Better than Spirited Away

Rating: 10/10 (22 October 2010)

In no way am I slamming Spirited Away! It is a great film! But there is something about the purity of Castle in the Sky that blows me away. Has there ever been a more beautiful title sequence than the one in this film or a more beautiful musical theme or a more breathtaking castle? Each scene seems patiently thought through and carefully timed. The character development is plentiful but not overdone. I really love this film. More than anything else, I think it is dear to my heart.
For one thing, I can't get over the action sequences. The mother is hilarious and totally runs the show with her band of hyper-masculinized idiots. It is a real joy to see the cars swerve back and forth as characters speed down the road in a tense car chase. There is real humor and grit in this film, and I believe that it belongs on anyone's list of classics, along with the rest of Ghibli's repertoire.
My introduction to this film was upon reading Leonard Maltin's movie guide book about 7 years ago. I was very surprised to see that he had given a Japanese anime film 4 stars. (If anyone is familiar with Maltin, you would know he doesn't just "give away" four stars). He said that it was one of the best action films ever made, animated or otherwise. I was already familiar with Miyazaki's work via Spirited Away and was very excited to get my hands on a copy of Castle in the Sky. At first, I wasn't all that impressed with the film. It seemed melancholy compared to the flat-out dynamism of Spirited Away. But over time this film has warmed up to me and has earned a special place on my shelf. I would recommend to anyone interested in seeing this film, or who has seen it before and didn't really like it, to give it time. Allow Castle in the Sky to enchant you. It is SO worth it.