Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
Can I see? Can I see? Can I see? Can I? Can I? Huh? Pleeeeeease?!?!
Living in Japan can be trying for a movie fan. The average American film can come out years later (although not a great example, we just got Agent Cody Banks ONE), and other foreign language films - unless huge, like House of Flying Daggers - rarely have subtitles in English. But one particular benefit is getting to see things like Steamboy before everyone else. It's takes a bit of the pain away from the extra wait for The Incredibles (or Mr. Incredible, as it's known here). So, this evening, I had the pleasure to join a packed house of Ghibli fans for a special preview of the very-highly-anticipated Howl's Moving Castle.
This movie has an awful lot to live up to, especially considering its practically flawless predecessors and the amount of attention it's been getting - not to mention the box-office record previously set by Spirited Away - and I'm afraid it's probably not going to please everyone. That said, I think it's a fantastic film that may need multiple viewings to be fully appreciated.
Based on the book by Diana Wynne Jones, the film is about a humble girl named Sophie who is turned one day into an old woman by a malicious witch. She sets off on her own to break the spell and ends up being led by a bouncing scarecrow to the front door of a walking castle. There she meets Calcifer, a fire spirit who happens to have a contract with the owner of the castle, the handsome and powerful wizard Howl, and promises to break Sophie's curse if she can break his contract with the wizard (part of the deal is that he can't tell her how - she has to figure it out for herself).
I'll start with what's good (and, as with all Miyazaki's work, what's good is very good). The animation is fantastic - I'm sure that doesn't need to be said, but there's something about the way Miyazaki can tell us so much about his characters based on the slightest movement or look that still surprises me. In the film, Sophie's age changes sporadically with her mood, much like Baron Munchausen in Gilliam's film, and the way she gets up or walks or even stands is entertainingly different with each one. The machinery design (which includes the trademark flying warships Miyazaki is so keen on) is spectacular, especially the patchwork castle, which looks like a mechanical frog that got caught in a fight between Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank Gehry. The backgrounds are phenomenal, too, as usual. There's a moment when Sophie runs to the castle windows looking at the passing scenery which reminded me of Chihiro's train journey in Spirited Away. You always get the impression that the world these characters inhabit is a complete one, and not only serving the plot. The reflection of light off a stream, or a man sitting in an alleyway can make the subtle difference in involvement that other animated films seem to often miss - and this film is involving.
The plot generally follows the book's for a good portion of the film, with some major differences, especially closer to the end (I won't spoil it for potential viewers and/or readers). It's the end which has the most trouble, though, mainly due to the fact that an awful lot has to be explained in a very short time, and it can get confusing if you're not taking mental notes. I was worried my limited Japanese was the problem, but was surprised that I was actually at an advantage having read the book and could explain some things that my Japanese friends didn't get. For example, it was unclear why a war was being fought and who, indeed, it was being fought against, and the identities of some minor characters, and their relationships to the others were also foggy. Some people may feel the ending is a bit rushed over, and it's never very fulfilling to leave a film scratching your head.
Another minor point is - and this could be taken either way - while the source material is from a third party, it really doesn't differ a lot from other familiar Ghibli films. In my case, I consider this a good thing. The final product ends up feeling a lot like a cross between Nausicaa, Castle in the Sky, and Kiki's Delivery Service - in fact, a lot like the moving castle itself: several very different elements crafted by the same hands and crammed together in a way that can be confusing and amazing at the same time. Of course, that's not a bad place to be at all, but it'll be appreciated more by some than others. The fans will love it without question, while it'll grow on most other people over time. It didn't blow me away, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. It's a very good film, and I can't wait to see it again.
Senator Ovaltine
Minor quibbles aside... can I see? Can I see? Can I see? PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE??!?!?!?!
"Moriarty" out.
