Review of Castle in the Sky

LAPUTA: CASTLE IN THE SKY: It’s so full of action, it doesn’t even have time for exposition This is definitely the most action-packed story of all of Hayao Miyazaki’s works. The first thirty minutes features Pazu and Sheeta’s attempt to escape from their pursuers. Sure, the chase is very interesting, but the story doesn’t give me a reason to care. What is it to me if Sheeta is captured? What is the gravity of her capture anyway? It has been hinted that her crystal necklace is an important factor on why she is being pursued, but there is no solid reason for me to care. I’mnot saying that I’m indifferent in the first thirty minutes of the film. I just find the scenes as lacking in emotional attachment. They are really entertaining though, because of the abundance of action sequences and prominence of good musical scoring.

Further in the film, the plot thickens as we are exposed to the vague royal origins of Sheeta. This is where it gets interesting. Plot elements have been introduced that will lead them to the legendary city. In their journey, there are a few conflicts and character interactions here and there, so the film remains interesting in the micro sense.

Their arrival at Laputa makes the film more interesting. The city itself portrays the negative effects of technology and the hunger for power. It’s proof that the film is one of Hayao Miyazaki’s stories that feature social and political commentaries, along with Princess Mononoke and Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind.

But again, the anime has its flaws. The vague royal origins of Sheeta are not expanded. I thought they were going to be explained further in the film, so I let them pass when they were just vaguely introduced earlier. But it turned out that they remained vague.

This is not the only vague plot element. The origins of Colonel Muska, the main antagonist, are also not explained. His knowledge about Laputa is too convenient. It’s as if he has gained this knowledge solely for the purpose of moving the plot. It’s just not justifiable. It’s also such a waste that he hasn’t been moulded enough as a character.

Speaking of characters, Laputa: Castle in the Sky has some fairly interesting ones, but nothing outstanding. Perhaps the reason for this is the fact that the film is so plot-oriented that it doesn’t even have the time to thoroughly explore its characters.

The good thing about this plot-orientation is that it has given room for the animation department to stand out. There are just so many action sequences to dazzle the viewers. Not only that, the whole film is also almost consistently embedded with music -- good music at that. Its style of embedding is very similar to modern action films; there is music in almost every scene.
Overall, Laputa: Castle in the Sky is an excellent Studio Ghibli film. The only major problem I have with it is its failure to explain some of the plot elements. But looking at the anime in general, I’d go as far to say that it’s the most entertaining of all of Hayao Miyazaki’s works. The story, the characters, the animation, and the music, just blend well together to create a film that is not just there to entertain, but also to teach us the value of humanity and nature.