The Wind Rises Review

RYAN: This is reportedly the swan song film for visionary director Hayao Miyazaki, whose films I’ve largely adored over the years: Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, etc… But this one, not so much; and I really wanted to.

CAROLINE: I’m sorry to hear that.  Why didn’t you like it as much as his previous films?

RYAN: Mainly because his other movies were more magical and had more of a fantasy element.  This one is pretty much just a drama with a dash of a dreamer’s spirit to it.  And it’s also partly a war movie so I really wasn’t feeling it. Oh, and it’s super sad.

CAROLINE: That’s enough of a list.

RYAN: Miyazaki really is a master at this medium – so many beautiful scenes with interesting pulls of focus and creative images. Like his other movies, it is gorgeously animated and it makes you still appreciate classic animation; so rare we see it anymore.

CAROLINE: That’s true.  They tend to be all CGI and 3D now.

RYAN: It was originally released in Japanese and then with subtitles, but the English cast they’ve assembled is impressive: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Mandy Patinkin, Martin Short, Stanley Tucci, and more.

CAROLINE: They do tend to get great actors for his films.

RYAN: It’s a bit of a slow burn.  It basically follows the life of a Japanese boy who dreams about and then becomes an aeronautical engineer up through World War II.  It includes a love story that’s quite heartbreaking but it just doesn’t in any way feel like a family film.  It’s like an adult drama that just happens to be animated.

CAROLINE: You know me.  I barely ever like animation.  I did enjoy Frozen recently, but who didn’t?

RYAN: Exactly.  This film is nominated and up against Frozen at the Oscars.  I really didn’t find it award worthy.  It is a very complete film but just not what I enjoy in an animated feature.  The animation is good, the story is epic, the music works… the elements are there but the story didn’t sweep me away as his other films have previously.

CAROLINE: I hear you.

RYAN: There’s also a lot of cigarette smoking going on which although true to the time period, is a turn off.

CAROLINE: There is less smoking in general in movies.

RYAN: If you’re a fan of this director or want to see the nominated animation films, I certainly recommend this.  And I am happy I saw it; but I’m not generally recommending it because I was more bored than entertained.

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