Review: Howl's Moving Castle

Rated PG-13 | 119 mins

IMDB Info

Leave it to Hayao Miyazaki to turn a mess of a story into a spectacle, further proving the fact that he’s the Martin Scorsese equivalent of the animated world. While probably his weakest effort in years—Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and My Neighbor Totoro are tough competition—Howl’s Moving Castle is still a riveting motion picture, often joyous, magical, and sorrowing all at the same time. Even without an entirely fulfilling narrative arc—it seems to me as though Diana Wynne Jones’ book was quite a challenge to adapt—Miyazaki’s abilities to deliver visually, thematically, and symbolically make this film truly one of the year’s best. It plays like a truly sublime fable, as any great picture of this sort should, displaying distinct and often wacky characteristics. Younger viewers will be able to respond to these at face-value, whereas adults will appreciate them on higher, more meaningful levels, if they so desire. Not to mention, whatever one’s age, it’s hard not to be left completely awestruck by the beautifully detailed look of the movie, especially in terms of the “Moving Castle” which the film was named after, a humongous, gorgeous triumph of the imagination. This is a stunning motion picture that just begs to be experienced.