Tonight
I went to see Hayao Miyazaki's (supposed) final film, The
Wind Rises.
Even
though he is the legendary director of titles such as Princess
Mononoke and
Spirited
Away (the
only anime to win an Oscar)
I
did not go into this movie with the highest of expectations. It
is a loose, autobiography about the famous (or infamous) aerospace
engineer Jiro Horikoshi, the man who designed the prototype plane
that would become the infamous Japanese Zero, the plane responsible
for the massacre at Pearl Harbor. The movie tells a condensed story
of Jiro's life from his childhood up until he creates the fighter
plane that would be revolutionary for the Japanese military. Being a
Studio Ghibli film it still has some fanciful moments that come in
the form of vivid dreams.
I had heard about some of the controversy surrounding the film;
some felt that it was very jingoistic due to the fact that the film
never addressed what the planes were eventually used for as well as
painting its inventor as a hapless collaborator,
but
that did not phase me in the least. I watched this movie simply as a
longtime fan of anime and Studio Ghibli. I really wish I could say
this film exceeded my expectations but it did not.
Typical
of a Studio Ghibli production, the animation is stunning. They spare
no expense whenever Hayao Miyazaki wants to make a film. Since wind
is a central theme to the movie the viewer is treated to shots of
planes soaring gracefully through the clouds, whimsical dream
sequences full of prototype flying machines, and massive fields of
grass rustling frantically in the frequent gales. It is a vibrant
and lush landscape, I found myself wanting to dive into it so I could
simply lay on the inviting grass and drift into a deep sleep.
But
then the characters start talking... For the most part the English
dub is serviceable, it sounds as good as a standard dub for a Ghibli
movie. However there were a few characters that were so horribly
awkward in their deliveries that I almost burst into laughter (the
people behind couldn't contain themselves). Joseph Gordon-Levitt
voiced the main character, Jiro Horikoshi. For the most part he did
an adequate job, only stumbling during the more subdued moments of
the film. He has a fairly mono-toned performance, from what I've
heard about the Japanese version though, I believe this to be
intentional. In the Japanese dub Jiro is voiced by the famous (or
infamous) director of Neon
Genesis Evangelion,
Hideaki Anno. As far as I know The
Wind Rises
was
the first time he had ever acted, but being best friends with someone
like Miyazaki does have its advantages. Both
Miyazaki and Anno are notoriously grumpy men, maybe that is why Anno
was chosen to voice the character that many theorize is supposed to
represent Miyazaki himself. This movie is commonly believed to be
one long piece of symbolism for the end of Miyazaki's career as a
director. If true, it is a brilliant way to punctuate a legendary
body of work. But the fact that this isn't the first time he has
“retired” has many, including myself, remaining very skeptical.
The
worst offender by far, when it comes to the issue of awkward
deliveries, goes to Werner Herzog as Castrop. His voice, coupled
with the extremely creepy look of the character, provided most of the
unintentionally hilarious moments of the film. Every time the camera
went in for a close-up on his character I could not help but be
reminded of everyone's favorite pedophile, Herbert, from Family
Guy.
Imagine him with a thick, German accent and you'll have a good idea
as to what I'm talking about.
The
story had some pretty bad pacing issues. It was way too slow, the
fact that there are very few exciting moments only makes
things worse. Had I been watching this movie in the comfort of my
own home I am certain I would have started dozing off rather early on
in the film. On the bright side, this movie is not habit forming
like some sleep aids are.
All-in-all,
The
Wind Rises
is certainly not the worst Ghibli movie (I give that "honor"
to Tales
from Earthsea)
but there isn't much I can find to praise about it. I recommend
waiting for it to come out on DVD/BD unless you are a diehard
Miyazaki fan or an airplane otaku (someone
with a strong passion for planes).
