Among Miyazaki's Best

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2009)

A wonderful film, full of fantastic images, memorable characters, and strong independent women, as with all Miyazaki's epics. Great action and great drama, a well told story that makes Avatar look like a $300 million turd. Entertaining and enlightening, this story of an outcast young man fighting the corruption of industry, intertwined with an exploration of Shintoism and our bonds with nature touches the viewers heart and mind.
Everything in this movie simply works the way that it was planned. The world is believable and intriguing, the characters make believable decisions, etc.
Its only real flaw is that it is just so similar to every other Miyzaki film.
Even the American dub is wonderful, with a great cast. I still probably prefer watching the movie in as close to it's original form as possible, but for people who are annoyed by reading subtitles or want to be able to pay attention to the action on the screen and the beautiful animation, the dub is equally as good.