Review of Castle in the Sky
The first official film from Studio Ghibli. Whilst Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a Ghibli film - it was only introduced to the Ghibli canon in the years after its release. Castle in the Sky is, therefore, Studio Ghibli's first feature project. A major throwback to 19th century sci-fi with a sprinkle of steampunk - Castle in the Sky carefully combines fantasies with factories in the first of many magical adventures from Studio Ghibli. Following the major success of esteemed auteur Hayao Miyazaki's previous work, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky is a more light-hearted adventure incontrast to its rather forceful predecessor. A classic kids' adventure needs some fitting characters, and Miyazaki is no stranger when it comes to that. Pazu and Sheeta - high-spirited, young and passionate. A perfect duo longing for adventure - brought together by pure magic after Sheeta fell from the sky into the mine where Pazu works.
After an extraordinary fall from grace introduction - Pazu and Sheeta race through the city to avoid capture from Colonel Muska and the soon to be friend, Dola. This introduction to the city is also our introduction to Miyazaki's more comical side - providing us with scenes of childish combat between two men with muscles so unwieldy I actually said aloud, "Is that a Jojo reference?" Scenes like these act as a subtle call back to Miyazaki's debut feature, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, a film packed with eccentric combat and characters. A brief cameo of the fox squirrels from Nausicaä may give off the impression that Castle in the Sky is riding solely off of the coattails of Miyazaki's career, however, the film brings plenty of major ideas to the table. Castle in the Sky ushered in new concepts of style, narrative development and characterisation that Studio Ghibli continues to keep close by today.
Castle in the Sky also had a major influence over the design of future Ghibli spectacles. Kiki made her grand appearance three years later, and she clearly took influence from Sheeta's style, sporting her iconic red hairband and loose dress. Our brief look at one of the pirates, Motro, shows us a very familiar looking face (Kamaji?) The tree at the centre of Laputa bares thick, ancient roots - much like the mesmerising camphor tree which blossoms atop Totoro's forest.
Despite being all the more frisky than Nausicaä, Castle in the Sky still maintains themes of militarism and environmentalism present in Nausicaä and sustained throughout Miyazaki's career.
Remember what I said about Miyazaki being no stranger to writing strong characters, well, not everyone's perfect. Colonel Muska is our main antagonist, and a very bland one at that. His character is uninteresting, uninspired and worst of all - generic. Not something I thought I'd find myself saying about a Ghibli character.
However, Miyazaki manages to override the ineffectiveness of Muska's character with the constant strong points of this film - the robots being a major high note in character design and symbolism. They can be used as weapons, yet they flourish in their times of peace. In moments of solitude - the robots represent the tranquil caretakers of Laputa's uncharted grounds. In moments of conflict - we're introduced to a surprisingly prominent theme of duality. The duality of man - to kill, to love. The robots are capable of both slaughter and compassion, however, they cannot choose. The robots are controlled - if they kill it is because they were told to. This introduces another theme - that of free will. Robot or human - everyone should have free will. Everybody should have a right to choose. Free will is a theme of Castle in the Sky that I find towers above all the others. Whilst not being overly noticeable on a surface level, its potent undercurrent that streams through almost every scene is enough so that it doesn't pass by unseen.
Castle in the Sky is a dream come to life. Miyazaki's dreams extracted straight from him, and put onto the screen. A film with layers, almost an entire rabbit hole of themes and messages that just keep stretching on the more you think and the more you dig. I started this review with a rating of seven out of ten, after writing it I see that Castle in the Sky bestows so much more than what meets the eye. An exceptional adventure from start to finish, and a truly magnificent feat in the films of Hayao Miyazaki.