“Howl’s Moving Castle” (2004)

Howl’s Moving Castle

Grade: B

Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle contains all the director’s familiar trademarks but — for the first time in his career — suffers from a storyline that features erratic plotting and inconsistent characterization. A few more notes on Howl’s Moving Castle (DISCLAIMER – I’m reviewing the original Japanese audio version of the film):

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Directing:

Fresh off the international success of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, Miyazaki had already claimed the title of “world’s greatest animator,” and that doesn’t change with Howl’s Moving Castle. In fact, this movie is a sort of victory lap for the veteran director, featuring some of his most complex and realistic artwork. As always, the illustrations are vivid and imaginative, with colorful details that are impressive in their warmth and affection.

Kids and adults alike will find themselves entranced with every fantastical frame, and American audiences will find the Western influence of Howl’s Moving Castle more relatable than Miyazaki’s past works. The settings are often ornate and Rococo — Miyazaki goes Hollywood, in a sense.

Acting:

I’ve seen the English dub many times, and Christian Bale, Billy Crystal et al do a fine job, but for the real emotion you’ll need to check out the original Japanese audio version (just make sure that the English subtitles have been programmed correctly as well). Chieko Baisho as the cursed yet strong-hearted Sophie and Tatsuya Gashüin as the lovable fire-demon Calcifer give the film a genuine passion that is hard to transliterate into English.

Unfortunately, I was ultimately unmoved by Takuya Kimara’s performance as Howl, the titular charismatic wizard. His delivery opts for fey affectation over genuine emotion, which ends up making his characterization quite puzzling. That’s probably more of a Miyazaki problem, though, as Howl’s appearance also leaves much to be desired: he’s attractive but not charming. This is a movie in which we must accept that Howl is the most captivating man in the world in order to make the story work. If we don’t blindly subscribe to this belief (as Sophie does), everything falls apart.

Writing:

Based on the 1986 British fantasy novel by Diana Wynne Jones, Miyazaki’s adaptation suffers from a storyline that moves too fast and too sporadically. The movie boils down to “war is bad,” but this theme was much deeper and more effective in Castle in the Sky and Princess Mononoke. That’s because Howl’s Moving Castle lacks a clear destination, with events that seemingly happen at random and characters that lack logical motivations. Cheap romanticism and blanket statements bog down the entire experience, and the film ultimately tries to do too much. Miyazaki’s additions to the story make for too much clutter, and the lush animation can only hide so much.

Music:

Longtime Miyazaki collaborator Joe Hisaishi delivers another memorable orchestral score that is heavy on sentimentalism and rich in melody. Like the animation, the music is somewhat more modern than previous efforts, but that doesn’t make it any less authentic. Hisaishi always delivers the goods.

Ending (SPOILERS):

Like I’ve said before, I’ve seen the English and Japanese versions several times each, and the ending is still a convoluted mess in any language you choose. So, if I understand correctly, the scarecrow was a prince? The same prince who started the war? And he was in love with Sophie the whole time? And now he’s learned his lesson and will stop all the fighting? And this happy ending is so saccharine that Madame Suliman simply looks into her crystal ball, says “It’s time to end this foolish war,” and that’s that? And it’s all supposed to be a thinly veiled metaphor about George W. Bush and Iraq? Obviously, war is evil and love saves all, but Howl’s Moving Castle sees Miyazaki’s core philosophies distilled to their most basic and naïve principles.

“What’s the point of living if you can’t be beautiful?” – Howl

Why Howl’s Moving Castle gets a B:

As per usual, Hayao Miyazaki presents beautiful animation, but Howl’s Moving Castle is bogged down by a severe lack of logic and characterization.

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