Customer Reviews

Tales from Earthsea

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

"Tales from Earthsea" is a Miyazaki movie. Just not THE Miyazaki.

No, this extremely loose adaptation of Ursula le Guin's Earthsea series is directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son, Goro Miyazaki. And it has the earmarks of a promising first effort -- the visuals are hauntingly lovely, the dialogue is sometimes beautiful, and there's raw passion in its making. But honestly, the story is often confusing.

The archmage Sparrowhawk encounters a young boy named Prince Arren in the desert, and takes him under his wing. Arren is on the run from his own kingdom after committing a horrible crime, and Sparrowhawk is out to find out why magic seems to be draining out of the world, and darkness is creeping into people's hearts.

After some misadventures with slavers, they make their way to Sparrowhawk's friend/love interest Tenar, and her adopted daughter Therru. Unfortunately, the malevolent mage Cob has learned of Sparrowhawk's presence nearby, and plans to use Arren in his quest for eternal life and revenge againt Sparrowhawk... unless Therru can help her friend come to terms with his inner darkness.

For the record, "Tales From Earthsea" is just a stunning movie visually -- ivy-draped cities, azure seaports, dark looming castles against twilight skies, and long sweeping green fields dotted with trees in the morning sun. There's a genuine sense of magic and mystery to this world, and you can really feel the passion that Miyazaki had for his story.

However, the story itself is kind of mixed. The dialogue is strong and often hauntingly powerful ("But only to men is it given to know that we must die, and that is a precious gift"), and the story has some scenes that are . But the narrative is often confusing -- the murky cosmology, undeveloped backstory (what are the tombs of Atuan?), and the whole subplot about Arren is just befuddling.

Most of the story's character development centers on Arren. He seems like a nice polite young boy, but from his very first shocking scene we see that darkness and despair are slowly consuming him. Miyazaki crafts a solid father/son relationship between Arren and Sparrowhawk, and the archmage is also a powerful character -- understanding, forgiving, and universally kind.

Miyazaki also spins up a solid bond between Sparrowhawk and his old friend Tenar, who have the comfortable feel of an old married couple. Therru is flawed, though -- she's not really fleshed out much, and she does something near the movie's end that left me scratching my head. It wasn't really foreshadowed or hinted at -- it just happens.

As for the villain Cob... uh, he seems like just a pallid effeminate villain at first, but he gets progressively creepier as we see more of him. Example: the scene where he slips Arren a roofie to get his true name. That was... disturbing.

Goro Miyazaki isn't the master that his father is, but there is still plenty of power, beauty and promise in his movie debut, "Tales From Earthsea." It's kind of confusing (especially if you've never read the books), but a worthy anime.

It's arrived, the official Walt Disney Studios release for the USA market in Region 1 format. Now people can finally quit complaining about other DVD release of this movie do not say "Disney" on the label. One of the most important benefits of this version is the easier to use menus, especially the fact that they are in English. Now onto the show. While others have complained about this movie, I enjoyed it. The most common complaints I hear are: First is "it is not as good as Spirited Away or other big films from Hayao Miyazaki." In fact the honorable Mr. Miyazaki did not make this movie, his son Goro Miyazaki headed up the team at Studio Ghibli that made it. So we need not hold this first time effort up to the incredible standards of the more recent films by Hayao. It is still really good, and over time I believe his son time will continue to hone his skills/experience to the suceed his father when the time comes. And isn't that a good thing for the future, Hayao cannot make movies forever. And I believe that if you measure it against Hayao's early films it holds up very nicely .
The next complaint I hear is "it does not follow the original Earthsea books". I believe they adapted the film concept from a Japanese set of graphic novels, which were in turn based on Ursula K LeGuin's books of Earthsea. I have read all of the original books and do love them, but I would suggest forgetting the source when you watch this as the movie and the books have little to do with each other. It is not uncommon that movie adaptions of books are far from following the source book, this is not the first. There is also a live action Earthsea film out there, and it is pretty bad. I tried to approach this film as a fresh story and pushed out of my mind what I know of Earthsea.
So here is what is really GOOD about this animated film. I found the character development to be well done and believable, and after awhile I found I was caring what happened to them. The animation was very fluid, nice backgrounds, great sound, great character and background design. There are big beautiful landscapes, interesting creatures, and nice art design. The real weakness, if any, viewers is in the plot/script and how slowly it progresses. But it seems to me the director was taking intentional pauses, slowing us down to the time and culture of the people in the story. I suggest you give it a chance with an open mind and do not hold it up to such a high standard as Spirited Away. It is a good movie, and stands quite well on its own. And I think we can see that the future legacy of Studio Ghibli is in good hands.

