Howl's Moving Castle
A friend took me to see "Howl's Moving Castle", the newest Miyazaki film, a few nights ago. My reaction is: wow. Just . . . wow. Lovely, moving, charming, enigmatic . . . as magical as "Spirited Away" but with more 'mature' *wink wink* characters.
Powerful and determined female characters star in all of the Miyazaki films I have watched: Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Kikyo's Delivery Service, and even Totoro. Sophie is one of the best: energetic, superbly adaptable, stubborn, responsible but occasionally self-centered . . . she's a heroine I actually sympathize with. Howl - our reluctant hero - is egotistical, vain and cowardly; still, his charm and devotion to his friends won me over. The supporting characters, such as an amiable scarecrow and a fat old dog, entertained as well.
The best - and worst - part of the film are all the mysteries that remain unresolved. Like "Spirited Away", the movie plunges the heroine - and the viewer - into a topsy-turvy world where she thrives without needing to fully understand the how's or why's. I suppose I'll have to go read the book by Diana Wynne Jones to find out the backstory!