Saw this at the cinema. It felt like being trapped in cartoon hell. The animation is beautiful and it is an interesting story, but some serious editing was needed here.
by ShackyWack » Wed Nov 5 2014 17:25:59
IMDb member since August 2003
Saw this at the cinema. It felt like being trapped in cartoon hell. The animation is beautiful and it is an interesting story, but some serious editing was needed here.
I fell asleep :/ I'm not normally one to do that. I suggest viewing this on a Sunday afternoon.
It was beautiful though.
I agree with every sentence. Even though this film had some of the most impressive animation I've ever seen (and the idea had potential), having to follow this generic story/characters, peppered with one-dimensional romance and boring melodrama, for two hours was truly painful. It felt so long that I couldn't wait for it to be over. Also, it's one of those "events transpire on the screen but it's the same as if they didn't" movies. Completely forgettable.
What makes it worse is that there's a lot of interesting ways the movie could've went, but it never does. The amazing earthquake scene is here simply to set up the lackluster romance and that's it. There is potential to emphasize Jiro being torn between spending time with his wife or on his job, but it never amounts to anything emotional and profound. There is ample potential to explore the morality (or lack thereof) of Jiro's job, but that almost seems omitted. To add to this, Hideaki Anno sounds bored out of his mind while voicing Jiro, the passion is never felt. The concept of a man sacrificing his wife in order to make killing machines deserved a much, much more coherent approach than this flimsy film provided. Goes to show that even the most beautiful visuals can't salvage a bad story. Sadly, Miyazaki's final film is his weakest.