I guess that Hayao Miyazaki set the bar so high, it is hard to imagine anything approaching his standards. Yet this is the film Studio Ghibli had to make - elements of Earthsea have permeated almost all Miyazaki Senior's work. So, in some ways, Tales From Earthsea fundamental to an understanding of all the Miyazaki films.

So what is this one like? Well, I have watched it three times in two days and it succeeded in bring tears to my eyes on each occasion. It is a beautiful film and it is full of both humanity and wonder. The characters are complex and multi-layered. The animation is beautiful, if ever so slightly different from that of Hayao Miyazaki. If this is a debut from Goro Miyazaki, then I think he will be awesome by the time he gets to his third or fourth film.

The orchestral soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful and the equal of any of the Studio Ghibli films. The soundtrack also features a heartbreakingly beautiful song, sung by the young actress who voices the role of Therru. The soundtack is worth buying as well as the DVD.

So, Tales From Earthsea may be slightly less than the standard of the usual Hayao Miyazaki film, but it absolutely flaws any animated film from Hollywood in recent years. I predict a very bright future for Goro Miyazaki.

Four stars for the film and an extra star for Aoi Teshima very touching and beautiful song.

First of all, DVD-wise... the lack of special features, interviews and commentary is pretty disappointing. However, I found the subtitles to be accurate and of top quality, while the dubbing was probably the best Disney can realistically do with such a non-American tale. I found the dubbing almost as good as Spirited Away, although some of the acting was periodically lacking.

In terms of some less-than-kind reviews, negative Ghibli fans I believe are looking through a biased lens and over-reacting. Take off the goggles and compare this fine movie to any animation coming out of Hollywood today, and I challenge you to find anything even remotely close to Earthsea's creative mythology, and deep emotional and spiritual context, not to mention stunning animation. No, this is not a clear-cut, button-up-every-detail in a perfect little bow story, like a happy little Full House episode. This movie leaves you to ponder (like Laputa) exactly who the characters are and what their past entails. That is not a flaw in the plot, it is simply a different kind of story-telling. Anime fans and non-fans alike who may not necessarily follow Miyazaki may find themselves much less averse to these plot 'challenges'. Anime and manga is often ripe with such loose-ends, story prequels and unanswered questions. That's simply story-telling that's foreign, which American audiences are just not used to. It's no wonder to me that some of the greatest foreign films and stories ever told fly over the heads of the majority of today's thrill-seeking audiences looking for the latest eye-candy.

Don't pass up the opportunity to see this film. It's a deep psychological journey that probes the very real problems of deep depression and sadness, and attempts to illustrate that the high value of life is taken for granted through our incredible selfishness.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree......... Hayao Miyazaki's son, Goro, directed this Ursula LeGuin piece very well, and I am duly impressed (despite what the Amazon site says about it) I suggest you leave all reviews aside and experience it for yourself.

I consider myself a fan of Studio Ghibli's works. In fact, I've seen almost every film that Studio Ghibli has created. I've enjoyed most of them (with a few exceptions), but sadly, I feel like "Tales from Earthsea" is not one of their better releases. I understand that this was the first film to be directed by Goro Miyazaki, Hayao's Miyazaki's son, and that is it also something of a pet project that Miyazaki Sr. had been wanting to do for years. I've also heard that Miyazaki Sr. was not too pleased with the work done on this film by his son. I was already aware of the negative reviews this film had garnered before I had a chance to rent it, but I was prepared to make up my own mind about it anyway. I should also mention that although I have read the Earthsea series, it was many years ago and my memory is foggy at best, so I won't be commenting much on the faithfulness to the books, other than to say that I don't think this film follows any of the books too well...

