I've been waiting for this movie. It wasn't my most anticipated production, but Ghibli studio made a name for itself with many, at least good, films. As I wrote several times, I am not a fan of them, but I know that I can watch their films without critics' reviews (excluding my two buddies who are fans of this studio - I greet you, Kamil and Karol). Even if I don't like it, it will have interesting topics, interesting characters, plots or a thought-provoking plot. Alternatively, it will just be a good and nice show - after all, the term "Japanese Disney" didn't come out of nowhere. Unfortunately, this movie is boring, it has uninteresting characters, it doesn't offer anything cool ... I guess it's my fault, because in the second half I fell asleep and, according to Asia, it's not worth continuing. One would like to make a meme with old Miyazaki, who returns from retirement for the 666 time. Ie. put his face over the face of Thanos grabbing the glove, who says "I'll take care of it in person."
It won't be a long text or a review - I don't want to continue it, let alone write too long about it. It was not a tragedy like "Sailor Moon: Eternal" (I assessed it positively despite many complaints) or an embarrassingly poor production, where my girlfriend complained from the beginning, but I honestly doubt I would rate it 7/10. In fact, she initially complained that nothing was happening, but when Thomas the cat showed up, the level went up a bit. But not so much that I want to finish the second half of the film.
The film is based on a book by Diana Wynne Jones of the same name. I don't know her, but my buddy Kamil read it and said it could be done in less than an hour. I did not ask him how faithful the adaptation is, how much Ghibli added content and whether he could feel the dragging on the book, so I do not know if it was the book's fault or Goro Miyazaki (the son of this renowned, outstanding Japanese director and producer). The book is said to be 128 pages long, and the movie is approximately just over 80 minutes long. I did not check how long the actual picture lasts, excluding the end credits and the visually, stylistically and musically interesting opening, which unfortunately I cannot positively assess - IMO was weak and definitely too long. Maybe if it was shorter, I would change my mind, but it went on and on ... Coming back, I do not know any book adaptation in this matter, so I do not know if 128 pages of content will be enough for, say, 70-75 minutes for this art form . However, I think that the movie was too boring and could be sped up a bit - show the same, but in 60 minutes.
I was not interested in anything, the plot, characters, magic. There are some good ideas in it (magic itself, quite interesting, Thomas was quite likeable, musical elements I like to see in various works) but to be honest - story telling is better about those Chinese animated films I reviewed over 8 months ago on the blog. Seriously, those films lacked Ghibli's skills and abilities, but I enjoyed watching them much nicer. Even if the characters were a cliché (and usually they were), however I could get emotional with them and they acted in this one production, even though I don't have much to praise them for. The same for a scenario that had nothing interesting to offer me. Maybe I'm being too critical and will get my head from Ghibli fans, but ... I mean honestly.
When it comes to animation, line, CGI, music etc. so well ... I will expose myself to Ghibli fans again, but TMS did it much better for me in "Lupine the Third: The First". The fact that that movie had a few flaws too, made some elements weaker than others, but made up for the rest. Apart from the plot and showing some characters (because some of them are shown very poorly and sketchily), the action was very nice. Yes, that animation and line had aspects that didn't do that well, but ... Everything moved smoothly, evoked positive emotions more often, there was a LOT of heart in it (like in Ghibli's best movies) and Lupine's best scenes, especially this one with walking through one trap, they just made a really GOOD impression. Even if some scenes looked poor + storyline and the characters did not demand at times (as in the anime Ghibli), the advantages covered these shortcomings. I recommend it, it is not the best "Lupine", but it is definitely one of the best starting points I know. Ok ... Because I was asking as if it was a text about "Lupine". I can partially forgive them because this is their first CGI movie, but I cannot praise them. It just turned out fine, but a bit disappointing for me.
To sum up, this is not a tragic production and you can safely watch, if your child understands the subtitles (because Netflix does not offer too many soundtracks), you can watch it. It's still a good movie, and if your child (or someone you care for) doesn't mind Japanese, you can watch it. It is finally done by Ghibli, who hardly ever released a poor movie. Perhaps children will like emotions, children's expressions, knowledge, a cat, their interesting style or a few other things. It can be the same for you, if you don't mind the fairy-tale nature of the piece and this type of atmosphere. They don't bother me, but I can't rate this movie above 7/10. For me, it's such a +6/10. Have old Miyazaki come back and make a movie that will fuck up the Box Office "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train".
