Castle in the Sky (1986)
Stars: Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa, Kotoe Hatsui
Runtime: 125 minutes
Synopsis: A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.
Animation: 8/10
Performances: 8/10
Screenplay: 7/10
Editing: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 9/10
Verdict: The entire gallery of Studio Ghibli animes is slowly making its way onto Netflix, and I can't think of a better time to revisit the ones I already watched and discover the ones I still haven't. In an animated world dominated by western companies such as Pixar, I've wanted for a while to talk about the Eastern contribution to that world, which I personally think is superior than its American counterpart.
The first movie on the list is also the first one animated by Ghibli. Directed by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, "Castle in the Sky" may not be the film I'd recommend people to check out first if they have never been exposed to his work, but it's still an exceptionally animated film that combines adventure and fantasy in a way only Miyazaki can achieve. Complimented by a beautiful score, the relationship shared between the two young protagonists in search for a legendary floating castle is one that will certainly make you smile on more than one occasion and one that drives the narrative from beginning to end. The reason why I don't consider this one to be Miyazaki's best is simply due to the introduction of science-fiction and old school action elements, such as robots, spaceships, and explosions, which didn't entirely work for me as I found the fantastical elements much more interesting. The length of the movie is also slightly problematic and a tiny bit unjustified.
Aside from an awkward scene in which grown men try to impress a young girl, I'd say that this is still a solid tale that needs to be seen by fans of the genre. It's not perfect and it's far from the quality of Miyazaki's latter work, but it nevertheless contains elements that can only be found in the Japanese director's work.
The first movie on the list is also the first one animated by Ghibli. Directed by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, "Castle in the Sky" may not be the film I'd recommend people to check out first if they have never been exposed to his work, but it's still an exceptionally animated film that combines adventure and fantasy in a way only Miyazaki can achieve. Complimented by a beautiful score, the relationship shared between the two young protagonists in search for a legendary floating castle is one that will certainly make you smile on more than one occasion and one that drives the narrative from beginning to end. The reason why I don't consider this one to be Miyazaki's best is simply due to the introduction of science-fiction and old school action elements, such as robots, spaceships, and explosions, which didn't entirely work for me as I found the fantastical elements much more interesting. The length of the movie is also slightly problematic and a tiny bit unjustified.
Aside from an awkward scene in which grown men try to impress a young girl, I'd say that this is still a solid tale that needs to be seen by fans of the genre. It's not perfect and it's far from the quality of Miyazaki's latter work, but it nevertheless contains elements that can only be found in the Japanese director's work.
FINAL GRADE: 7/10
Comments
Post a Comment