Plenty of Fun and Adventure for the Inner Child

Rating: 10/10 (6 August 2014)

Castle in the Sky is a film directed by Hayao Miyazaki. What a fun thrill ride this was. Floating castles. Sky pirates. Gorgeous visuals. Jaw-dropping action. Fun humor. Add all these together and it makes one of my favorite animated films ever.
Where should even I start with this masterpiece? Well, first the story. It's just a basic coming-of-age, adventure story. Two kids, Pazu and Sheeta, find a mysterious object, so together they try to discover the secret behind this object as well as learn more about each other. Throw in some bad guys here and there, and you got yourself an adventure film fun for the whole family.
But of course, that isn't enough from the great Miyazaki. I'm sure any other filmmaker would have done a fine job with this premise. Miyazaki, however, gives his audience an engaging story with such a grand and epic fantasy experience. He puts so much effort into this film, I felt as if I was coming along for the ride. I would have loved to have seen this film on the big screen. Watching the cinematic opening scene and hearing the beautiful theme song. When I first watched it, I felt I was gonna like it. I didn't expect to love it so much!
I saw the English dubbed version, which I always prefer for anime. Though, I think the dub could have been a little better. The main problem were the two main characters. It's fine as it is, but I think Pazu sounded older than he looked. Also Sheeta has what I believe was a British accent throughout the film, but her accent would sometimes sound like it was fading in and out. With all that said, if anyone reading this prefer subtitles with the original audio, that's fine too. It's understandable.
Another thing I should point out is not really a complaint, just an observation. The pacing does slow down towards the end. It's not a problem, but it also wouldn't be a problem if about 5 minutes were shaved off. But, it still helps set the mood and atmosphere. Those who haven't seen the movie should keep in mind that it isn't all fast-paced action.
Overall, I really love this movie. A film like this can only be topped by Miyazaki's own "My Neighbor Totoro" (but that's for another review). I highly recommend it for the whole family. And if you get the chance, check out the incredible soundtrack. I can honestly say this is one of my favorite films ever.