Ged Senki

I realize that many people might not agree with what i'm going to say about this film, but please hear me out..

first of all.. i think too many people expected it to be like other miyazaki works.. but the worst thing you could do is assume it'll have the magic and light-heartedness of other studio ghibli films.. after all, it was miyazaki's son that directed it.. and for a first film, i don't think it could've been any better.. i suppose it's tough to keep this in mind, as the art style is the same as other ghibli films.. but please try..

that being said..

Story-i loved the story.. that might be partially because i really enjoy this genre.. a sort of medieval setting with fantasy elements.. dragons and sorcery.. but none of the fantasy elements are too over-bearing.. the film focuses instead on the lesson it intends to convey.. sounds lame.. but i think it did a perfect job of getting the point across.. i felt like i would burst when the movie ended.. i really felt the impact of what was being said.. to deny death is to deny life.. being afraid of death is being afraid of living.. i know it sounds cliche, but it makes sense and it really hits home.. heh.. for me at least.. it's a very epic telling of the story.. and you need to keep in mind also that this was literature to begin with, and you can tell by the content of the story.. it may seem to move a bit quickly and is at parts confusing.. but that's just the way it goes whenever literature becomes film.. nothing tough to keep up with though.. just a few holes..

Animation-the scenery was breathtaking as usual.. you could really feel the tone of the setting.. the art, the music, the story-all truly strike a chord.. the character animations could have been better, that would be my only serious complaint.. since it's a more recent film, i thought they could have done more with the effects-especially in scenes involving the use of magic.. more similar to the animation in spirited away or howl's moving castle.. then again, it might have been intentional.. and i'm not sure i liked the design of the dragons.. but overall.. great stuff.

Sound-probably my favorite music in a film ever.. bah.. i love that stuff.. perfectly orchestrated.. gave me chills actually.. heh.. it was dramatic, but it added to the epic feel of the film.. it was never cheesy.. and i especially love when it sounded a bit irish with the flutes and such.. and uh.. the closing song made me break down and bawl like a baby.. it was that beautiful.

Character-the characters were totally fitting for this movie.. nothing felt like it was out of place.. the main characters had plenty of depth and were very likable.. one thing i noticed was that one of the leaders of the bad dudes, the guy with the frenchie stupid-lookin mustache, looks exactly like a bad guy in nausicaa valley of the wind.. this also, may have been on purpose.. he acted like him too.. kinda weird.. and the evil sorcerer gave me chills.. that voice.. shudder*.. so yea-the characters were perfect in my opinion.. enough said.

Enjoyment-i enjoyed it thoroughly.. yea.. that's all.


*please remember to watch this film with an open mind, not expecting the usual miyazaki 'magic'

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Even a prolific animation studio like Ghibli can turn out a lesser effort. Hiroyuki Morita's THE CAT RETURNS was my personal least favorite Ghibli movie, but that film, simplistic and shallow as it was, seems to have much more accolades than 2006's TALES FROM EARTHSEA, arguably one of the first productions from the studio to split audiences and critics alike.

Ironically enough, the controversy actually began prior to the film's release. It has been stated that Hayao Miyazaki had expressed interest in directing a film based on Ursula K. LeGuin's famous fantasy novels, but the author, displeased with previous attempts, declined... until the success of Miyazaki's HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (arguably one of the director's least excellent but still brilliant efforts). However, it was ultimately decided that the film would be handled by Miyazaki's own son, Goro, under the persuasion of producer Toshio Suzuki. Miyazaki Senior was most displeased by these turn of events and it is said that his relationship with Goro became strained during the production period. Perhaps Hayao had reason to fear that his son was not ready to tackle such an ambitious story; although TALES FROM EARTHSEA performed well financially, it was attacked by critics and even fans of the books. In fact, Goro received the "Worst Director" Golden Raspberry Award for his first attempt. All of this sounds like a cruel, undeserved fate for the debut of the son of Japan's most respected animator, but even author Ursula K LeGuin has been disappointed with Goro's film. In fact, TALES FROM EARTHSEA would not even see a release in the United States for another five years.

The criticisms TALES FROM EARTHSEA has received are not without merit. Anyone expecting another PRINCESS MONONOKE or CASTLE IN THE SKY will probably be disappointed for, while this film shows moments of brilliance and imagination, it falls short from the upper echelon of those films. The problems lie in the storyline and characterizations.

