Spirited Away
|
List Price: Our Price: $13.49 You Save: $16.50 (55%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $12.55 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Canada
Movie Reviews of Spirited Away
Movie Review: A Good Bath for Ghosts
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't know anime but I know what I like. I liked Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, and a lot of other people must have too, because this particular anime won an Academy Award.
Chihiro is moving a to a new house, and soon she'll have to start a new school too. She is not happy about this at all. On the way to their new house in their car, her father decides to take a shortcut through a forest full of strange shrines and statues. The road they take ends all of a sudden at a tunnel, which they follow through to what appears to be an abandoned village full of restaurants. They find one of these restaurants filled with delicious food, which Chihiro's parents sit down and begin to eat. Chihiro tries to get them to stop but they don't, and soon turn into pigs. Night falls on the town, and the restaurants become filled with spirits, come to feast and to relax. It turns out that this place is part of a bathhouse complex for spirits, run by a very large headed woman. Chihiro doesn't want to be turned into a little piglet girl, so she is forced to get a job at the bathhouse. While she works in this thriving colourful place, she will meet many strange and interesting beings, make all sorts of friends, and uncover several mysteries. Changing schools is easy compared to all this business!
It seems to be a trend in Japanese films I've noticed that they don't really explain what's going on in great detail. The ins and outs of things are really only divulged on a need to know basis. They expect you to catch up as you go, which is basically what Chihiro, our main character has to do too in this strange world. There are stacks and stacks of ideas here. It's a very colourful, very imaginative place, with full of weird and fascinating creatures and beings. They don't only look interesting, but many of them have a very interesting motion, if that makes sense. They move in a unique way, thanks to some clever animation. Check out the "Stink Spirit" and the mud and gas flowing from his mucky body. Check out how the boiler man uses his "four-arm" strength without batting an eyelid (not that you'd be able to see his eyelids, he's wearing glasses). The score is good too, orchestral, though unlike some recent Western films, doesn't get in the way and does actually enchance what's going on.
I've been going through Miyazaki's back catalog of films lately, and I'm noticing a few themes and motifs going through his work. Here in Spirited Away we have a dramatic scene around a simple flight of stairs, just like in "Howl's Moving Castle", which he'd do later. Also like he'd go on to do in Howl's, there are curses that transform people and people who can turn into flying creatures. There's a lot of flying in his films, actually ("Nausicaa","Porco Rosso"). I kind of thought "Porco Rosso" too when I saw the parents turned into pigs. What an odd world the man must have going on in his head. Got a few more to hunt down and watch of his, and I very much wonder what I'll see next.
Anyone interested in a good fantasy, interesting animations or some fresh imagination, I recommend you check this film out.
Movie Review: It says PG right on it!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great movie, but it is obviously not for everyone, especially those who lack a creative spirit. I read one review that downcasted the Japanese for not making the characters look Asian enough! And another said that this movie is too "different and weird." How sad. Others complained that this movie is too scary for kids (it says right on it - PG: For Some Scary Moments). And indeed there are! Don't rent it for your 4-year olds and complain about that it if they get scared. Anyway, to my opinion about the movie:BAD: This movie isn't perfect, and there are a few MINOR things that bothered me. First, the noses. When Chihiro turns sideways, her nose looks oddly shaped and flat.
And last, the relationship between Yababa's sister and Chihiro wasn't developed enough. They share a scene with each other for about 5 minutes before Chihiro has to leave, and they are saying their good-byes as if they have been with each other for years!
GOOD: The creativity of this movie is astounding! That's probably why some people don't like it. Maybe it's just too creative for some people. (Look at our music industry, for example. Since when did people enjoy a little creativity in music? But I won't go there). Anyway, there are a lot of weird creatures and spirits and a talking frog! You should also see some of the food the parents eat, as well as everything else, but there are too many things to type about.
And also the originality of this movie... I haven't seen any movie even remotely like this one. If you have noticed the protaganists and antagonists, they are not the typical good vs. evil. Like Yababa (the main antagonist). I don't think she is evil, although she does unlikeable things. She is, however, trustworthy and she takes care of her giant baby! And the protaganist (Chihiro being the main one) is at first unlikeable (her screaming over everything... sheesh), but you grow to sympathize with her and like her throughout the movie. And one character (No-Face) switches from neutral to protagonist to antagonist to protagonist again.