Well, the closest comparison that one could make between this film and another Studio Ghibli film would have to be Howl's Moving Castle since they are both adaptations of a book. From what I understand, neither one of those films actually follows their respective books too closely at all. The difference here is that Howl's Moving Castle is a really good film on its own merits, but Tales from Earthsea feels slow and full of plot holes. Some people might be quick to complain that "Howl" has plot holes too, but honestly, that film makes perfect sense if given some thought, whereas "Tales" just feels like plot points are missing. For example, we are told that the world's magical balance is out of whack, but we are never really told what's causing this. The wizard Sparrowhawk tells us ominously that there is only one being capable of doing this, but the only villain they confront later is the evil wizard Cob. Is he the cause? Sure he's an evil powerful wizard, but he doesn't really seem strong enough to put the entire world out of balance - I mean, he's not some centuries-old demonic entity or anything... One of the other protagonists is Arren, a boy whom we see murder his own father (a king) and then run off with his father's sword. He seems to be running from some sort of shadow entity that looks like him and that only he can see. Well, okay then...but this shadow entity is only half-heartedly explained, and why Arren felt the need to murder his father is NEVER explained (and why did he steal the sword?). At first, I thought that he was overcome with a fit of madness or something, but he later makes it sound like he did it on purpose, so I don't really know anymore. At the end of the movie, a certain character turns into a dragon with absolutely no explanation given before or after the act. The list goes on...

Another problem has to do with the characters themselves - none of them are particularly likable. Some of them are rather un-offensive enough in their blandness (like Shadowhawk and Tenar) but your main character Arren is confusing due to the unexplained details mentioned earlier and Theru is downright unlikable for the first half of the film. Why is she so ungrateful after being saved from the slave traders, and why is she so oddly hostile to Arren later? Then Arren tells her that he murdered his father and she was right to hate him (although she wouldn't have known that) and THEN she starts liking him. Huh? Maybe she's just a stickler for brutal honesty and hates helpful people? I don't know. The real problem is that I just didn't feel attached to any of these characters by the end of it. In Howl's Moving Castle, I felt a real connection with Sophie (who's a shy but likable protagonist who turns out to have a sense of humor) and Howl himself (who is at once charming, but also immature). I just didn't feel much empathy for the characters in "Tales".

Another Ghibli film that this movie reminds me of is Castle in the Sky. Castle in the Sky is pretty much an action adventure tale set in a fantasy world, much like Tales from Earthsea. The difference is that Castle in the Sky had much better pacing. It had slow moments here and there, but it balanced these with action scenes. "Tales" doesn't pick up until the last half of the film, and although lots of Ghibli films are slower in pace, this one just felt tedious. I can't quite seem to put my finger on exactly why this film feels slow and boring but other "slow" films such as "My Neighbor Totoro" or "Kiki's Delivery Service" feel engaging and relaxing in their pacing. Maybe it has to do with the fact that there are several scenes that feel completely unnecessary. For example, the scene with the drug dealer was un-needed. If their intent was to show that the city is corrupt, the scenes of the active slave trade were enough for that. Plus, the slave traders are actually relevant to the plot later - that drug dealer is never seen or mentioned again. Another scene that feels out of place is the opening, where we see a ship in a storm and a couple dragons fighting. The presence of these dragons is never really explained, nor did I ever really get a feel for the significance of the dragons themselves. Are they good, bad, neither?!

After finally getting a chance to watch this movie, I'd have to say that the lackluster reviews I read before are fairly accurate. It's not that this film is simply horrible; the music is decent and the visuals are as stunning as any other Ghibli film, but it just pales next to better works. I'd recommend that you rent it first to see if you'll like it. I'd also recommend some better Ghibli films that have the same adventure-fantasy feel - namely "Howl's Moving Castle", "Castle in the Sky", and even "Spirited Away" or "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind".

This movie is amazing. I know some people say that it was horrible, but you have to watch it with an open mind. This movie takes place after the cycle, not during.
The art is beautiful and detailed, the voice overs are great, and I love the story. Goro Miyazaki does have a few quirks to work out, but he will rise up to join his father as an amazing animator.