Fans of LeGuin's books will probably be even more let down by this movie. It is based heavily on the third book, "The Farthest Shore", but while most of the situations and characters survive the transition to the screen, Goro attempts to incorporate elements from the other books into the film. But he does so in a way that only results in a tangled, confusing plot which not only feels rushed, but very incomplete and disorganized. Sometimes events happen without explanation, and what little explanation we get is unsatisfying; maybe fans of the books will grasp what Goro's intentions are, but others will find themselves asking questions which unfortunately, never get answered.

The film gets off to a promising start with a stormy sequence in which a ship at sea witnesses a bloody clash between two dragons. It's exciting and intense, with a brief flash of gory violence that brings one to mind of the similarly graphic moments from PRINCESS MONONOKE. TALES FROM EARTHSEA is still on that fine start when we see Arren, a teenage prince, inexplicably murder his father and escapes into a desert. He is rescued from wolves by Sparrowhawk, a kindly sorcerer with a scar on his face (for reasons that readers of the first book "Wizard of Earthsea" will recognize). Sparrow's mission is to restore the balance that has been disrupted in the mystical land of Earthsea.

However, when these two adventurers cross paths with other characters such as a moody, introverted “slave” named Therru, a warmhearted farmer, and an evil wizard intent on gaining (predictably) eternal life, it becomes evident that Goro is trying to cram too much story worth of at least four books into a two hour film. Aside from giving the characters little time to fully develop into fleshed out personalities, the film works in a very confusing and frustratingly murky subplot about a shadowy “clone” of Arren that shows up from time to time to torment the youth. This is handled very awkwardly, with zero foreshadowing and the whole “explanation” behind the whole thing leaves questions instead of answers. I was also very unclear about the climactic finale in which a girl transforms into a dragon; again, this is done with no explanation, that it only makes the audience baffled instead of thrilled.

Perhaps another big issue with the film is the pacing; as mentioned, the film’s best sequence is the opening dragon fight, but such action moments are rather scanty throughout the rest of the movie, resulting in long, extensive stretches where nothing really happens. For instance, at the halfway point, there is a long sequence in which the characters end up working on a farm. Although intended to provide character development, this sequence only slows down the film and feels more like padding than anything else. Brief moments such as Sparrowhawk and Arren talking about blistered hands after helping to plow the field feel strangely detached from the rest of the plot instead of anything else. The real areas in which Goro shows strength as an animator are the dream sequences—and there are quite a few in this tale—in which the characters find themselves standing on sunlit landscapes with luscious colors one moment and nearly drowning in an ooze-infested lake the next. These are actually far more interesting than much of the talkier scenes in the movie.

The lack of compelling characters is another major shortcoming with TALES FROM EARTHSEA. Sparrowhawk, for instance, is nobility personified, and as such, is pretty boring. Arren could have been a compelling troubled hero — sort of a darker version of Ashi-taka from MONONOKE, but his character development comes across as rather hazy to be interesting. The slave girl Therru, despite showing some backbone and the bitterness of San, isn’t much more endearing than her co-stars. Cob probably ranks as the most disappointing villain in any Ghibli film; oh sure, he’s creepy and acts evil, but he doesn’t have much of a personality, and lacks the charisma of, say, Muska from CASTLE IN THE SKY. That he doesn’t get much to do in the film is also a letdown. Cob’s slavetrader captain henchman, Hare, is much more effective as a badguy, and arguably is the only interesting character in the whole movie to display any personality. He sneers, cackles, rasps threats, and is remorselessly ruthless. It also helps that he is voiced by Cheech Marin in the Disney-produced English dub... who naturally gives the best performance in the whole film!

