57 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
"You Think Your Life Belongs to You?", September 27, 2010
This review is from: Tales from Earthsea (DVD)
Combining the fantasy novel of a Western author and the movie making skills of a Japanese animator seems like a strange collaboration, but it's nothing that hasn't already been done before with Studio Ghibli's adaptation of
Howl's Moving Castle, based on the book by Diana Wynne Jones. "Tales from Earthsea" is an adaptation of Ursula le Guin's beloved "Earthsea" series, which for many years was composed of only three books, but which now includes at least six installments.
There was already a connection between Hayao Miyazaki and the Earthsea books; he claims to have been heavily influenced by their worldviews and mythologies, both of which avoided the tradition black-and-white depictions of good and evil. Twenty years ago Miyazaki attempted to get the rights to adapt Earthsea, but le Guin refused - a decision that she came to regret after watching several of his films.
After the
disastrous miniseries and after realizing the incredible talent of the Studio Ghibli, le Guin gave her consent for an adaptation (suggesting perhaps that the film could take place in the ten or so years that passed between
A Wizard of Earthsea and
The Tombs of Atuan). But by this stage, Miyazaki considered himself too old to direct another movie, and the project was passed on to his son Goro Miyazaki, with assurances that nothing would be done without Miyazaki's consent.
However, it's well documented that not only did Miyazaki not retire from film-making, but that there was significant conflict between himself and his son during the filming of "Tales from Earthsea," all of which threw the quality of the project in doubt and left le Guin with a lukewarm reception to the finished project (though this paled in comparison to her lambasting of the Sci-Fi miniseries). You can read more on her website, something that most fans of the books will be interested in perusing.
But on to the movie itself. As a depiction of "Earthsea" it doesn't deliver. As a film standing on its own merits, it's a flawed but intriguing piece. As a work of art and as a dose of entertainment, it excels. It is best described as an adaptation of the third book
The Farthest Shore what with its inclusion of Cob and the use of Arren as the protagonist, but it also draws upon the idea of the Shadow from
A Wizard of Earthsea and includes the character of Therru, who doesn't turn up until the forth book
Tehanu.
The Tombs of Atuan is completely skipped, though Tenar mentions it briefly.
The archipelago known as Earthsea is beset by a strange entropy that nobody can explain. The first ten minutes of the film introduces an ominous dragon fight, rumors of pestilence and failing crops, and the shocking assassination of the king. Unfortunately, the rest of the film bears little resemblance to this strong opening. A wandering, earthy wizard called Sparrowhawk crosses paths with the haunted, twitchy Prince Arren, a figure perturbed by something that only he can see. Together they join up in the journey to Hort, a colorful but corrupt city filled with slave-traders and drug-dealers.
After a run in with both, Sparrowhawk takes Arren to the farm of an old friend: Tenar and her foster-daughter Therru, a moody and scarred girl who doesn't easily warm to Arren's presence. But the little gathering is threatened by supernatural forces: not only the unsettling figure of Cob, a malevolent wizard who desires immortality, but also an eerie doppelganger that stalks Arren wherever he goes.
It is a promising set-up, but the story itself fails on several fronts. We never get an understanding as to why the world's equilibrium is out of balance, or whether Cob is responsible for it. There is no clear idea on what exactly Arren's shadow is; in fact, it abruptly changes from a villainous doppelganger to a helpful guide halfway through the movie. The king's murder is has no ramifications or explanations. The fighting dragons at the start have nothing to do with the rest of the film, though one turns up as a blatant dues ex machina at the climax (which only opens up more questions about a central character).
We're never given any clear idea of who Sparrowhawk is or what he's trying to achieve at any given moment - for such a powerful figure, he's disappointingly reactive rather than proactive. As beautifully rendered as it is, there's little emotional investment made in the wellbeing of the land that the heroes are trying to save, and there are inconsistencies in its level of fragility (despite claims that flocks and crops are failing, Tenar lives on what looks like a perfectly healthy farm). The last half is a fantasy-action film, full of sword-fights and collapsing staircases - visually exciting, but which feels like it belongs to a different movie than the slower and more introspective first half.
When a novel like "Earthseas" is recognized as being popular, best-selling and award-winning, it's safe to assume that the author knows what she's doing when she tells a story. So why mess with it?
But "Tales of Earthsea" shouldn't be dismissed on account of its rather garbled story. As with every Studio Ghibli production, it is a beautiful, imaginative, vivid work of art. On display are large sea galleons stranded in the midst of the desert, a bustling market held among crumbling edifices, abandoned farms lying along country roads; all of which calls to mind the Japanese concept of "mono no aware", the sense of melancholy and transient beauty that is forever fading. Yet at the same time there is an emphasis and appreciation for life and its simple rewards. There are scenes of hard-work around the farm, in which sitting down for a good meal or getting a comfortable night's sleep is given just as much emphasis as flight on a dragon's back.
