Castle in the Sky

Inventive and original as any Miyazaki film, one of his first features from the 80's, CASTLE IN THE SKY also contains many lesser known, or less frequently addressed trademarks of the master animator. The film begins with a sky battle between pirates and mysterious men in suits who always wear sunglasses and contain the same enigmatic nature as men in black. The battle is in the air, and the pirates embark from their buzzard-like ship into insect-like personal ships, attacking the massive one of the men in suits. There's a struggle, and it becomes clear that the pirates are after a young girl on the ship, and specifically, a blue necklace she's wearing. In the confusion, she falls, plummeting to the earth. We are sure she'll die, but her necklace gives off a wonderful light, and floats her safely to the earth below, where she meets the other protagonist, a young miner named Pazu. Pazu and the girl (whose name is Sheeta, and voiced by a young Anna Paquin) become close, but they're relationship flourishes quickly, even as they have to quickly go on the run from the pirates, and the devious men from earlier. Pazu and Sheeta discover that the necklace is magical (presumably from how it allowed Sheeta to float to the ground), and that it probably came from a magical, legendary city that floats in the sky named Laputa. From that point, the story becomes a search for the magical city. There's a lot of heartwarming, balanced fun with Sheeta and Pazu, and then, as is ubiquitous in Miyazaki's work, the original "bad guys", the pirates, become the good pals of Sheeta and Pazu. This transformation is unwieldy, however, for in later Miyazaki films the buried evils of the enemies become friends is constantly addressed and present. Also a trademark of Miyazaki's work, and handled in a shoddy way here, is the "good message" that has become so important to even Pixar (as was overbearing in their WALL-E). Here, there is an environmental parable that seems to even supersede the lives of many of the government officials who show up. Eventually, it becomes condescending and ultimately preachy. It does not completely overtake the film's decency, but it just solidifies that it is just that: a decent film, and not must else.
Castle in the Sky: ★★★