Speaking of the dub, this is probably my least favorite of the Disney Ghibli dubs, not because it is badly done—Disney has never produced an unlistenable dub as far as I’m concerned; their past dubs have all been fantastic, contrary to what others may say (yes, even the ones with extra dialogue and music). Perhaps because of the murky nature of this movie, it is difficult for the dub to be as effective, despite the efforts of everyone involved. Still, the performers and voice director Gary Rydstrom do their best: As mentioned, Marin plays the part of Hare perfectly and steals the show. Timothy Dalton does an excellent job as Sparrowhawk, embuing him with wisdom, warmth, and subtlety. Mariska Hargitay is also very good as the kindly farmer Tenar. Matt Levin as Arren is a bit of a trickier issue: he starts out somewhat flatly, but he gradually improves and gets especially good at the end. On the other hand, Blaire Restaneo’s Therru is the least effective of the voice cast; she shines brilliantly in singing the film’s only song, a melancholy acapella solo originally rendered by Aoi Teshima and does all right in the tense scenes, but I wasn’t so sold on the rest of her scenes. Willem Dafoe’s Cob works best in the climactic scenes where he rasps his way to the tower, but otherwise spends most of the time talking in a very soft, monotonous voice. I don’t know if it was supposed to convey darkness or not, but I didn’t find it particularly effective (in fact, I was chuckling upon hearing him speak for the first time) and I’m still not sure if he was the right choice for the character. Simply put, he’s no match for Mark Hamill’s Muska. The rest of the voices are fine, although they’re not nearly as memorable as in any of the other Ghibli dubs. Even purists who insist on watching the film in Japanese will probably be disappointed, as the voice acting, or at least what I’ve heard, isn’t much more effective than that of the dub.

Probably the most pleasing aspect of the film is its musical score contributed by Tamiya Terashima. Ghibli films have excelled with gorgeous soundtracks, and this is no exception. Using melancholy melodies and a full orchestra and chorus reminiscent of Hans Zimmer, Terashima provides a gorgeous and poundingly dramatic symphony that compliments the mood of the story perfectly. (As mentioned, Therru’s song midway through the film is a haunting highlight.) And of course, the animation is as richly detailed and beautiful as any Ghibli film.

There are moments where TALES OF EARTHSEA does exude some haunting visuals, but all in all, it’s probably the weakest of the Studio Ghibli movies by far. Had Goro Miyazaki opted for a less daunting storyline, then maybe he wouldn’t have received so much backlash for his debut feature. As such, the obvious failings of EARTHSEA shows that he is not yet ready to fill his father’s shoes. But even with all that said, is this movie still worth watching? Absolutely, especially if you’re a Ghibli completist. Even with its faults, TALES FROM EARTHSEA still has its share of high points to make it worth a look. But don’t expect another instant classic; on that level it falls short.

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I have not read the Earthsea novels, and have only seen this film once, so I am going by first impressions, and while admitedly this may not be particularly thorough, first impressions do count for a lot.

I did not enjoy this movie as much as other Ghibli, or anime films in general. Most of this was because I felt that many questions I had about the film and the world in which the film was set were left unanswered. This may have been because I did not read the book, however, I believe an addaptation should be able to stand on its own without needing to be familiar with the source material. For example, Gankutsuou still makes sense to those who did not read Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Christo and can stand alone as it's own piece of work. The Earthsea movie for me left too many questions. "Why are there slaves? Are there only certain people who become slaves or is everyone free game?" "Why do people fear witches and wizards if they're so useful? What's the basis for this prejudice?" "Why did the Prince stab the King? Why is this problem not addressed? How can people not notice a missing Prince and stabbed King?" These are only a few of my questions.

Secondly, the magic of the worlds did not seem adequately explained or built up. 'True Names' have power, but this is only really brought up halfway into the movie. Unlike Spirited away, this magic not based on an already well known or established folk lore or canon, so more explanation or build up would have helped to make it more effective.

Characters do not seem quite as sympathetic as subsequent Ghibli films. When reasons are given for characters to be sympathetic, it is simply mentioned in exposition, while showing it through flashback or dream sequence might have been more effective. Tennar mentions how Sparrowhawk once saved her a couple times during the film, but this and her relationship with Sparrowhawk is mostly left up to exposition which is not nearly as effective as showing it. Theru is a mysterious abuse victim who hates people who do not value life, why not show the audience why rather than having a character simply mention it? Why not give the audience more clues about her past to build suspense? And then there's Arran, who is supposedly our main character who seems entierly unsympathetic and uninteresting. I honestly did not see, throughout the whole film any good qualities what would draw me into his character or psyche. For a character with a past and backstory like his, I was really expecting more, and what was built up felt like a letdown by the end of the film. Really, his 'shadow'/split personality seemed far more complex and interesting (though that was not really explained either). What really makes it disappointing though is that the cover of the DVD and film posters show a picture of Arran with a Dragon, giving the audience the impression that this will be a film about a boy and a dragon, which, it isn't.

