Lost in translation?

Rating: 7/10 (12 November 2008)

After seeing 'Mononoke-hime' the bar of my expectations was pretty high. 'Mononoke-hime' is absolutely one of the best all-around films I've ever seen. I did so want 'Spirited Away' to take me to that same place...and it almost did....almost. I watched the English translated version and occasionally got the distinct impression that what was being said and what was going on didn't quite jive. I don't believe in giving out 'spoilers' unless I am discussing directly with someone who doesn't care and I won't start here. All I will say is that I wasn't satisfied with the revelations/resolutions/explanations. Like most films of this genre it is allegory and metaphor. Usually I am able to bridge to a successful interpretation as I did in 'Mononoke...'. I viewed this twice to see if I was missing something. No. It is what it is. I was not compelled nor was I satisfied with the central characterizations. They didn't seem rooted. Maybe that was part of the problem here - that being reality merging into and becoming part of a so-called alternate reality. The reality wasn't established very well. No lessons were learned. Explanations for the metaphors kind of fell to the wayside. Then it ended. Groan. However, it is an entertaining film and I do recommend it! 'Mononoke..' is still my first love.