Howl's Moving Castle Review

Wow...glad I got this HK-version one. Was kinda worried for a moment there whether the R1 version would be better.

I've caught both the Japanese and English Versions of the film, and you are absolutely right. It gets better with subsequent viewings...And I really, really liked it the first time around!

Still, for me, Princess Mononoke is the culmination of all of his themes in one perfect package, a technical and emotional build on his way-ahead-of-its-time Nausicaa.

i'm not sure how well it holds up on multiple viewings, certainly feels less typically 'miyazaki' than other films... would certain say its more than worth seeing, should go without saying, but there you are just in case : see it... great film.

Porco Rosso is my favourite Miyazaki movie... I don't say it's his best work, but it's my favourite one!

Porco Rosso, bland and uninspiring?

Regardless of your credential as a film reviewer, you just disqualified yourself as a person who understnds Miyazaki films.

Agreed. Porco Rosso is one of my favourite Miyazaki films (actually, they're all favourites, but Porco nudges itself ahead just a tad). The film is pure cool and the flying sequences are amazing and yet to be lived up to in any live action film I've seen to date.

Well not to bug about the Porco comment (it is seems like the least popular of his films here in Japan too), but I'm not sure you realize how personal the film is for Miyazaki... Do you know of his work outside of animation? Miyazaki is an authority on WWII era military technology, especially in regards to aviation. He has illustrated for similarly themed model kit magazines for years and published several manga that are practically gushing with love for everything that makes up the setting for Porco Rosso. More importantly, Porco is probably the most adult of his films in the way it presents it's somewhat cynical philosophy... It sure seems more like the rather pessamistic man I read interviews with than Totoro...
Everyone has their own taste. I'm just saying that Porco presents a side of Miyazaki that is rare and somehow unusually personal in his animation work.
(my personal favorite, however, is Laputa. ^_^)

I love how discussions about Miyazaki are always about which film people enjoyed most, never about whether his films are any good in the first place. The worst you ever hear about one of his movies is: "It was good, but not as good as his other movies." Everybody just loves his work. ^_^

Strictly speaking... Porco Rosso's setting is right before WWII...

But, it is right that it was a very personal project for Mr. Miyazaki.

Greert Jan, there is a difference between voicing out subjective opinion and making a statement about films. You are right. Who cares if someone loved one over the other. But, if you want to start writing reviews and make a point about somebody's filmography, you have to have an objective and opinions that are based on facts.

Besides, isn't that the spirit of Twitchfilm? To dig little deeper into films known and unknown?

Frankly, I am tired of reviews that are just subjective opinion based. I recognize that at the end, you can't avoid such bias. But, if you are going to give such opinion, at least back it up with why you think so.

add me to the list of Porco Rosso lovers. It's pretty much my favorite Miyazaki (my Ghibli favorites are usually Takahata's, not Miyazaki's, go figure). Glorious stuff.

"Porco Rosso, bland and uninspiring?"

In my book yes, absolutely. Most days I would rank it as my least favorite Ghibli film, period, ranking it behind even The Cat Returns. There's not a single character in there that I care a bit about.

"you just disqualified yourself as a person who understnds Miyazaki films."

Please ... not sharing your opinion automatically makes mine invalid? That's just ridiculous, not to mention petty and self important. Understanding something in no way means that you have to like it. And my disliking it in no way means it's an inferior film or that you can't love it to pieces. It simply means I don't like it.

"Frankly, I am tired of reviews that are just subjective opinion based. I recognize that at the end, you can't avoid such bias. But, if you are going to give such opinion, at least back it up with why you think so."

All reviews are purely and simply subjective and opinion based. That's exactly what a review is: an opinion. As for my reasons why I don't like Porco Rosso, if this had been a review of THAT film I would've gone into them, sure. But it's not. It's a review of Howl's so that's the film I talked about.

James, didn't really mean anything by my earlier comment, and certainly not "Who cares if someone loved one over the other."

I like reading different views and opinions about Miyazaki's films. It's just that as a long time fan I'm happy that the overal tone of these discussions is generally very positive.

I've seen it numerous times, in Japanese, English and Swedish. It's a grand creation but a growing sensation? Uhm perhaps.

ps. my reason for even replying was so I could add Pom Poko to the list of favourite Ghiblis. ds.

I find it odd that the blandness of Porco Rosso is what drew you away from it Todd. That's what drew me to it. I wonder what novels miyazaki weas reading to get that easy going vibe he often lacks in his more fanciful and adventuresome films. I wish I had my own private island with a small lake hidden in the center of some forest brush. I truly hope some day a game developer tries to recreate a Miyazaki world effectively so I can spend more time in it.

There are a few things that put me off it ... I think dropping a fantasy based character into such an obviously real world setting doesn't work particularly well, Miyazaki's obviously going for a noir / Bogart / Casablanca feel and I just don't think he writes a particularly good anti-hero, etc. The biggest thing, though, is I just find Porco - alone among Miyazaki's films - really emotionally cold.

