Howl's Moving Castle Review

"Howl's Moving Castle" reviews

Movie

Howl's Moving Castle

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-11-01 00:16:31

Rating

2.5/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

While director Hayao Miyazaki's new film Howl's Moving Castle may not be on the same level as his previous films, including the Oscar-winning Spirited Away, it is still worth checking out for anime fans.

Story

Where to begin? This whimsical, far-out fairy tale is almost impossible to synopsize, but we'll give it a shot. Plain Sophie (voiced by Emily Mortimer), who works all day in her family's hat shop, has her life turned upside down when she meets the handsome and mysterious wizard, Howl (voiced by Christian Bale). A jealous witch, the obscenely obese Witch of the Waste (voiced by Lauren Bacall), changes her into an old woman, so Sophie has no choice but to hunt her down to get her to undo the spell. Along the way, she runs into the amazing contraption of the title, Howl's moving castle--a huge, steam-driven mechanical house on legs, where she meets Howl's minions--including a fire demon named Calcifer (voiced by Billy Crystal). She goes to work for him as his cleaning lady, and together they fall in love, stop a war, and break all the evil spells they've been under.

Acting

The star of the show is Calcifer, a wisecracking fire demon enslaved to Howl who keeps the castle running. Billy Crystal lends him the requisite air of self-centered petulance and humor. Lauren Bacall as the scheming Witch of the Waste simply purrs her lines with malevolence. Christian Bale's deep, masculine voice is a bit of a disconnect at first with the androgynous-looking Howl, but it slowly grows on you. Jean Simmons provides the voice of Sophie as an old woman, while Emily Mortimer voices the younger version--quite a juggling act since Sophie keeps morphing back and forth from a bent-over-grandmother to being a wide-eyed young girl.

Direction

The film is beautiful to look at, with stunningly rendered landscapes and fanciful creations, such as the moving castle itself and Howl, who can transform into a bird-like creature. Whereas Spirited Away was set in Japan, this film, like Miyazaki's earlier Kiki's Delivery Service, is set in what seems to be an unspecified Western European country. The lead characters have that idealized pixie look that is sometimes at odds with the more sophisticatedly drawn backgrounds.

Bottom Line

In yet another weird and wild ride, Howl's Moving Castle doesn't translate quite as well as its big brother Spirited Away. But it'll still garner attention from anime diehards.

Copyright © CinemaSource 2006.

Movie

HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2005-10-25 21:09:37

Provider

MRIB

Review

Fans of acclaimed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazki can breathe a huge sigh of relief: with Howl's Moving Castle your feted auteur has done it again. Following the Oscar-winning Spirited Away was always going to prove a difficult proposition but this touching and vivid film, now receiving it's UK dubbed release, shows Miayazki equal to the task.

The tale itself is, as all Miayazki's works are, a multi-textured feast. Part-fairytale, part-political allegory, it tells the story of a young woman called Sophie (voiced by Emily Mortimer), an innocent hatmaker who gets caught up in the ongoing conflict between two war-weary Empires. Rescued by the enigmatic young wizard Howl (Christian Bale) this act of deliverance proves to be a curse when the wicked Witch of the Waste (a stirring Lauren Bacall), who coverts Howl for herself, turns Sophie into an elderly hag. Now voiced by Hollywood's grand old dame Jean Simmons, Sophie leaves her home to take residence in Howl's foreboding castle in the waste lands which separate the two factions.

There she encounters all manner of magical and wonderful characters including the fire demon Calcifer (Billy Crystal) who gives the titular Castle it's energy. Although Howl doesn't recognise the aged Sophie her manner and charm mean he is helpless around her and his feelings for her grow. And yet curses, tragedies and moments of personal triumph must be encountered before we reach a glittering denouement.

The film itself is visually stunning: rich, vibrant colours fill every inch of the big screen and while the voices of such Hollywood A-listers could potentially detract from the story, it's to Miyazaki's credit that they do not.

Children will love the magic and the mystery, adults will appreciate the complex issues lurking beneath the Technicolor exterior. A hit on every level.

Copyright © MRIB 2005.