The sound was excellent though. Unlike other ghibli movies, it went with a very medieval and Celtic sounding soundtrack with reed instruments and even what sounded like bagpipes in some segments. It was truly beautiful to listen to and was a refreshing deviation. It helped drive home that this is a medieval fantasy world. The art and animation were stunning as usual, with breathtaking scenery. The film honestly did create its own, beautiful world.

My overall problem with the film was that the rules of the world were not properly explained and left too many questions. I am very aware that certain aspects of the story are lost in medium translation, but the audience should not be left thinking at the end of the film, 'I think I would have understood what that was all about if I had read the book.' As for the 'moral of the story' it feels like the writer is trying to beat it into the audience's head rather than let them figure it out. In past films, it is left up to the audience to be mature and clever enough to figure out the moral, whether it was environmentalism, pacifism, increased urbanisation, or even just being yourself. In this fim, it was repeated over and over until it honestly became annoying to listen to. I think after the second or third time, we get it already.

This film, unlike other Ghiblis, is certainly not for young children who are easily frightened. There is blood, hints of drug usage, human trafficing, violence, abuse, and frightening images that can upset young children and those who are easily frightened.

Overall though, it was not a terrible film. The story had potential, and was unafraid to touch on dirty, gritty subject matter. I would equate it to a well done B-movie, but it was a very far cry from being an A-lister. For a first film, it was very well done, and hopefully Goro Miyazaki can step up his game and fill the shoes of past directors. This film and director really do have potential, and I hope to see great things in the future.

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Let me explain first that I am not a Studio Ghibli fan. I find when I watch their films that I am constantly seeing the same recurring characters. Not the same TYPE of characters, just the same art. That greatly bugs me. I saw many of the same archetype characters that i've seen in every Ghibli film in this one as well.

Story: Adapted from Ursula K LeGuins Earthsea series. I've never read the series myself but from watching the anime I might just pick up a couple. I want to ask what part of the story inspired Goro Miyazaki to want to direct this. There's nothing in here that really justifies creating an anime. The major problem I find is that all the times they could be doing alot of character scenes the characters are really doing nothing. This takes way too long and there are entire scenes that don't do anything to contribute. The action that happens in this anime is very....inconsistent. There were a few scenes that I thought were really well done and others that left me bewildered, and not in a good way.

Art: For a 2006 movie it was desperately mediocre. The art was very basic and the characters where very Ghibli...men have gigantic beards and women all look the same. There were a couple marketplace scenes that I paused to take a look at some of the art and it was pretty decent, but for the rest of the scenes I was bored. If you really want a comparison...watch Totoro or Porco Rosso and then watch this and scene how the art has barely improved.

Sound: I remember being slightly bothered by the music occasionally....but not too much. There are definitely better soundtracks out there but there are probably worse ones if you searched hard enough.

Character: When the art is lacklustre an anime is based completely on the story and the characters. The characters in this anime spend too much time being ambiguous and not enough time bonding with each other. There's alot of anger swelling in the two younger characters and it comes off mainly as angst instead of anger.

Enjoyment: I did not enjoy this anime. Even now I can't really remember anything of it, which is usually a bad sign. As far as Goro Miyazaki's first film...it isn't great...but it isn't terrible either, he'd work alot better in a different studio.

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Back in my review of Kiki's Delivery Service I talked about how much I love Studio Ghibli and mentioned that their films generally range from good to excellent. This is not only the third exception to that I've found but also the very worst Studio Ghibli film I've seen.

Let's start with the story. The balance of a planet is being destroyed, a prince murders his father for unknown reasons and joins up with a traveling wizard. And all of this has virtually no bearing on the plot whatsoever. Yes, these scenes are mentioned later, but nothing gets done with them. Well, except for the part about the prince joining a traveling wizard. After several long minutes of walking scenes the pair end up in a town with an active slave trade and an evil wizard. From there you can probably guess the main plot. At first it seems like a pretty standard fantasy story with atrocious pacing, since a lot of time is wasted with padding scenes of farm work, but then you get to the last thirty minutes or so and two massive plot holes drive through what was a mediocre story and make it atrocious. There are also some major moments that are almost unbearably cheesy, Adam West's Batman series was less corny. The ending is especially guilty of this.

