my name, let alone others, from day to day, and see this as a godsend - to not "get" this film. I feel the same way as I did when, 15 years ago, in university with my roommate Darren, watched "Akira," which was also labelled as an astonishing film with incredible impact -- and which I enjoyed until the last 20 minutes, in which it got so ridiculous that I wanted to shut it off. I guess I'm just not a manga kind of guy.