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Reviews of Howl's Moving Castle
''I feel so at home.''
Posted : 2 weeks, 3 days ago on 11 December 2009 05:01
(A review of Howl's Moving Castle)''It's all so familiar yet I know I've never been here before. I feel so at home.''
When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking home.
Christian Bale: Howl
Hauru no ugoku shiro(2004), known to us as Howl's Moving Castle was greeted with numerous reviews not equaling those that Spirited Away received, which is understandable yet undeserving. Miyazaki tells his tale outside the parameters of Western storyline structure. Taking liberties with every aspect, telling it how he wants it to be told, and at first it is a little strange because of the failure recognitive of classic plot points we are so used to seeing; critics have marked it as below par Miyazaki on account of this. I find this ridiculous, and so does Miyazaki. In an interview Miyazaki said "The fact that you would expect a story to be told a certain way is ridiculous." I quite agree Mr. Miyazaki. The film is among his best, abundant in rich imagination and delightful characters set in a world of fantastical sights and sounds, Where everyone has a fly-machine(Miyazaki is an aviation fanatic), where wizards walk among the common folk.
The film was not released in the United Kingdom until 23 September 2005, yet Director Hayao Miyazaki personally traveled to England in the summer of 2004 to give a private showing of the film to Diana Wynne Jones, a very respectful act. Dianne Wynne Jones, the writer of the book Howls Moving Castle; upon which this film is based combines the essence of the story Jones wrote with the style and art of Miyazaki.
The premise and plot; Young Sophie Hatter is cursed by the Witch of the Waste, and turns into an old hag. Ashamed of how she looks, she flees into the hills where a moving castle roams the hills. This castle known to belong to the young and handsome wizard Howl; whom has a bad reputation. Within the castle, Sophie befriends the fire demon Calcifer who promises to help her become young again. One catch, she must help Calcifer to be free of Howl, and Calcifer cannot tell her how. However, Sophie agrees to stay and try and find out about the contract threw other ways. Still, Howl can see that Sophie is under a spell (like Calcifer can) and falls in love with her for who she is and not what she looks like. Sophie manages to bring life to the moving castle, and help Howl to face his former tutor, Madam Sulimen.
Howl's Moving Castle is riddled with classic Miyazaki: strong women characters, open landscapes, flying machines that are so fantastical you don't care whether the make sense or not, and the horridness of war. These add strength to the love story of Howl and Sofi. Miyazaki uses his wonderful power to take classic, almost mythological and fantasy laden story of Dianne Wynne Jones we all know, and archetypal characters and make them a vision of his own making. He does this with a host of wonderful characters. More strange creatures play prominent role here then any other Miyazaki film.
The film even sometimes surpasses Spirited Away in sheer scope and majesty. There is Calcifer, the wonderfully comic fire demon, on Turniphead; the Scarecrow that leads Sofi to Howl's magical moving castle. The castle itself is one reason to see the film. Miyazaki succeeds in giving the castle life and personality. It lumbers along on its thin chicken-like legs, every atom of it's being pushing, pulling, pumping and gyrating in perfect synchronization.
What is truly mesmerizing about Howl's Moving Castle is how it reaches the imagination and fantasy that Spirited Away had; while with the subtlety and moral splicing of Princess Mononoke while standing on its own in perfectly unique way. There have been complaints of lack of proper character development, but like the point before this is no ordinary story. The characters are thrust into a world they do not know, and there they must adapt, and live outside what they have known all their lives. It is not a story of who they were, but what they have become, or what they must become in order to meet their existences purpose. It does not dwell on the past, and gets into the thick of the story; not pausing for flashback explanations we have come to know. It is like nothing I have ever seen before.
