Hey world, I haven’t done a movie review in a while, so here it is. I will probably do a lot of that when the magazine comes out. With that I’ll learn to write more professional movie reviews but for now let’s keep it friendly.
For this review we will be talking about a classic,Japanese favorite of mine,Castle in the Sky.
‘Castle in the Sky’ is a movie directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki, who is one of the most respected and famous animators to come out of Japan. And with good reason to, because his work is beautiful, heart-felt, nostalgic, conscious of the environment and breathtakingly inspiring.
In this film we are taken to strange fictional world, where the period is both old and new and air ships are used. The conflict in the first scene captures our attention really fast so we are curious and in suspense as to why all this trouble over a girl with a necklace. As the lovely music based soundtrack carries us away from time and allows to dwell deeper as this mysterious little girl falls from the sky and begins to float.
I would say that the entire was very well-balanced and that the characters were all unique and likable and easy to enjoy and have feelings for, plus the grand scale of the art style was always pleasing. There was a pretty amount of blue and green landscapes, and the architecture again provided a nice emptiness which added on the feeling of nostalgia. Plus the pacing was perfect, there were slow heartfelt moments where the characters got to bond well, but I feel like every scene was like real life because it was linked and had a bit of all the emotions people go through. Like even in the slightly romantic scenes there is an element of fear, a sensation of courage and adventure, an addition of visual comedy in the company of expressive dialogues.
So I loved the movie, as you can tell, and I have loved it ever since I was a little child. It is one of those movies that you want to watch to feel how time has passed you by, and also it is a movie that grows in meaning everything you watch. The message is different when you watch is as an adult compared to how it was an epic adventure when you were a kid.
The plot basically consists of two kids who are thrust into this search for an abandoned and almost forgotten city that floats in the sky. But also in this pursuit is the army and a family of pirates. And in the process the characters come face to face with their fears, and grow as they get closer to the city.
Thematically the movie talks about love, dreams, peace and power and the fate of mankind.
Love of any kind because we get to watch are two adorable protagonists, Sheeta and Pazu, become closer and save each other. Relationships and expressions of love are handled in a unique way in Miyazaki’s films. There are no abrupt confessions, or flashy songs, or obvious reasons or even set gender roles when it comes to a growing relationship or understanding. I like that they are able to communicate with each other fully and that they take care of each other, where as in most other movies the biggest cause of a problem is the lack of common ground between the lovers, or lack of communication.
Miyazaki even said so himself in an interview.
“I’ve become skeptical of the unwritten rule that just because a boy and girl appear in the same feature, a romance must ensue. Rather, I want to portray a slightly different relationship, one where the two mutually inspire each other to live – if I’m able to, then perhaps I’ll be closer to portraying a true expression of love.”
― Hayao Miyazaki
The other kind of love in the movie is spiritual love or the love for nature, and making peace with the earth and its ways. Sheeta says this as Muska points a gun at her.
“The world cannot live without love”
Castle in the Sky may be an innocent movie and it does not have anything vulgar in it, but there is a very good and reflective portrayal of the evil in the hearts of men, and how those forces of greed and selfishness can lead to the destruction of mankind. Which speaks a lot about on the current situation the earth is in now. Even if people don’t believe in global warming, they can see the change when Lahore has lost most of it’s for trees to urban construction. They can see how the tigers are being killed in India, and sense the heat or the sting in the air. And most of this is our own fault, but all these big corporations just want what benefits them with no concern of the land.
But nature eventually does win. We get to see that when the kids land straight in Laputa. They are met with a rusty robot, who is all alone and takes care of the animals and plants in the city. This was one of favorite scenes, because of the art and the message those movie stills leave behind. Laputa as we are told really was a great power of legend, and there in the clips it is empty and at peace like the ruins of any other civilization we have here among us. Even in its death it is alive, but the feeling is bittersweet, it’s like looking at those pictures of the ruins of Egypt. Which was once a great power in Africa, and it was also looted time and time again by Europeans, and been robbed of something.
Which leaves one to believe it is truly best to leave these cities and buildings as they are, and protect them. The city floats away in the movie, and the only thing that is ever left of any nation is their children. An old house is never really used as a house ever again.
But even so there needs to be an appreciation of the past and a personal bond should be developed with nature if we are to survive. Castle in the Sky just reminds us of that. It is all this and a lot more.
And again the amazing art work deserves a class award of its own, because it brings the entire concept to life. And the soundtrack doesn’t need any words to justify it.
So I would recommend everyone to watch it. Watch with your family and your kids, and be swept away on an amazing journey and yeah be inspired.
Maheen's Muse 