Review of Castle in the Sky

So, that's what a filler Ghibli movie looks like. Did not care a single bit about whatever plot was happening in this movie. Not from the beginning, not from the middle or end. It's one of those movies you put on the back of dinner. It's dated, cliché'd, more predictable than anything, specially when you establish how plot convenience is the only force working for the movie. Starting off with the main characters. You've got a walking “damsel in distress” trope. You've got the immortal protagonist that somehow escapes literally every impossible situation with sheer force of will, he's a kid. He can grip impossibly steepstructures for minutes on end, he can confront people with guns, he has no sense of self-preservation, or he knows he's immortal. Most characters share that.

The typical “don't corrupt things beyond understanding”, with the ambitious villain that somehow is tied by blood to the damsel, which kind of defeats the purpose of his villainy, and reason to be there. The twists don't illicit any change whatsoever in the story, and everything ends as easy as you can imagine it does. Everything goes the way you think it will.

I don't hate stories that have an easy to follow through-line, but at least give me good characters, instead of the flattest of flats. The animation isn't the strongest, either. The typical Ghibli designs, with no flare to the style, no strong art direction, the colors aren't fun, the world isn't interesting to look at, and it's pretty dated in that regard too.

4/10. A product of its time, in every sense of the word. Paused it so many times because I was just bored out of my mind. I really don't recommend it.