Reviews

This movie has pacing issues and could have been edited down. I wasn't very invested in the characters and it's hard to sympathize with some of the characters in the film. It's also way too long in the first act.

Not to say that it's a bad movie. It's good. But it is not as good as the hype suggests. I've seen other 3 hour films this year that were much more engaging and riveting than this.

The cinematography is great but not as good as Oppenheimer. The music score is dull and lacks a forward momentum. The story lacks drama because you know who is responsible. Some of Scorsese's other long movies have a lot of energy but this just felt like it was drawn out. It was also too difficult to follow because you are introduced to all of these characters you don't know and there is a lot of exposition.

Experiencing a lot of emotions after walking out of the theatre. Anger after the final shots, then after 5 minutes of talking with people a feeling of love and admiration for this film and what it achieves. More truth about how the world works than anything I've ever seen. Greatest use of montage and music. Amazing editing. My favorite Christopher Nolan movie. It scared me. Some scenes are horrifying and literally shake you to your core especially with a powerful imax theatre.

This movie made me cry twice especially after the bomb test scenes when they are adoring and cheering him. Not happy tears, mind you, despair. You may be angry if you understand the history (read the book) and the trajectory of military conflicts from then to today. Nothing has changed and it's incredibly moving and sad. Nolan is making a statement in the world we live in today as well. But after the film you feel joy at having experienced one of the greatest movies ever made. It's a masterpiece. When you are this immersed you aren't thinking about the acting or cast. It feels real. And that's magic.

I really enjoyed watching this film on YouTube. More engaging than a lot of the ghibli documentaries and it has thematic resonance and personal struggles which makes it really enjoyable to watch the master at work. It gets into the relationship between Hayao Miyazaki and his son Goro and how Miyazaki'a characters are a depiction of characteristics of his mother. Really shows that his films are not only personal but he is actively trying to change the world for the better by telling stories to make an impact on people he knows. Really makes me appreciate him as a flawed person and as the worlds greatest artist in the film medium. Either him or Charlie Chaplin. Can't decide who will have a greater impact and legacy.

This is a brilliant episode. I think it really deserves more credit. There are a lot of tonal shifts and the ending really pulls it all together. The characters are memorable and well acted by the entire cast. The ending is thematically consistent with the point of the story. It's a parable and tells an important message about loving yourself without being preachy. It's fresh and I haven't seen a story told like this. Maybe people didn't like it because it is subtle and comparativly less violent. It's not meant to be realistic but symbolic of how being consumed with triviality and self image can turn you into a monster.

Episode 1 great acting and tone. It was shorter than I liked but the cinematography was incredible.

Episode 2 bad acting but still entertaining. The production design is amazing for a tv show.

Episode 3 great performances and a well executed story. Hard to watch.

Episode 4 best episode so far. Brilliant. Very well directed and I really think the ending pulls it off considering all of the tonal shifts. Very impressed.

I've only watched 4 episodes but this is a successful collection of hour long shorts. It's like del toro took all the screenplays that the studios refused to make and put them into a tv show. Excited to watch more.

One of the greatest episodes of tv I've ever seen. One of the greatest episodes of tv I've ever seen. One of the greatest episodes of tv I've ever seen.

If you like early Miyazaki animated films like Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Nausicaa, and Lupin: Castle of Cagliostro you will enjoy watching this TV series. On the surface it seems like a simple children's adventure story but because Miyazaki is such a fantastic visual storyteller, he greatly elevates the material into a fun animated adventure.

The characters are strong willed, independent, charming and cute. However, some of the characters are just archetypes that don't have much depth but it's not a character study show. The drama comes from the unexpected conflict between the characters and the well structured plot that evolves over 26 episodes and takes a group of characters on an adventure. The dialogue at times can be simple but you have to remember that this show was made for kids. Even at it's worst the dialogue is still funny to listen to. I would definitely watch this with friends and fans of Miyazaki movies.

Here are some aspects of the show that made it interesting for me to watch as an animation nerd. Conan is pure miyazaki and an expressive representation of what all young boys aspire to be. Lana is strikingly similar to the Lucita character in the film Castle in the Sky. Captain Dyce is a prototype of a dumb but silly pirate leader seen in Porco Rosso. Mosley is a prototype character of Kushana from Nausicaa and has a redemptive character arc similar to Zuko in Avatar the Last Airbender. Jimsey is the comic relief character who mostly thinks only of food. The bad guy character is your typical James Bond villain who wants power.

There are hundreds of shots in this tv show that Miyazaki would later recreate in his later films. It happens so often that you could make a fun drinking game out of it. My sister and I enjoyed looking out for these shots and the visual similarities added another layer of enjoyment to watching this. Here are the films that I noticed shots that the layouts / staging of the characters and environment were later recreated in subsequent Miyazaki films: Castle of Cagliostro, Nausica, Castle in the Sky, Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, The Wind Rises.

I watched the Japanese Dub Version but will watch the English Dub on next viewing.

The Wind Rises is a fictionalized biography / character study of Jiro Hirikoshi and his story of becoming an Aviation Engineer. This movie had a great impact on me after seeing it in the theatre and I thought about what I had seen for the one hour drive home afterwards. In terms of pacing and how the movie focuses on the main character I was reminded of David Lean movies in its maturity and emotional grit. There were also times when watching that I thought to myself I have never seen hand drawn animation this good ever and will probably never see animation this good ever again. The character designs are beautiful. The backgrounds and color pallete are beautiful. The animation is breathtaking. But the story is just as beautiful as the artwork. The movie is about one mans journey to make beautiful airplanes but is also equally tragic in later scenes of the movie in the evolving love story and especially the last scene in the movie.

This movie does not explain at any time through dialogue what the character is feeling but instead it shows you and the subtle and at times powerful emotions which are the glue of what holds his story together. Some people may wonder why Miyazaki took creative risks with the real life story of Jiro Hirikoshi. The real life Jiro never married to a woman with Tuberculosis. Did he really fantasize about building airplanes? Was he really followed by a Soviet Spy? I think the way the character fantasizes about airplanes even when not dreaming is an honest depiction of how creative people like Hayao Miyazaki think.

Along with Porco Rosso this is probably Hayao Miyazaki's most personal movie. If you study Hayao Miyazaki's movies and read about his career like I have it becomes obvious that this movie is as much about Jiro Hirikoshi as it is about Hayao Miyazaki.

I recommend anyone who has ever been creative to go see the Wind Rises.

Hayao Miyazaki's Most Beautiful film.