Howl's Moving Castle
the sam

Review by the sam Patron

Howl's Moving Castle

2004
★★½

Rewatched 01 Dec 2024

I'm sorry guys, this is the third time I've tried now to be as in love with this film as everyone else is. Animation's great, music's great, Sophie is a very fun protagonist, but, narratively, the whole thing continues to feel too stuffed with ideas and characters and worlds nobody wanted to commit to and none of it sticks for me by the time it rushes to close itself off. However, the magic of Miyazaki prevails. My brothers never listen to anything other than video games for more than twenty seconds, and there they and I sat, captivated, eyes on the screen, for the entirety of this story. They then begged me to make them bacon and eggs, to which I provided. Even in his weakest attempts, he can't help but show everyone a world they'd rather inhabit, true fantasy that holds you tight, and I value that above any criticism I can toss out.

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