Spirited Away

Japanese Anime is for the most part overrated. The gaping mouths at shrieky talking, the too-sharp edges of characters' hair and the weirdness for the purpose of being weird usually off-puts this certain genre. And yet, greatness is within this genre, and it is apparent in Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki has been the writer/director for quite a few of these films, and it is with Spirited Away that he has attained greatness. For, crudity still exists as it must because it is japanese anime, but through beautifully sweeping scenes, creative characters, metaphorical storyline, and precisely drawn landscapes, Spirited Away becomes a wonder to behold. Even the things usually bad about the genre are transcended by Miyazaki. The film is mysterious as it begins with a family of three moving to their new home. They make a stop on the way though (for a strange force pulls them in), and they discover an abandoned carnival. The parents discover food, and as the daughter Sen looks around, her parents are transformed into pigs. It is discovered that this world is a bathhouse for weary spirits. Sen is imprisoned as an essential slave to a perhaps-evil witch, and as adventures ensue, the film only captivates more. It is the craft within the film that makes it so good. It never missteps, it is constantly entertaining, strangely beautiful, and mythologically sound. The film is about fear and the overcoming of that fear. The trip Miyazaki takes us on is a great one.
Spirited Away: ★★★★