7 of 10
Cinematography by Nizou Yamamoto
James Van Der Beek
Anna Paquin
Cloris Leachman
Mark Hamill
Jim Cummings
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| Castle in the Sky 7 of 10 |
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| Directed by Hayao Miyazaki Cinematography by Nizou Yamamoto James Van Der Beek Anna Paquin Cloris Leachman Mark Hamill Jim Cummings |
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| A wonderful film from Hayao Miyazaki and the artists at Studio Ghibli . The story, although not as magical as Spirited Away, is much faster paced and quite a bit easier to follow, and seems to be heavily influenced Gulliver's Travels. (The castle described in the title is named Laputa, and follows almost exactly the description of Swift's Laputa, or Flying Island.) There are several memorable characters, especially Dola, the tough-talking but soft-hearted pirate mother who is the catalyst for everything that happens in the movie. Also memorable are the robots created to protect the castle and inhabitants of the city in the sky, who are at odds with the rest of the technological world, despite their own dependence on technology. The theme of the battle between nature and machines, which runs throughout the film, reminds one somewhat of J.R.R. Tolkien's works, although Miyazaki sometimes comes across as preachy. In fact, in the movie's resolution the entire city is destroyed, along with all its machinery, leaving only the giants, the animals, and Nature, represented by a huge, beautiful, all-powerful tree. A little unsatisfying in its conclusion, but pleasing overall. | ||||||