Unscorable

Rating: 10/10 (3 March 2006)

I have given movies 10 out 10 stars before, but this just crosses a completely new line into something even above 100% greatness; perfection. This may be the only film I have ever seen that is completely perfect, I would change absolutely nothing about it. The only other film that I would put over the top is, coincedentally, My Neighbor Totoro. The fact that the are made by the same company has nothing to do with it.
Whenever I watch this movie, not only do I find things that I didn't notice the time before, but I feel a sense of having already seen certain things in it before, somewhere else. But I haven't - it is just the originality, and the new ideas that other movies will build on from this one. Everything is perfect. The illustrations are detailed, flowing, and mesmerizing. The musical score is dead-on, and sneaks along in the background for most of the running. And the story takes on a form that I am attempting to do in my first work - complete layers. Two people could watch this, and come away with different ideas and plot lines. This is exactly what a movie should do, keep everyone that sees it thinking about it afterwards. There is no definite ending or beginning, it is left purely to the imagination.
The entire film seems like just a slice of someone's imagination, and when I watch it, I consider it mine.