Customer Reviews

Howl's Moving Castle

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I may write my review like a teenage - I like to scream: "Buy it now!"
1) The anime storyline is a 4-star story. It is classic, romantic, lucid and beautiful, but lacking of fancy modern twists. However, this is the reason that I like the story. In my personal opinion, the story is more catching than the "Spirited Away" although all major works of Miyazaki are quite interesting. The only setback is that young viewers may not be able to catch the subtlety of the story.
2) The interpretation, translation and adaptation worthies 5 stars. I watched two versions in both English and Japanese. The English voice-dub is as good as original Japanese if it were not better than. The voice-dub is professionally done and has raised the bar for future voice works. What I really like is the translation and adaptation. The I-T-A of this movie is excellent.
3) Both animations and colors are superb. It is an old fashioned 2D anime. But, all those beautiful details like waving flowers in the wind, the clear blue-sky, the background mountains, the buzzing cities, the grand palace and more make me very fond of the whole theme of 2D animations. The entire color theme of this anime is well designed and well matches the storyline with vivid, bright, but not overly sharp colors.
Overall, it is a 5-star DVD set for a 5 star anime.

"Howl's Moving Castle" is a great movie that implies the powerful message of how things are not always as they seem. Sophie plays a spirit who is reliable, down-to-earth, and is doing the best she can with the hand dealt to her in life. Her life is forever changed when she encounters a man named Howl. Howl met her when she was accosted by a couple of men. From their first meeting clues are given to how the movie is going to unfold. This is because Howl commands Sophie to act natural within moments of their initial meeting. Howl feels at ease with her, and even engages in some magic within minutes of meeting her. Another female is interested in him, and is a character foil to Sophia. The following are some of the other characters that play a pivotal role in this film: Howl's apprentice Markl, Calcifer, and Madame Suliman. Howl's Moving Castle is highly recommended for anyone who enjoyed any of the Harry Potter Movies. This is because "Howl's Moving Castle" contains various magical and supernatural themes that are related to many of the metaphorical "Harry Potter" messages.

Howl's Moving Castle works beautifully as a pure flight of fantasy, and one that even fairly young children ought to be able to enjoy on that level. At the same time, it also works as a more introspective tale; one that dwells at some length on the underlying "logic of magic"; which is to say on the logic of our own psyches. In the world of Howl's Moving Castle, wizards can ultimately pay a terrible price for unleashing the more destructive applications of their art.

Or, as St. Paul might have said, the wages of sin is death.

Of course, one could also adopt a more literal and overtly political take on this movie. Warfare, both magical and mundane, is at the root of all the really serious carnage in the world of Howl's Moving Castle. One can't help but remember that this is, after all, a film that comes out of a nation completely devastated by its own last foray into military adventurism. But whatever way you want to look at it, this is a film with something to say for itself. A film with sufficient depth that it is worth taking the time to consider alternative interpretations.

Like much of Miyazaki's work, Howl's Moving Castle includes a certain level of sentimentalism. However, judged by western standards it is actually kind of sneaky, even deceptive in this. For just when you think you're in a sweet little kid's movie, without any warning you can suddenly find that you're really in a very adult place indeed. The contrasts here are not quite so sharp as in Porco Rosso, but they are sharp enough nonetheless. Incidentally, one of the things that I personally love most about exploring the media of other cultures is just how viscerally it can make one realize the arbitrariness of the conventions of genre to be found in one's own home culture; conventions that are otherwise all too easy to simply take for granted, as if they were somehow hard-wired into the nature of story itself.

Howl's Moving Castle is also rather interesting in the world it envisions. This is neither our own reality nor the standard swords and sorcery milieu, but a kind of 19th century fantasia almost steampunk in trope. On the down side though, one thing I didn't like about this movie was that the war that forms the backdrop to so much of the action is never really explained in any intelligent way - especially in the ending.