To summarize the whole experience : the American voice casting is brilliant, possibly the best assemble ever on a Miyazaki film, which is saying quite alot. Billy Crystal, Christian Bale(Upon seeing Miyazaki'sSpirited Away, Christian Bale immediately agreed to play any role in this film), Lauren Bacall, Jean Simmons and others provide perfect voice overs. Please, if you enjoy Miyazaki and you have not seen this yet, I recommend you do as soon as possible for you will of course fall in love with it. To summarize
Hayao Miyazaki's achievement with making a visionary film from a book should be summed up by the writer. A fitting way to end my review and sum up the film would be to quote Diana Wynne Jones thoughts on the film, "It's fantastic. No, I have no input - I write books, not films. Yes it will be different from the book; in fact it's likely to be very different, but that's as it should be. It will still be a fantastic film." Take her word for it and mine; It IS a fantastic film.
''You who swallowed a falling star, o' heartless man, your heart shall soon be mine. That can't be good for the table.''
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Howl's Moving Castle review
Posted : 6 months, 3 weeks ago on 6 June 2009 03:18
(A review of Howl's Moving Castle)Un film fantastico, che lascia incollati alla schermo dall'inizio alla fine.
A fantastic movie, which leaves glued to the screen from beginning to end.
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A triumph of technical excellence in animation...
Posted : 1 year ago on 30 November 2008 04:12
(A review of Howl's Moving Castle)"What a dump. When I think of castles, it's not what I picture."
Hauru no ugoku shiro (a.k.a. Howl's Moving Castle) - the latest animated enchantment from esteemed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki - is based on a novel by English writer Diana Wynne-Jones. This portion of anime is set in an indeterminate period (a cross between Harry Potter, Jules Verne and Alice in Wonderland) where late 19th century costumes mingle with flying battleships, witches and wizards.
The masterpieces of Hayao Miyazaki (and his legendary Studio Ghibli) are indisputably the most exquisite animated pictures originating from Japan. The breathtaking artistry of each of Miyazaki's films is undeniable; employing traditional, time-consuming hand drawn animation to astonishing effect. Miyazaki's 2001 release, Spirited Away, earned him an Oscar for "Best Animated Feature". Miyazaki himself wasn't in attendance on the night to receive the gold statuette - so to speak; he was the underdog whose chances weren't substantial.
Akin to all of Miyazaki's pictures, it's revitalising to behold anime with appeal extending to adults as well as children. Howl's Moving Castle is an extraordinary movie; visually affluent, enjoyable, eye-catching and amazing. It adheres to a lot of Miyazaki's trademarks - notably a struggling, determined, often unprepared young heroine thrust into an exhilarating adventure. There are also a lot of flying objects, cute magical sprites in addition to ugly, bulbous monsters. However the plotting is opaque and the simplistic message is flattened out into an all-too-lengthy two-hour runtime. It's also hobbled by a general lack of direction and an anti-war message that is handled poorly.
The central heroine of Howl's Moving Castle is a young teenager named Sophie (voiced by Chieko Baisho in the original Japanese dub, and Emily Mortimer (young) and Jean Simmons (old) in the English dub). She's an average girl lacking both confidence and vivacity, and she works at her deceased father's hat shop. While walking through the narrow streets, she is accosted by two soldiers. Sophie is rescued by roguish, self-indulgent magician Howl (Takuya Kimura in the Japanese dub, Christian Bale in the English dub) who takes her for a brief fly around the city - the two of them stroll high above the city walking on air, in the kind of surrealistic dreamlike world only Miyazaki can deliver. It's virtually love at first flight, much to the chagrin of the Wicked Witch of the Waste (Akihiro Miwa in the Japanese dub, Lauren Bacall in the English dub) who's still in love with Howl. Sophie is soon transformed into an aging crone by the jealous, spiteful Wicked Witch. Unable to tell anyone of her plight, Sophie leaves home and embarks on a journey to regain her youth and break the curse. She finds refuge in Howl's magical moving castle where she soon becomes a valued member of the household. As Sophie strives to help Howl bring peace to a war-torn nation, their relationship deepens and she finds herself fighting to protect them both from a dangerous war of sorcery that threatens their world.
