First of all, what a time to be alive. This is my second Miyazaki film watched in theaters in its initial release. It's an awesome experience. The Wind Rises played fairly straightforward, with some surprises but mostly just a very enjoyable, masterfully crafted movie. The Boy and the Heron, while set in the same time period, couldn't be more different in pacing and tone and almost every other aspect. It's a film so unconventional that there's truly no way to know where things will turn next, and each twist and turn in Miyazaki's fabulous dreamscape delights and disgusts in ways only he can.
The first time I saw My Neighbor Totoro I had a high fever, it was late at night and I was in a foreign country. My sister and I watched it to keep my spirits up. Totoro is so dreamlike ("I thought it was a dream!" "But it wasn't a dream!" 🌱), that the next day I remember wondering which parts of that movie were real and which parts were a result of my fever. Miyazaki's worlds are so beautiful and rooted in traditions of our world, but governed by rules of another world entirely. Like a dream, they inherit characters and motifs, but then bend them in ways you'd never expect. In the end you wake up realizing that it didn't make a whole lot of sense, and yet somehow, in a more elemental way, of course it did.
I have a lot of thoughts on the specifics of this movie, but I want to avoid spoilers as much as possible, so here are some bullet points:
- So many parts reference past Miyazaki worlds and themes, which is fun as a fan.
- There were so many really laugh-out-loud funny moments, and a few seriously gruesome moments.
- There are some creatures in this that I imagine will be merchandised the heck out of and I will buy every bit of it.
- The ending I thought was a bit odd in the moment, but has grown on me a lot while thinking about it, and right now I don't feel like it's worth a mark against the film.
- We watched the dub and I have to say everyone did a fantastic job. Robert Pattinson especially deserves a lot of praise for his role. I honestly forgot it was him until the credits rolled. Florence Pugh also really knocked it out of the park. And Willem Dafoe's role is very short but the gravitas of his voice lends itself so well to the scene.
Still picking up the pieces of it but I'm coming away from this just so grateful that this man and this studio is still making movies (and apparently are in the early stages of another!). If you are on the fence, definitely see this, and see it in theaters while you still can!