Overall the characters fill out cliche roles. One problem that comes in with the characterisation is that characters have knowledge that the narrative has given them no way of knowing. Hooray for plot contrivances? An even bigger issue is that most of the characters are very poorly fleshed out and, as a result, don't have any real motivations or they have motivations that are completely unbelievable. There's also some really clunky dialogue for the sake of exposition.

The art is spectacular. That, at least, hasn't changed. The only real problem is that the character designs make it so obvious who's a villain just by looking. Subtlety, who needs it?

The voice work is capably done. The music is decent, but it gets repetitive really quickly. Probably because they keep playing the same song segments over and over and over again.

There is no yuri in this film. I give it a yuri factor of 1/10.

I hate to say it, but my final rating for Tales from Earthsea is a 3/10. It's a bad movie. The story suffers from massive plot holes that could take out most of Asia, the characters are dull, plot points are brought up and turn out to be completely superfluous to the plot, and the ending is bollocks.If you're looking for a decent film to watch, pick anything else out of Studio Ghibli's library and let this one rot.

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An epic story of a young prince with a dark side, a wise old wizard and a mysterious, scarred girl. I was so full of hope for this one.

At a first look, it looks like what you would expect; the art is very familiar, especially the character design; the detail of the latter Studio Ghibli movies present, with grandiose scenery and breathtaking settings; the music appropriate, ushering us into the right mood; yet... something is missing.

This is very serious movie, gone is the usual playfulness and humour; there is a strong lesson being taught throughout, not unlike in Mononoke Hime, warning us about how we treat the Earth and our lives. However, that plays almost a second fiddle to the characters, saving of the world doesn't seem as important as their own adventure.

Oh, I'm so torn. I've always been a big fan of Studio Ghibli and they can do no wrong. Almost. This time round, I wasn't "wowed". Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad movie, not by a long shot, but it just isn't Hayao Miyazaki. Off I go to re-watch Tonari no Totoro or Hauru no Ugoku Shiro.

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Tales from Earthsea is adapted from a series of novels written by Ursula K. LeGuin. It was also Hayao Miyazaki's son, Goro's, directorial feature debut. I'm loathe to call any Studio Ghibli film a half-baked mess but that's exactly what this film is. Miyazaki felt his son lacked the experience to direct a feature length film-- especially one as ambitious as Earthsea-- and it's a shame that he was proven right (and that it damaged the relationship between father and son). While the animation quality is on par with some of the other Ghibli movies, it just fails.

The mediums of literature and film are completely different; adaptation from one to the other is extremely difficult to do, and even harder to accomplish well. Earthsea apparently failed as an adaptation; the author commented that it was an entirely different story being acted out by characters that happened to share names with hers. But even taking the film out of the context of the book series, it fails as a film (I’m using this word a lot...). Despite being one of the highest grossing movies that year in Japan, it was met with mixed reactions. The movie is just incompetent. In addition to mythos spouting and plenty that goes unexplained, there's little time allotted for character development nor any insight into their motives, which is unforgivable considering Earthsea is two hours long and spends so much of its time accomplishing nothing. The movie is boring, and by the end, the conflict comes and goes, but you're left confused as to what happened in the first place. The only reason to sit down and watch this film, is to say you’ve seen them all.

Better luck next time, Goro.

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I had great expectations for Earthsea, mostly because I loved the song by Terru and the beautiful poster with the dragon. I'm disappointed to say the movie did not live to my expectations. You can't really sympathize with any of the characters, and even though the art is outstanding at times it's also plain. I couldn't believe how unimpressed I was with the town, the most colorful part of the movie.

The thing that really drags this movie down is the most important part: the story. Things happen with little to none reason (and those reasons are either stereotypical or absurd), the pace is dreadful; drags and drags you to hastily tie all the knots at the end. They show the unbalance of the world and almighty dragons at the beginning, but all that gets easily forgotten by the characters' conflicts. Although there is a connection between the world events with the characters intentions, it's a sloppy one.

