It's a Girl Lost in a Magical Land. Miyazaki Strikes Again.

Rating: 6/10 (21 March 2006)

This is a Hayao Miyazaki film therefore there are a few things you can expect, a young girl, some adventures, strange fairy tale land and a voyage of self discovery. Of course the film does not disappoint all these elements are there. There is a sense that the film has some wider world elements that set it apart from other Miyazaki movies. This mainly comes from the backdrop of an Orwell 1984 type war with seemingly irrelevant sides and aims. This is developing into a common theme in Japanese cinema at the moment, perhaps unsurprisingly considering that is what the rest of the world is talking about. However the Japanese take on it is always a little obvious and is drilled home to such a degree it is less thought provoking. However it is a visually stunning film where the characters and plot are well developed. There are numerous quirky characters to keep younger movie goers entertained, although I haven't seen the dubbed versions so some of this may be lost in translation. All in all a good modern "Brothers Grimm" type tale. If you only watch one Miyazaki film watch "Spirited Away" if you want to see a few more this isn't a bad place to go next.