Howl's Moving Castle (B or 3/4 stars)
Hayao Miyazaki is to animation what David Lynch is to live-action drama. There's just no one like them in cinema today. As soon as you see one of Miyazaki's works, it's immediately identifiable (like Shakespeare's written word). 'Howl's Moving Castle' is the follow-up movie to Miyazaki's masterpiece Spirited Away. This film isn't as masterful, but it's still pretty darn special. The plot: young, insecure Sophie (voiced by Emily Mortimer) is cursed by the spiteful Witch of the Waste (voiced by Lauren Bacall), & turns into an old crone. Ashamed of her looks, she flees into the hills where she encounters a huge moving castle; gliding along the mountainside on 4 creaky legs. The castle belongs to the young & handsome wizard Howl (voiced by Christian Bale); an ambiguous fellow who's under his own magical spell. Inside the castle, Sophie befriends a fire demon named Calcifer (voiced by Billy Crystal), who promises to help her turn young again.
But there's a condition: she must help him be free of Howl's control ... and he cannot tell her how to do this. Desperate, & with help from a few strange allies (a bouncing scarecrow, & an asthmatic dog), Sophie agrees to stay, clean up the castle, & figure out ways to break the spell/curse put upon them. Little does she know that her only chance of breaking the spell lies completely with the similarly insecure wizard, Howl. And regardless of her elderly form, Howl starts to fall in love with Sophie for who she is inside. With war ravaging the land, how will they be able to figure out who's the source of these spells? What connection does Calcifer have with Howl? And will Sophie ever return to her youthful form?
Plot aside, I must say that I love that fact that hand-drawn animation is not dead yet. I love Pixar, Disney, & Dreamworks studios. But there's nothing like 'hand-drawn' when it's expertly executed. The fact that Miyazaki is able to bring such depth, texture, & innovation to the hand-drawn visuals is astounding. His visuals are evocative, imaginative, & colorful. Even if you can't follow or don't care for the sometimes baffling plot, you'll most likely be enchanted by what you see anyway. (i.e., Sophie is able to enter different times & places via portals inside the castle. Great stuff.). Now, the storyline is only intermittently absorbing, and that's the movie's main problem. The characters are interesting. What they have to accomplish is intriguing. But portions of the plot (here & there) waver into a too-strange territory; losing some charm. Another slight issue is the quickly tidied-up ending. The conclusion needed some breathing room.
But as I've said, a brunt of the plot is wonderfully surreal, mystical, & praise-worthy (adapted from a beloved book). It's the kind of film that adults & children can appreciate. Its themes are great: celebrating the power of love & the strength of the human spirit when facing adversity. The voice-work is stellar. As soon as you hear Howl's voice, you know it is Christian Bale. I never realized how powerful a presence his voice has when you're not looking at his face. Watching 'Howl's Moving Castle' (much like Spirited Away) is like experiencing a dream; where multiple realities lie behind different doors in the castle. This movie contains humor, heart, fun, melancholy, danger, unpredictability, & visual majesty. I wasn't as riveted or transported to another world as I was with Spirited Away, but this adventure story is still notably & wonderfully strange. Be sure to check out Miyazaki's magical movies.
But there's a condition: she must help him be free of Howl's control ... and he cannot tell her how to do this. Desperate, & with help from a few strange allies (a bouncing scarecrow, & an asthmatic dog), Sophie agrees to stay, clean up the castle, & figure out ways to break the spell/curse put upon them. Little does she know that her only chance of breaking the spell lies completely with the similarly insecure wizard, Howl. And regardless of her elderly form, Howl starts to fall in love with Sophie for who she is inside. With war ravaging the land, how will they be able to figure out who's the source of these spells? What connection does Calcifer have with Howl? And will Sophie ever return to her youthful form?
Plot aside, I must say that I love that fact that hand-drawn animation is not dead yet. I love Pixar, Disney, & Dreamworks studios. But there's nothing like 'hand-drawn' when it's expertly executed. The fact that Miyazaki is able to bring such depth, texture, & innovation to the hand-drawn visuals is astounding. His visuals are evocative, imaginative, & colorful. Even if you can't follow or don't care for the sometimes baffling plot, you'll most likely be enchanted by what you see anyway. (i.e., Sophie is able to enter different times & places via portals inside the castle. Great stuff.). Now, the storyline is only intermittently absorbing, and that's the movie's main problem. The characters are interesting. What they have to accomplish is intriguing. But portions of the plot (here & there) waver into a too-strange territory; losing some charm. Another slight issue is the quickly tidied-up ending. The conclusion needed some breathing room.
But as I've said, a brunt of the plot is wonderfully surreal, mystical, & praise-worthy (adapted from a beloved book). It's the kind of film that adults & children can appreciate. Its themes are great: celebrating the power of love & the strength of the human spirit when facing adversity. The voice-work is stellar. As soon as you hear Howl's voice, you know it is Christian Bale. I never realized how powerful a presence his voice has when you're not looking at his face. Watching 'Howl's Moving Castle' (much like Spirited Away) is like experiencing a dream; where multiple realities lie behind different doors in the castle. This movie contains humor, heart, fun, melancholy, danger, unpredictability, & visual majesty. I wasn't as riveted or transported to another world as I was with Spirited Away, but this adventure story is still notably & wonderfully strange. Be sure to check out Miyazaki's magical movies.