Porco Rosso Reviews

I already saw this movie but, at the time, I didn't like it much but since it was such a long time ago, I was quite eager to check it again. Well, I'm glad I watched it again because I didn't remember much about the damned thing but, unfortunately, I still didn't care much for this movie which remains, as far as I'm concerned, one of the weakest movies delivered by Miyazaki. I mean, as usual with this director , the animation was just top-notch, filled with some very neat details and the action scenes were pretty much breathtaking but even though the story was gentle and sweet like many other Ghibli productions, to be honest, it was also rather boring. It's too bad because, for once, the main character was not one of their usual pure and innocent girls which was quite refreshing and really promising but to go for a man with a pig face was a rather odd choice and I can't say I really cared for this character. Anyway, to conclude, even though I didn’t really like it, it is still an intriguing animated feature and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre or if you are interested in Hayao Miyazaki's work.

I am a long standing Studio Ghibli fan and have enjoyed every film so far, but of them all this is the one I enjoyed the least.

I found it a struggle to watch and at times even found myself bored. I found the pace to be wanting and also felt it to be a very masculine film overall, but this maybe the very reason I did not enjoy it has much has others from Hayao Miyazaki's work which I feel are more balanced in that respect.

I rarely like the dubbed versions, but did find Michael Keatons voice was very well suited to the central character.

The animation, as always with Studio Ghibli, is superb and the flight scenes are quite breathtaking. The story was not lost on me, but I did find myself skipping through bits out of boredom.

Not the best of work from Studio Ghibli, but by no means a terrible piece of animation work. I just didn't enjoy the story as much as others from Studio Ghibli.

It's funny how renowned directors like Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg are extremely well-known for their works and still some of their finest, critically acclaimed works go unnoticed by audiences and the die-hard fans. In Scorsese's case, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore could be a perfect example and in case of Spielberg it's The Color Purple. And in case of Hayao Miyazaki's, it's Porco Rosso (Meaning "Crimson Pig" in Italian).

At the time of it's production, this film was going to be a short film for the Japanese Airline that tells the story of a middle-aged ace pilot from 1930's Fascist Italy who was cursed to become a pig. As it turns out, the film became a full-length feature. After seeing all 9 out of 10 Miyazaki films, this was my final one. What I felt during Porco Rosso was that Miyazaki tackles more bold issues, much bolder than his other films. Porco is not a children's character but one of those guys who drinks a lot, smokes a lot i.e. he represents perfectly an old dead beat pilot trying to find nothing but peace in his life. He is not a character you could learn something from, not a usual theme in Miyazaki's films. What is his role then? In the film it's chasing pirates, running away from the air-force, getting involved in ridiculous fights, etc. Miyazaki offers a different point though by saying that every middle-aged man is a pig and Porco Rosso in this film is simply resembling to that fact.

So this was about Porco Rosso (His real name is Marco Pagot). The other characters like Gina his love, the pirates, the American aviator who challenges Marco to a combat and there's Fio the cute girl who repairs Marco's plane were captured as usually marvelously by Miyazaki's lavish brushstrokes. The story takes place after World War 1 in the Adriatic sea. Thus Miyazaki was challenged to draw a totally different culture which he pulls off successfully. What more lovely about this film is that it stays completely true to history (The war, I mean) and uses this as one of the driving forces in the film. It's just wonderful as it is with all Miyazaki films. Though I have to say that this film is more confusing and subtle in it's way of storytelling. Because Miyazaki also tackles completely newer themes that are even different from other animated films in the world, both fans and non-fans are in for a treat.

My conclusion is that Miyazaki triumphs yet once again in his stellar career and has made the most "unique" animated film I have ever seen proving why I am a very huge fan of his. The Most underrated Studio Ghibli film yet Highly recommended.

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