Howl's Moving Castle

My first entry of my brand-spanking new film review blog. Hopefully it won't turn out to be a load of random and annoying rants by an opinionated blogger, so I'll try my best not to get too carried away! I promise not to include any spoilers (honest!) and will include a star rating at the end of each review (out of 5). Of course, film is as subjective an art form as they come, and I do not expect you to agree with all of my reviews; in fact, it would be stupid of me to even expect half of you to agree with my opinions on films. But that is what is so great about film - it gets people talking, discussing and (often) arguing about a form of entertainment which is almost universal. Film has the power to divide, unite and leave people questioning. Few things can do this.

I thought I'd start with a film which I've literally just finished watching: Howl's Moving Castle. Now, I have to admit that this was my first feature-length "Japanese anime" type of film and, to be honest, I was pleasantly surprised. I set out feeling that all I would be watching was a hyped-up version of the cartoons I watched as a child coming home from school (Digimon on steroids if you will). What I actually found myself watching was a beautifully crafted film, with vivid set-pieces and a limitless imagination. The film, to those who don't know, is loosely based upon the novel by Diana Wynne Jones and follows the story of Sophie, a shy and unconfident girl who is cursed by a witch and is turned into a 90-something year old woman. The only way in which she can break the spell is to seek the help of the wizard Howl, who is self-indulgent and pre-occupied with his own vanity and who lives, with his companions, in a moving 'castle' (as if the title didn't tell you this..). The film follows her journey and, along the way, introduces moral themes which tend to gravitate towards a coming-of-age story.

So, as I've already said, the film is certainly a spectacle - the world which director Hayao Miyazaki creates is somewhere between Disney's Fantasia, Middle Earth and nineteenth century Amsterdam, as human characters go about their daily business in a city full of weird and wonderful contraptions (I especially liked the flying car things). The visual impact of the dream sequences and the vast landscapes helped to create a world in which Sophie was both lost in and, at the same time, could find herself and her inner strength. Whilst the film is clearly a fantasy (I mean, it's got a walking castle in it for goodness sake), there seemed to be underlying commentaries on real-life events. I felt a bit uncomfortable with the whole war sub-plot thing which seemed to be a very unsubtle nod towards the war in Iraq or Afghanistan (the film was released in 2004) and seemed rather unnecessary in terms of plot. Furthermore, the plot seemed to be unevenly constructed, with little real focus or aim and the beginning of the film seemed to by-pass a lot of the reasons for which 18-year old Sophie was unhappy.

However, despite these plot issues, I felt that the overall narrative was carried over by the power of character's facial expressions reflecting the situations in which they found themselves which can only be achieved in this style of animation. Sophie's transformation from pretty, innocent girl to an old and decrepid woman of 90 was one of the stand out sequences for me in the entire film. I felt sorry for her and immediately thought of her as an old woman, not as a young woman trapped in the body of a hag and therefore her trying to come to terms with her new image was somewhat heart-wrenching. Miyazaki's usual focus on feminism was clearly visible in the character of Sophie, who, on a certain level, was liberated and found her true potential and independence on her journey with Howl, whilst retaining her dependence on that age old theme: love.

Although I felt, in places, the dialogue was slightly clunky (perhaps due to translation issues) and the character of Sophie had some potential to become vaguely annoying, I still found myself rooting for her. I was slightly confused by the decision to include a mix of American and English accents but once I went along with it, it was fine. Comic moments were provided by the fire demon which, in the end, proved to be an integral part of Howl and his predicament. All in all, a fine piece of animation which, if you let it transport you into Sophie's world, will capture your heart...well, almost. 

Clapper rating: * * *