← Back to Reviews
in
Hauru no ugoku shiro (Howl's moving castle) – Hayao Miyazaki
Well, after reading fairly negative reviews on this film, i have to say i was very pleasantly surprised after having seen it. I'm a fan of Miyazaki ( although i've only seen 3 of his latest films ) so i simply had to see this one too, despite the reviews. And boy was i right.
This is a fantastic fairy tale about a young girl ( Sophie ), who, after an encounter with a wizard ( Howl ), gets turned into an old woman by a ( jealous ) witch . She then leaves her home in search of a counterspell . She ends up as a cleaning lady in Howl's magical moving castle and eventually falls in love with Howl, a young wizard who has lost his heart in a deal he made with a certain spirit. There's also a "little" war going on in the midst of all this, which Howl refuses to be a part of and thus creates enemies of the king's court witch.
This film is not only hilarious, but breathtakingly beautiful. And in my opinion it's better then Spirited away and very close to being as good as Princess Mononoke. I actually thought that Spirited away had to little magic in it and too few adorable characters, which Miyazaki more then makes up for in this one. It's filled with magical creatures ( ok, so was Spirited away ) and magic of all sorts ( flying battle ships, bewitched scarecrows, wizards and witches of all sorts doing their magic( god i'm such a kid ), which they didn't do very often in Spirited away) and there are so many adorable and funny characters you simply won't be able to wipe the grin from your face.
Not only is this film visually much more spectacular then Spirited away, but it's also way funnier, like when Sophie discovers the disadvantages of being old, or Howl's narcissism ( yes, narcissism!! I laughed my guts off in the scene where he goes nuts because Sophie mixed up his shampoo in the bathroom and his hair changed colour and the guy says in total despair that life isn't worth living if you're not pretty!!aaahahaha), the little fire Calcifer and his sarcastic humor, not to mention Heen the dog, who doesn't say a word but his cynical look sends you to the floor.
The story does get a bit confusing at the very end, but you can still understand the basic plot ( c'mon, it's a fairly tale, how complicated can it be ) and it in no way diminishes the overall experience of the film. So don't believe what they tell you ,it's awesome and great fun ( unless you're a grumpy grump with absolutely no sense of humor ).
|
Well, after reading fairly negative reviews on this film, i have to say i was very pleasantly surprised after having seen it. I'm a fan of Miyazaki ( although i've only seen 3 of his latest films ) so i simply had to see this one too, despite the reviews. And boy was i right.
This is a fantastic fairy tale about a young girl ( Sophie ), who, after an encounter with a wizard ( Howl ), gets turned into an old woman by a ( jealous ) witch . She then leaves her home in search of a counterspell . She ends up as a cleaning lady in Howl's magical moving castle and eventually falls in love with Howl, a young wizard who has lost his heart in a deal he made with a certain spirit. There's also a "little" war going on in the midst of all this, which Howl refuses to be a part of and thus creates enemies of the king's court witch.
This film is not only hilarious, but breathtakingly beautiful. And in my opinion it's better then Spirited away and very close to being as good as Princess Mononoke. I actually thought that Spirited away had to little magic in it and too few adorable characters, which Miyazaki more then makes up for in this one. It's filled with magical creatures ( ok, so was Spirited away ) and magic of all sorts ( flying battle ships, bewitched scarecrows, wizards and witches of all sorts doing their magic( god i'm such a kid ), which they didn't do very often in Spirited away) and there are so many adorable and funny characters you simply won't be able to wipe the grin from your face.
Not only is this film visually much more spectacular then Spirited away, but it's also way funnier, like when Sophie discovers the disadvantages of being old, or Howl's narcissism ( yes, narcissism!! I laughed my guts off in the scene where he goes nuts because Sophie mixed up his shampoo in the bathroom and his hair changed colour and the guy says in total despair that life isn't worth living if you're not pretty!!aaahahaha), the little fire Calcifer and his sarcastic humor, not to mention Heen the dog, who doesn't say a word but his cynical look sends you to the floor.
The story does get a bit confusing at the very end, but you can still understand the basic plot ( c'mon, it's a fairly tale, how complicated can it be ) and it in no way diminishes the overall experience of the film. So don't believe what they tell you ,it's awesome and great fun ( unless you're a grumpy grump with absolutely no sense of humor ).