Hayao Miyazaki has infused Howl's Moving Castle with his own myths, themes and preoccupations. The setting is a pungent amalgamation of influences; a 19th-century pastiche of mythological, historical, natural and magical worlds. This is the kind of alternate universe that Miyazaki is accustomed to creating - he conceives the look and feel of a futuristic, retro-fabulous, industrial revolution-era England. The film depicts a valiant new technological period of inventions. The streets abound with trolley cars, carriages, and car prototypes. Up above, strange aircrafts skim through the sky. Beyond the town there's an expressive pastoral landscape. In the vicinity of said landscape there's Howl's Moving Castle; a wheezing, old-fashioned eyesore of the Terry Gilliam school. The vast castle contains a doorway with a magical portal into several different worlds. It waddles on four metallic chicken legs, and steam blows from an assortment of funnels and pipes. It is the property of shape-shifting wizard Howl, who is said to devour the hearts of beautiful young women and is spoken of by the townspeople with a frisson of exhilaration and apprehension. The setting evokes classic fairytales such as Alice in Wonderland and Beauty and the Beast, with the story situated against a contemporised backdrop of war.
Howl's Moving Castle is an invigorating visual assault. As Studio Ghibli fans have come to anticipate, the film is beautifully rendered and the animation is striking. Traditionalists who yearn for hand drawn animation won't be disappointed. What's most extraordinary and impressive is how smooth and fluid the result is. The backgrounds look absolutely wonderful. Also, the characters themselves are capable of expressing emotions with little obvious alteration to their appearance. The animation is richly detailed and astounding. It is also widely divergent from the Pixar style of computer-generated animation, though CGI has been employed extensively throughout the film (mainly for the backgrounds). Miyazaki has an appeal that crosses generational barriers. Adult audiences will be mesmerised by the depth and variety of the vision while enjoying the clever scenarios and occasionally witty lines (Calcifer is particularly hilarious). Kids will also be drawn to the visuals.
Miyazaki is renowned for creating imaginative, exhilarating, prosperous and outlandish movies that are enchanting and full of grace as well as gravity. Howl's Moving Castle is also infused with Miyazaki's gentle humour and is utterly absorbing for the first half - especially with the wonder of experiencing a new, incredibly vivid fantasy world. Where the movie has a tendency to disappoint (perhaps that's too strong a word) is in its story. Aside from the story being far too excessively padded out and slender, it contains a few constituents bordering on cliché. Most notable is the anti-war theme, which seems deeply ingrained in Japanese culture and is overused in anime. There are occasions when the film feels like the eponymous castle - a cumbersome, sizeable object constantly in danger of toppling over. A majority of the movie is an extended rant against the evils of war. Howl keeps making speeches about the destructiveness of aerial bombings. While I might be in agreement with the intense 'war is bad' connotation, I don't necessarily want it hammered into my cranium in random preachy moments scattered throughout the feature. For instance, at one stage Sophie asks Howl "Are those the enemy's planes or ours?" to which he replies "Is there really a difference?". These specific interactions are laughable at best, cringe-worthy at worst. It's almost redeemed by its ending; an uplifting marriage of music vocals and redemptive imagery.
Howl's Moving Castle is dissimilar to standard Hollywood animation, as Miyazaki eschews movie references and niche elements incorporated for diverse age groups. Miyazaki's sense of "good" and "bad" characters is deliberately ambiguous: there are continuous challenges and surprises in store when it comes to the depiction of villains.
The journey undertaken by the characters in search of truth and self-discovery is an entertaining and peculiar one. The heroine Sophie exhibits a combination of spunkiness and sombreness. Though cursed into the body of an elderly woman, Sophie learns more about herself as a crone than she ever did as a teenager.
As usual, an English-language version was eventually produced. Purists may holler, but the product is pure pleasure. Christian Bale is intensely likable as Howl the magician (whose appearance resembles a rock-star). However, Bale is periodically dull. Lauren Bacall lends her throaty voice to the plump Wicked Witch of the Waste. Jean Simmons voices Sophie when the witch turns her into an old hag, while Emily Mortimer provides the voice of the youthful Sophie. Both actresses offer charm. Billy Crystal is comic energy unleashed as Calcifer; the fire demon who keeps the castle moving. Crystal as Calcifer is a hilariously welcome presence.