Todd, Todd, Todd...

You know I love and respect your great work here at Twitch, but I gotta admit I stopped reading your article as soon as you called PORCO ROSSO "bland and uninspired". That's as sacreligious as it is confounding, given how richly inspired and utterly mesmerizing the film is. I mean, dear God, it's Miyazaki making a Michael Curtiz film... with a WWI flying ace who's been transformed into a pig! That is anything but uninspired.

Then I read your latest comment post, which doesn't exactly help your case... ;-)

You wrote: "dropping a fantasy based character into such an obviously real world setting doesn't work particularly well." Um... like in TOTORO? Or WHISPER OF THE HEART? Or even KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE? C'mon, dude.

You also wrote: "The biggest thing is I just find PORCO really emotionally cold." Um, did you miss the flashbacks - like Marco and Gina's young love, and Marco telling Fio his own hauntingly heartbreaking (and devastatingly beautiful) origin? Not to mention both Fio's and Gina's (very different kinds of) love for Marco, made all the more tragic because he obviously can't let himself be loved by anyone due to the fact he's been hardened by war and tragedy and, oh yeah, TRANSFORMED INTO A PIG.

My God, man. Go back and watch this [brilliant, inspired, touching and exhilarating] film again! Subtitled! ;-)

Miyazaki is God.

Heh, heh, heh ... it's not like I haven't given it a chance, man. I've popped it in the player every four or five months since I first saw it to see if my opinion has changed but I just don't like Porco. Such is life.

Oh ... and the fantasy element thing ... I have no problem with it in Totoro and Kiki because they are obviously fantasy stories from a child's perspective. It's harder to buy a love story between a woman and a pig.

> It's harder to buy a love story between a woman and a pig.

I dunno man... goolge image search "woman-pig-love" and I think you might find graphic evidence of the very real possible love bewteen the two...

Agh. Girlfriend is hitting me.

Ironically she used to own a pet pig.

My. head. ow.

I officially lost my appetite.

How to get from sensitive Miyazaki film to Woman-Pig Love in under 20 posts: ----See Above.

/got nothing.

So whats the problem of a fantasy story from a more mature perspective? Wasn't it mentioned earlier that Porco Rosso is considered Miyazaki's most cynical film?

It was originally developed as a short film to entertain airline businessmen before being expanded into a feature length. I loved how the film had a slightly more mature feel about it and it certainly was different having a lot less Miyazaki enviromentalism beaten over your head.

But why can't fantasy be seen from an adults point of view? Why do an animation film and not have fun in doing even a tiny little bit of elements of fantasy? Even Satoshi Kon's stuff (mature, no mecha or swordfighting etc), totally uses the escapisms of fantasy to tell a great narrative on a purely adult level.

But yeah, in my opinion of course, I think the use and mysteriously unaddressed thing of Porco being a man turned into a pig worked well in the context of the film. Defined him much differently from other Miyazaki creations and I'll just go down to a basic level... I mean c'mon... a flying pig! Thats just cool.

Oh... and How to get from to one film review to next to no comments about the actual reviewed film: ----See Above.

"But why can't fantasy be seen from an adults point of view?"

In the book world, the Canadian author "Guy Gavriel Kay" comes to mind. I know this is way off thread (also mentioned by xris), but why nobody has opted to develop any of Mr. Kay's novels as film scripts is beyond me.

(Tigana would make a spectacular film)

And yes, I'm waaaay off thread.

Tigana's pretty good ... it was the first Kay I'd picked up since high school ... the Fionavar books feel like they're trying a bit too hard from time to time, but I had a serious weakness for them back in the day ...

Getting very much off Thread here, but I keep coming back to Tigana, Lions of Al-Rassan (which as of last year was rumoured at www.brightweavings.com to be in a script-development stage) and the Sarantine Mosaic...especially the latter...Damn fine writing...

I too feel that Fionavar is way to strained...the man hit his stride with Tigana and hasn't looked back....

Did you guys know that the flim was an adaptation of a book of the same title by a british author Diana Wynne Jones which she followed up with a sequal called Castle in the Air, which really isn't a sequel since the characters of Howl's moving castle only shows up half into the book. Mr. Miyazaki did a great adaptation of it that would make the author proud.

Howl's moving Castle was really good. Too bad there wasn't a sequel to the movie. I think it weighs heavily on the action and a bit of romance. I seriously like it. It's cool! Especially Howl...

Howl's moving castle...
I've only seen the movie...

um, People?

wasn't this SUPPOSED to be the review on HOWL"S MOVING CASTLE????

Well, of course i like all of Mr. Miyazaki's work... Although I'm not sure about Porco Rosso... See above.

I adore the animation and how well he did them.It was splendid!
Howl is my fav character in it, you guys?

And W, please gather more info first, beforehand!!!!

I think they should add more pics of Howl on Google nad yahoo. I can't seem to get enough of it!!!!