THE WIND RISES
This is suppose to be Miyazaki's last film!! And so
far, it is! Although his son has taken up the mantle
where Hayao has left off! As his final film, Hayao
has chosen a semi-biography of sorts about a young
man in Japan during WW II! All he wants to do is make
beautiful airplanes, and that is what he sets out to do!
Along the way, he meets and falls in love with a beautiful
young girl who becomes a major part of his life!!
As you would expect from a Miyazaki film, it is beautifully
done with colors that are quite breathtaking!! While the
story isn't riveting, it is interesting, especially as it shows
the war from the Japanese point of view!! And as a last
point here, this is not a children's movie!! They will not
understand it or be able to sit through two plus hours
of a story with no action and very little humor! Still, for
an adult, this is worth a watch!! Those who love Miyazaki's
work will definitely find much to enjoy here! A-
A review from IMDb.com
(61%) As a relative newcomer to studio Ghibli, and
Japanese animation in general I'm really quite split on
what to make of it. On a big plus side it is unquestionably
beautiful, finely detailed, and very well-made. But as far
as this film in particular is concerned, and despite its
depth, sweetness, and heart, is just something I couldn't
warm to. In many ways it has a similar issue to what
"The fantastic Mr Fox" has in that it should by all rights
have a much wider appeal that it actually does. Everyone
who watches this, regardless of age, should be able
to take something away from doing so. But the fact
is very few people under the age of twelve will actually
make it all the way through until the end, and for
something made by a company known as the Japanese
Disney, that simply isn't good enough. This makes
no real attempt to appeal to anyone except pre-established
followers, critics, and mature cinema fans with its honestly
quite bland central character, talky script, and there can't
be that many eight year old's out there relishing a
semi-romantic film based around a workaholic,
chain-smoking plane designer in the still early days
of flight. It is a good quality film, and as such it is worthy
of note. But for something for all the family to enjoy? I
think not. - Adam Peters