True to expectations from Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli, Howl's Moving Castle is a triumph of technical excellence in animation. The synthesis of conventional hand-drawn animation augmented by subtle computer effects is rich, meticulous and vibrant. This degree of visual elegance is paramount, and sustains an audience when the plot gets a tad murky. Nevertheless, Miyazaki delivers a simplistic message; attempting to compensate for the thin story with gangbusters visuals. All age groups, in addition to Miyazaki fans, will coo at the film's optical depth and rich surreality. But opaque plotting lets the momentum of the first act vanish into thin air. This isn't of the sheer brilliance of Spirited Away or Grave of the Fireflies, but Howl's Moving Castle is a self-assured addition to the Studio Ghibli pantheon.
7.8/10
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Howl's Moving Castle review
Posted : 2 years ago on 25 December 2007 01:20
(A review of Howl's Moving Castle)Hayao Miyazaki is my favourite director - and responsible for some of my favourite Anime.. this movie is amazing!! And competes with Princess Mononoke as my favourite of his movies. Visually it is gorgeous, surreal, entrancing. Terrific plot that keeps you thinking. Magic and love to keep your romantic involvement and mystery to keep you engaged. I have to say, firstly, I am a snob, and I watch it in Japanese - I hate dubbed versions of anything, and i think the japanese is more beautiful and poetic. but for the peons out there, Howl is voiced by Christian Bale, and Sophie is voiced by Jean Simmons and Emily Mortimer, Calcifer the fire spirit is voiced by Billy Crystal etc. The basic plot is Sophie is a quiet studious girl, running the hat shop while her mother is off galavanting. Howl is an "evil magician" with a rep for running off with girls hearts. One day Sophie is walking home and is accosted by soldiers and saved by a mysterious (hot) guy. Next thing you know, she is cursed by the evil witch, and is stuck in the body of an old crone.. she realises she wont fit in her world, and walks into the waste. Picks up a stray (in a sense) and he helps her find somewhere to stay - which happens to be Howl's moving castle, which is powered by Calcifer, the fire spirit. She starts keeping house, in the all bachelor household, and works her own magic - that is her personaility.. anyway, definately worth watching~ for all ages...
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Howl's Moving Castle review
Posted : 2 years, 1 month ago on 5 November 2007 06:19
(A review of Howl's Moving Castle)No point asking me; if a book preceded the movie I’m gonna prefer it nine times out of ten. This is no exception. This film is kid’s play compared to Diana Wynne Jones’s book – which is a novel for children BUT is completely brilliant and can be enjoyed by readers of any age. The film contains only a fraction of the characters and events of the book. Although you do get Billy Crystal as the Calcifer the fire spirit in the movie and that helps move it all along.
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Howl's Moving Castle review
Posted : 2 years, 2 months ago on 10 October 2007 09:51
(A review of Howl's Moving Castle)I'm still in love with this film. Hayao Miyazaki is one of the few who could create this much wonder!
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Howl's Moving Castle review
Posted : 2 years, 10 months ago on 11 February 2007 06:45
(A review of Howl's Moving Castle)Being a Ghibli production, you know that it is going to provide top class entertainment, enchanting storylines and beautiful settings. This film is no different and I would say it is one of the better films to be released by the studio.
In a steampunk setting, we are introduced to some extremely likable characters. Despite it's Universal certificate here in the UK, it still deals with some pretty adult themes, such as war, which pervades the entire film. I would recommend this to anybody, I thought it was a fantastic piece of cinema.
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This movie is a must-see. One of Miyazak
Posted : 2 years, 11 months ago on 25 January 2007 06:15
(A review of Howl's Moving Castle)Hayao Miyazaki has done it again. This is another of his engaging works which is a brain trip on the high, fantastic road of the subconcious. But like all his other fantastic works, this one has a heart. You still know and feel that the experience is familiar, each character's dispositions only right, and the troubled circumstances the characters are plunged into, comic yet inevitable (in the film's world).
The animation is great too. This is really worth buying and watching over and over again. it is perpetually exciting.
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