Also, the weird plot and setting (they enter this other world that seems to be in another world...). It's kind of hard to explain without giving everything away. You really have to see it for yourself.
And the dubbing/voice acting was actually all right! I really liked the voices for all the characters, from the actor for Chihiro who really puts emotion into her character, and to Yababa with her throaty voice. Everyone was perfect.
Also, I'm really glad with Miyazaki, because it feels like he was making this movie for himself (this movie does not follow any formula like in a lot of American movies). There are a lot of climaxes and resolutions in this movie and it feels as if he made up this movie as he went along, which in this case is a good thing.
Overall, a great movie. Just don't complain about this movie because it has violence or the characters didn't look Asian enough. That's what G movies are made for- people who cannot enjoy creativity and a piece of art that was made for Miyazaki's pleasure. This is definitely not for close-minded people.
Movie Review: An unseen gem--and one of last year's best films, period.
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie, the (deserving) winner of an Academy Award for Best Animated Film, got far less attention than it deserved in the fall of 2002 (when Disney famously botched its release--its peak theater count was somewhere around 151 at a time when even outright flops like "Extreme Ops" could muster up more screens for a week or two). In fact, when it arrived in my town in the early part of November, there was almost no advertising, and the theater didn't even bother putting up a poster for it--and the place was packed.And it was packed each time I went back to see it... and packed again when it returned to theaters at the end of March.
Make no mistake: This is a movie that audiences love. Don't be scared off by your preconceptions about anime, or comments like "it's too frightening for my kids." Every kid over the age of five I've seen watching this movie ends up loving it--including boys (one of them, an eight year old, ended up bouncing up and down in his seat at the end, telling his Dad, "I knew you'd like it! I told you we should see it!" How can you not like enthusiasm like that?). This isn't some sort of hyper-violent pornography--it's a movie about people doing what people do, even when those people happen to be giant frogs begging for tips. It's funny, smart, a little scary, and one of the few movies that can be called "sweet" without the added caveat "May induce severe diabetes and tooth rot."
(As for you anime fans--well, doubtless you've all seen it, and you've got your opinions. But I for one prefer this movie to "Princess Mononoke," for the simple reason that "Mononoke" is an easier film to admire and be in awe of than to actually like. "Mononoke" is more important, and definitely not a family film--but "Spirited Away" is more enjoyable. Both are must-sees.)
The only complaints that I have is that, first, Disney stuffed so many ...trailers onto the first disc (of which only three, the ones for "Kiki's Delivery Service," "Castle In The Sky," and "Finding Nemo," were of any interest to me) is that the video quality is somewhat impaired--it's a good transfer, but with some edge enhancement. Secondly, apart from the making-of special that aired on Japanese television (which gives us the rare treat of seeing Miyazaki-san at work), the extras on Disc 2 are definitely not worthy of something Disney calls "a feature-packed deluxe special edition." Only in the dreams of Disney's marketing department. There's barely more than ninety minutes of content on disc 2, and considering that 28 minutes of that is taken up entirely with trailers and commercials (which get very boring very quickly--like, say, after two or three minutes), and another 45 with the Japanese making-of special, what's left isn't really worth watching more than once. Still, Disney did at least include subtitles and the original Japanese audio, if you prefer your animation subbed, and they also were nice enough to present the movie in anamorphic widescreen (where a lot of studios would have said, "family film," and done a blah 4:3 transfer from flawed elements). This film is a must-see and a must-own.
