LAPUTA - CASTLE IN THE SKY (Hayao Miyazaki, 1986) ***

Rating: 7/10 (18 December 2006)

As I was about to write this, I decided to re-read my review of Miyazaki's HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (2004) - which I watched earlier this year - and I realized that what I had said about that film pretty much applies to this one as well, even if there's practically a 20-year gap between them (I guess the inference here is that this celebrated animator's style hasn't developed all that much in the interim, which is not necessarily a bad thing).
To quote myself, then: "a great showcase of the Japanese master's visionary genius; however, it also features his typical faults - to me, at least - of presenting an over-ambitious (and overly weird) plot line which, due to its excessive length, tends to overstay its welcome and ends up in being an overwhelming (if not necessarily memorable) visual experience! As usual, the detail is immaculate and the scale of the whole thing impressive". Granted, the plot of LAPUTA isn't nearly as involved as some of Miyazaki's later work, though this is still far from a kiddie film - particularly in its climactic set-piece, where all parties concerned (the children, the sky pirates - whose hard exterior mellows gradually to reveal an essential softness underneath - and the army - whose leader, too, isn't what he seems to be) converge on the titular flying citadel, each having their own goal. It's evident, therefore, that characterization is not at all one-dimensional (though Miyazaki dispenses with anthropomorphism this time around) - while the robotic guardians of the island castle are strikingly designed, as well as suitably imposing; the score (by frequent Miyazaki collaborator Joe Hisaishi), too, emerges as a definite asset.
To tie in with how I began this review, then, I believe that it's been my over-exposure to Anime on Italian TV as a kid which has diluted the overall impact that such feature-length efforts (and Miyazaki's films in particular) seem to have - pretty much unanimously - on audiences from other parts of the world...