It matters not if you're a Studio Ghibli fan or not, the truth is that the movie needed a better story-teller and a stable pace. Maybe if Hayao Miyazaki had put his pride aside and helped or supervised the movie in any way we could have ended up with a more polished movie, because Goro shows promise, but his inexperience shows.

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Story:

The story is enjoyable for the most part but is very confusing to those who have not read the book. A lot of people who have read the book, however, complain that this movie confused even them with the plot. Overall though, the story was enjoyable nonetheless.

Art:

They were aiming for the animation and art to be clean yet feel old at the same time, and I feel like they captured this very well.

Sound:

The sound in this was good but not great. It was enjoyable to listen to a lot of the time, but some of the characters voices change into a different tone and I can't tell if the voice actors were just getting tired by that point or if it was a post-production thing.

Characters:

Prince Arren (Lebannen) - Our main character has some serious daddy issues.
Sparrowhawk (Ged/Duny) - The highly-lovable wizard who, in distance shots, looks like every old videogame NPC at the same time.
Tenar (Goha/Arha) - You don't learn much about Tenar other than that she took in Therru and seems to be in a romantic situation with Sparrowhawk, and is the only one to refer to him as Ged (his True Name).
Therru (Tehanu) - An adorable dragon-girl/burn victim who is only annoying for the first half of the film.

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Tales from Earthsea is the debut work from director Goro Miyazaki (From Up on Poppy Hill), son of renowned director Hayao Miyazaki, so naturally you might expect great things. Sadly, the film lacks the magic and sense of wonder of many of its Studio Ghibli predecessors, and fails to deliver much of a story at all in the nearly two hours it spans. Although it starts out strong, featuring an action-packed dragon battle in the skies, a good king trying to determine the source of the strange events in the world, and a shocking murder, it soon becomes slow and uneventful, dedicating nearly an hour to a handful of minor plot advancements and weak character development. When it finally picks up again with the entrance of the villainous Kumo, the chain of events is painfully cliche. The story’s sole redeeming feature is its philosophical message, which focuses on the relationship between life and death, yet even this is single-dimensional and beaten like a dead horse, reinforcing the film’s image as a cheap imitation of the elder Miyazaki’s work.

This is all quite disappointing because one wants nothing but the best from the often-superb Studio Ghibli, and for Miyazaki’s son in his premiere. It is even more unfortunate because the Earthsea series has been well-received for creating a rich and detailed fantasy world along the lines of The Lord of the Rings. Yet rather than dedicating time to exposition, Tales from Earthsea‘s treatment of the underlying world and state of affairs is so superficial that it will only be intelligible to those who have read the books. What the film lacks in story development it attempts to make up in character development, but its efforts add little depth or evolution to the characters, who are far too ordinary (think good wizard versus bad wizard) and static to be of any moment.

Despite its story and characters, Tales from Earthsea is still a Studio Ghibli film, and the production values are as you would expect. The animation is gorgeous, and adds to the Ghibli repertoire with its stunning scenic shots of the medieval Earthsea world. The dragons are also impressive, with a realistic design that adds a sense of darkness and primal fear in the few scenes where they make an appearance. The only time the animation falls short is when the effort is lacking: whereas the opening scenes contain some of Ghibli’s best, many of the scenes in the latter half of the film are plain and dark.

The soundtrack is very good, with a standout track in “Therru’s Song,” a moving a cappella piece by Aoi Teshima (the voice of Therru, the young girl character) that should be counted among Ghibli’s finest. (Teshima’s “Song of Time” is also quite good). The rest is a collection of orchestral pieces that are truly beautiful, albeit repetitive. The English voice cast is on the whole great, with a memorable role from Willem Dafoe as Kumo.

While Tales from Earthsea boasts exceptional production values, they can’t make up for its disappointing story. At two hours, this is a difficult film to get through, and the only reasons to watch are for the music and animation, and to be able to say that you’ve seen everything from Studio Ghibli.