For all its flaws, "Tales from Earthsea" is a worthwhile film. It's beautifully rendered and populated with likeable characters, flows at a smooth pace and is a promising beginning for a first-time director.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful and worthwhile, August 11, 2010
Overall a very worthwhile movie that has not yet been released into the U.S. market. The English track is well voice acted and not just dubbed, although perhaps not with the same actors as will be used for the U.S. release. One caution: the used DVD I purchased was zoned for Asia and requires either a zone-free DVD player or a PC with zone-free DVD software.
The animation is beautiful, but particularly noteworthy is a song sung by Teru, a central female character. The song is sung by the same performer in both the English and Japanese versions. Both the words and the music are moving. A recommendation: for just this part of the movie turn on the Japanese soundtrack and the English subtitles. The song is more powerful with the words, but the emotions come through just a little more stronger in the Japanese version. You can hear the song on YouTube and elsewhere, but you might have to search for Gedo Senki rather than Earthsea.
There were just a few brief scenes that might disturb young children, but my 2 and 6 year old boys were not bothered (although they are generally fearless).
I did not find the philosophical basis of the mythology in the movie very deep or interesting. These were mostly variations of "life has no definition without death", which I don't consider a well thought out position. I only make this observation because I find myself holding this movie to a fairly high standard that I would not apply to other mass market animated movies.
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not a perfect Tale, but still worth being told, July 20, 2007
This review is from: Tales from Earthsea (DVD)
Following in the footsteps of Howl's Moving Castle, Studio Ghibli has once again turned to the works of other literary writers as inspiration for yet another animated feature. This time around, they have gone to the world of Ursula K. Le Guin's Tales from Earthsea series, loosely adapted from the third and fourth installments of the Earthsea saga (The Farthest Shore and Tehanu, respectively). What is interesting is that the movie was helmed by Hayao Miyazaki's son, Goro Miyazaki, and this is his directorial debut. Although far from great, this movie is still a good indication of hopefully even better works in the future from this director. Better known by the title Gedo Senki, the story revolves around a wise old wizard, a young prince with an accompanying dark side, and an evil witch who plans to use him for her own reasons.
The first thing you will notice upon watching is definitely the visuals. The details are very graphically striking and vivid. You will see everything from great-looking towns and markets to dank dungeons and castles to open seas and grassy meadows. There are quite a few beautiful overview and panning shots very reminiscent and much inspired by previous Ghibli films that fans will feel right at home. The only problem is with the washed out appearance and drab simplicity of the character designs, which clash and don't blend very well with the backgrounds and environments. This is vaguely awkward considering the amount of care that was put into the animation of the last few Ghibli features. But if there is one thing to complement this movie for, it would be the music. This is one of those rare cases in which the soundtrack, done by the legendary Tamiya Terashima, surpasses the movie itself. It may very well be of the one best yet heard in an animated movie this decade.
Unfortunately, not as many good things could be said for the actual story. There were times when the film's plot felt as though it was not developing properly enough as it progressed, nor was it unfolding very clearly to get a good idea of how to react to the events. The characters would find themselves in situations or engaging in pieces of dialogue that don't quite hold your interest very well either. Some scenes were too prolonged than what they should be while others end too quickly or abruptly without much reason or thought behind why. You want to be concerned about what is happening or what is going to happen next, but the movie often doesn't allow you to do so. This annoyingly erratic and unbalanced method of story-telling, along with the rather disappointing animation scheme, gives the entire movie a rushed and incomplete feeling that greatly hampers the enjoyable factor. Luckily, the story isn't so convoluted which makes it not too difficult to follow along. Also, there were a couple unforgettable moments in the film that make it worth seeing, including one scene which literally had me crying.
So do I recommend this film? I suppose it depends. I would probably break down the target audiences into three broad categories: those who are Studio Ghibli fans, those who are fans of the Earthsea series, and those who are not exactly familiar with either one but would just want to watch something worthwhile. In any case, that would still be a lot of viewers nonetheless. Being able to enjoy it stands on where exactly your expectations lie. It could disappoint Earthsea fans since this is only loosely based off the books. For me, this is the kind of film you would want to watch after seeing a streak of very good films and you don't really want something overly spectacular for a change. I can only hope that this review, despite the negative feedback I have given, will further spark and enhance your interest in seeing this movie so you can make up your own mind, instead of discouraging you to not see it at all. And hey, who knows. You may end up liking Tales from Earthsea more than I did. So just go ahead and see it!
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