Howl's Moving Castle ***
Here's another fantasy Disney-like movie from the master of Japanese Animation: Hayao Miazaki. If you've ever seen the movie Spirited Away, made by the same people, you'll know what to expect in this film. Although, I though Spirited Away was a much better movie.
The English dub is fair, but only fair. I am not a fan of English dubs, no matter how word-heavy a movie is. I'd much rather hear the original dialog by the original actors, which in Japanese animation is usually much better. I did like the English actor, Emily Mortimer, who portrayed the heroin. She has a very lovely voice that fits the (young)character well. The hero, Howl, was played by Christian Bale, and I hated his work here. It was crap, though the original Japanese actor might have sounded like this, but it's still crap. One of the biggest downfalls of an English dub is the fact that they try to match the mouth movements of the characters, so the dialog sounds quite odd and has terrible pacing. It always detracts from the scene. It just doesn't register with us, because we don't speak that way, so it always sounds oddly forced and out of step.
I watched it at the Magnolia theater downtown Dallas. Overall it was a great presentation, the sound was wonderful and the film picture was pretty clear and not too soft.
On the heels of Spirited Away, this film just seems like an afterthought. If you haven't seen a Miyazaki film in the theater yet, here's your chance. Go and have fun.
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/castle/
posted by Kodiak @ 7:41 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
I strongly agree. I also, several times throughout the movie, felt as though the dialogue was being "dummed down" for American audiences who were expected to view the film as a "cartoon" rather than a serious work.
I saw the trailer for "Howl" shortly after I saw the film "Appleseed". "Howl" looked like a crummy 2D cartoon when compared to "Appleseed". Not saying "Appleseed" is genuis - far from it. But the 3D look had me hooked.
Just beautiful. Good lip sync and voice over work.
But most anime storylines are silly to me. So much so I worry for the Japanese. They certainly have turned into a nation of weidos - and what's the deal with the slanty eyes and black hair?
Just kidding with the "slanty eyes and black hair" remark.
But really, the Japanese scare me.
Oh, and in response to Anonymous and the "dummed down for American audiences"; to use the word "serious" when describing anime films is silly - as are most anime storylines. "New Age" themes did not die, they just took up residence in anime.
I think America "gets" anime just fine.
And yet, your three consecutive posts clearly show that you don't get it and probably never will.
Hmmm.
Perhaps you should become a student of Asian culture for a while and see if some of the plot lines don't make a little more sense to you out of the context of American, or Christian culture.
So often, the English version will be designed to apply to all audiences. After all, they want to make as much money as possible, so being absolutely true to the original dialog might not be a good idea. But then again, English audiences still believe that cartoons are meant for kids.
Post a Comment
<< Home