Overall though, I would definitely say that provided you can deal with a certain level of sentimentality, this is a movie worth seeing. And if you do happen to be an adult looking for something you can watch with the kids without being bored to tears, this may just fit the bill.

Theo.

Howl's Moving Castle is yet another in a long line of Studio Ghibli animated adventures that Disney is now re-issuing in a Bluray/DVD combo edition. And like the previous releases; I'll be one of the first to line up to buy this Bluray edition. But unlike the more family friendly Ghibli movies such as Totoro or Ponyo; this movie is a little more dark and scary. Aimed at a more mature audience as it comes with a PG rating. So I'd put it in a similar category to movies like The Hunchback of Notre Dame or Nausicaa. A family movie for kids old enough to watch the typical sci-fi movie like The Terminator without flinching. Younger than that; you'll have to check it out first and decide for yourself. Otherwise though, it's the typical high quality Hayao Miyazaki movie.

The storyline revolves around a young shop girl by the name of Sophie who gets hit with a life altering spell and must go on a quest with a mysterious stranger in his walking castle to break the spell. It's quite an adventure.

Now it's not my favourite Miyazaki movie; his masterpiece Princess Mononoke and my personal favourite Kiki's Delivery Service hold those spots. But it's still a Studio Ghibli movie and that means stunning visuals, fine detail and being a newer production, a full and rich 5.1 surround track. If you've never seen any previous Ghibli works and you think they're typical animated movies; you're going to be in for one heck of a shock! Gibli movies are always among the best looking animated movies on the planet.

A little too dark and angsty at times to be among my personal favourites; but still among the better animated movies out there. I'll rate it a strong four.

J. A.

This movie is simply wonderful. It goes far beyond what you would expect from an Hollywood style animated movie (which it is not). The creator has used the liberty that animation allows to bring us true magic.

For the longest time Princess Mononoke has been my favorite Miyazaki film but now I find it being quickly replaced by this latest masterpiece (plot holes and all).

I have just started reading the novel from which it is based and while the two are drastically different I have found the book helpful in setting up the backstory that the film missed.

Even with this in mind I am still giving it a 5 out of 5 for the sheer amazingly brilliant entertainment value this has. It's a must see for Anime fans and animation fans (adult and child) alike.

--then this movie is a definite watch!
I have only seen the japanese version, but I can seriously tell that this story can be caught on quite easily by all ages. But, let's not forget the animation! Studio Ghibli's films are always world renowned for their amazing pictures and scenes in their movies. You always wonder what'll happen next in this magical film!
Anime fans, rejoice!!

This is one of the greatest movies of all time. It's so rich and the animation is so good. I saw this when it first came out in theaters and i was swept away. I didn't expect it to be everything it was. This is a fabulous movie for kids as well as adults. I highly recomend it to all.

"Howl's Moving Castle", directed by Hayao Miyazaki, is a thoroughly delightful movie that young children will love, and adults enjoy. You don't believe that both children and adults can appreciate the same film? Well, some of Miyazaki's cartoons are simply magic, and "Howl's Moving Castle" is one of them. And who can resist real magic?

The main character is Sophie, a 19-year-old girl that leads a very boring life until the unbelievable happens: she is cursed by a spiteful witch, and turned into a very old woman. The only person who can break the spell is a wizard, so Sophie decides to leave the city and search for him. Sophie will find the wizard she was searching for, but also some unlikely friends, a moving castle and love. Things will not be easy, though, as Sophie is unable to tell her friends she is under a curse, and their country is in the middle of a war. What will happen? Well, watch this movie and you will see :)

All in all, I can tell you that I loved "Howl's Moving Castle", and that I highly recommend it to you.

Belen Alcat

I watched the movie myself, and found out that Miyazaki did a good job on adapting Howl's Moving Castle into a Movie form.

In my view, this is a good movie, expressing the kind and gentle side of human nature, which is kind of rewarding, after you have done a long day of work and sometimes need to lighten up.