Movie Review: Spirited Away
Summary: 5 Stars
This is considered one of the best (If not the best) Anime' films ever made and its cinematic storytelling at its finest. Not since "Akira" has an animated film made the impact like this. This was created by the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki who is considered a god in terms of Anime' and its his wonderful stories and imagination that makes him so special. This is the story of a ten year old girl named Chihiro who is traveling with her parents to their new home and she is sad that they have to move. Her father takes what seems like a wrong turn and they come across a structure with a tunnel in the middle. They all get out and walk through to the other side and Chihiro's father recognizes it as an old park that has gone under over the years. They come across another structure with food set out and Chihiro's parents waste no time in helping themselves to as much food as they can eat. Chihiro discovers to her horror that her mother and father have turned into pigs and she runs off to try and find help. She encounters a boy named Haku that takes her into the strange world where spirits and witches habitat and he tells her to find someone named Kamaji and ask for a job. She is looked down on as a human but she manages to find Kamaji who has eight legs like a spider and he gets her a job. Chihiro works with Lin who is an older female and she shows her what to do and where to sleep. Chihiro helps out cleaning and delivering but at night she sneaks out to talk with Haku who is helping her get her parents back and to be able to go home.Miyazaki has such a broad sense of imagination and this is reflected in his other films like "Princess Mononoke" and "Kiki's Delivery Service" and this film is probably even greater than those two. This film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and it certainly deserved it. One of the joys of watching Miyazaki's films is that you have no idea what so ever has to what will happen next. The characters and events take the viewer on a strange and fantastic voyage that has never been seen before. Yubaba the witch has a giant baby named Boh, Haku turns into a flying dragon and Kamaji has these dustball/spider things carry lumps of coal to a furnace that heats everything. One of the big highlights of this film is the "Stink Spirit" that is this giant glob of river mud and Chihiro helps it get clean. While she does this she helps pull out all the junk (Bicycles, assorted metal, etc..) until we see what this spirit really looks like. This is the type of animated feature that children should view and this is not to knock American animated films but the Japanese concern themselves more with the stories. Children should view films that will enhance they're imagination but unfortunately most of the crap they are forced to watch is usually something that they can guess as to what will happen next. Miyazaki had no plans to make another film but happily he is working on another one! This is a great animated film and it should be recommended viewing for children although adults will love this also.
Movie Review: More than an animated masterpiece...
Summary: 5 Stars
Occasionally, just occasionally, a film becomes a culture in its own right, and everything it is related to falls away around it to leave it standing on its own. Spirited Away is such a film. It has taken over box office records in Japan, and not done too badly in the western hemisphere, widely being cited as one of, or even the, best animated film ever produced.
But Miyazaki's epic is not just a brilliant animated film. It is a brilliant film. All too often, animated features are great because of the animation, that is the technical dazzle and sheer fantasy nature that the animated medium allows for. And that's great. Spirited Away, however, goes further. The themes it touches on - greed, emotional attachment and the imperfection complex that blights every human being; as well as presenting the importance of traditional values - can be found nestled in the scripts of the deepest live action films.
We quickly become immunised to the sheer weirdness of the world presented to us in this film, and that helps us identify with the characters that we might otherwise struggle with.
The plot is summarised well above, but to give a brief outline (which falls massively short of doing the film's complexity justice); I don't want to ruin the sheer surprise of the exotic, and downright bizarre nature of the spirit world; suffice to say it'll leave you dumbstruck and inspired by the attention to detail that has gone into it. Essentially, the film follows Chihiro, a ten year old girl, who, along with her parents, is transported magically into a world of spirits and sorcery. When her parents are turned into pigs by a cruel spell, she must battle her way through the politics and intrigue of the society she has been stranded in. Helping and hindering her along the way are the friendly but icy spirit Haku, and the greedy sorceress Yubaba. Chihiro must find her way out of the spirit world alive, and with her parents restored to human form. Confused? You will be, so the trick is to let go for two hours and allow yourself to become immersed in the fantasy of this spirit world.
You come away from this film feeling like you've learnt something, feeling like you've had a good time, and absolutely certain that you're going to watch it again. This is the hallmark of a good film - shelf life - and in this respect Spirited Away is timeless. Like all truly brilliant motion pictures (e.g. Where Eagles Dare, The Sting, Crouching Tiger: Hidden Dragon), you come away with a substantial number of questions, and a need to have a repeat viewing to start to answer some of them.
Purists will prefer the original Japanese version, but the dubbed English version has made the film accessible to many more; and, as it's an animated film, the dubbing is considerably less obvious than with live action films. As an animator, I have found a repetitive draw to this film for inspiration and ideas; but as a regular movie-goer, I simply find it a truly excellent, must-see flick.