Breathtaking like every Miyazaki film-but storyline a bit too much the same

Rating: 8/10 (23 June 2005)

I think I should say this outright before I get started, Miyazaki cannot top Spirited Away. Orson Welles could not top Citizen Kane. Simply put, some directors make something so good they cannot beat it. So we should not expect too much. Needless to say, this is still Howl's Moving Castle is a very good film. The animation is rich, not quite as much as Spirited Away, but you cannot expect that much from one person. It's just fun to watch.
I guess what hurts this film is that it uses every same plot device Miyazaki has used before. Howl has much in common Haku. The Wicked Witch of the Waste becomes much the same as every other MIyazaki initial villain. Sophie's journey has much in common with Chihiro's or Sen's. In many ways, this repeats a lot from Spirited Away but with too much absurdity and not of charm. The plot and explanations become complex or thrown together. It just doesn't have that usually ingenuity of his other movies.
The entire point of this movie in the end was to take our breathe away with amazing sites. And it did. The animation is better and while it is not as good as his other films, it still is better than a lot of the stuff out there. So if you like Miyazaki or if you just like animation, see this movie. It's worth the five or six bucks. But don't expect a masterpiece like "Spirited Away."