Worth seeing

Rating: 8/10 (16 May 2016)

I really appreciate Miyazaki's story-telling and the unique perspective he brings to the world of children's films, and Howl's Castle is no exception. Although it is based on a book (which I have not read), Miyazaki really makes the story his own. The world he crafts and the story he weaves are so amazingly detailed and interesting that I was truly spellbound for most of the film. Unfortunately, the ending does not live up to the promise of the film and is somewhat unsatisfying, which is the only reason I could not rate this as a 10. However, it is still worth seeing. As is typical with Miyazaki, he successfully relates the conflict and ambiguity of the world around us in an engaging way, without resorting to the Western ideals of good and evil. His characters really embody the concepts of yin/yang and wabi-sabi. Nothing and no one is completely good or completely evil and nothing is really as it may seem. I think these are concepts that all children (and adults) should be introduced to and I can't think of a better way than through a tale told by Miyazaki.