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Hayao Miyazaki is considered to be not only one of the greatest writer/directors of animation but of all time. I've seen my fair share of his movies and I would agree with that sentiment. Spirited Away is one of my top 5 favorite animated movies of all time, I thought Ponyo definitely should have been seen by more people and My Neighbor Totoro is one of the most enjoyable films you and everyone in your family can watch. Did you know though that before his first film in the Studio Ghibli canon, Nausicaa Valley of the Wind, he was interested in adapting another project? Ursula K. Le Guin had been asked by many directors to have her Earthsea trilogy adapted into films and she had refused every single one including Miyazaki-san when he first approached her. However when he won an Oscar for Spirited Away she had a change of heart and said that if anybody is allowed to adapt her novels into film it would be Miyazaki-san. He was however occupied with directing Howl's Moving Castle at the time and could not take on the project, however Miyazaki's son Goro Miyazaki expressed interest in directing a feature film and Hayao's producer convinced Goro he should take on the project never realized by his father.

Tales from Earthsea looks absolutely gorgeous. The colors are fantastic, I love the character design and the backgrounds look incredible. Studio Ghibli always has the absolute best animation for their films and this is no exception. There are scenes in this movie that are straight up beautiful, unfortunately it seems like they were all in the beginning. It seems like the production budget for this movie was a little less than most Ghibli productions, that really is the only reason I can see why the climatic final battle takes place on a friggin rooftop. Though the aniamtion for that scene is nice you get the feeling that there could have been more done with it and in better locations. It still doesn't detract from the rest of the animation in the movie though which looks fantastic as always. The film itself on the other hand....

Most of the time I prefer the English dub over the Japanese vocal track when it comes to anime? That usually is proven for Ghibli movies that are put out by Disney. Since they have the name of the most powerful media corporation on the planet they're able to get voice actors who not only are good for the role but are famous for their on screen persona as well. That's why you get people like Christian Bale, Liam Neeson and Anna Paquin to dub your movies. I'm not saying that voice actors need to be famous in order to be good, lord knows that usually isn't the case but Disney manages to find good actors who just happen to be famous to dub their flicks. Unfortunately it seems that with Tales from Earthsea they managed to make a misstep. The actors they got for the kids sound dull. There doesn't seem to be much emotion to their voices. Even during scenes of really high tension they still speak in a monotone fashion. Especially who they got to play Therru. The adult actors do a decent job especially Willem Dafoe who doe swell in any psychotic role because he's just that damn awesome. I also liked Timothy Dalton as Sparrowhawk and felt it was one of those natural fits Disney got right again. The one person I thought felt out of place though was Cheech Marin. They certainly could've picked a worse voice actor and he's not a stranger to these types of roles as Lion King can prove but he just doesn't seem like he's playing role in this flick. It feels like he's just playing himself and every time I heard him talk it took me right out of the world.

Now to my main problem with this movie: the plot. The plot is actually pretty hard to follow. Most Ghibli movies do have imaginative plots yes and they can get a little confusing but this one didn't even have the usual charm that their movies usually carry. Let's take Ponyo for example. Ponyo's story can be a little confusing with questions like where did the magic that Fujimoto uses come from? Or what the hell are these ancient fish doing here? Questions like these are answered though, albeit a little roughly but still answered, throughout the course of the movie. In Tales of Earthsea however there are multiple questions that are not answered. I usually don't demand that a movie spells things out for me directly but when they're this crucial to the plot it kinda bears witness.

I'm gonna head into spoiler territory here so be warned. But seriously, why the hell did Therru turn into a dragon at the end? I mean I know at the beginning they said that men and dragon used to be one but dragons chose freedom and men chose possessions so it kinda makes sense that they would make her a dragon since they used to be that way but if it happened to all dragons shouldn't the hybrids not exist anymore? And what does that make Therru? Does she have magic powers, was it after she died she became a dragon or did she not die at all and could've turned into a dragon at anytime but she decided not to? What the hell is keeping Sparrowhawk from using his magic inside castle walls? Was there a charm placed or something? Why the hell does Cob need slaves? It doesn't seem like there's any vegetation that grows around his castle so why the hell do they need like a hundred maids and butlers? All of these questions didn't have to be summed up through actions on screen either. One or two lines of dialogue here or there would have sufficed. This plot was needlessly confusing and really frustrating to sit through.

The other main problem I had with this movie is that nothing really happened. At the end one man was defeated and you found out some girl was a dragon. I guess that's reasonable enough for an ending and it did sorta wrap things up while leaving room for a sequel but seriously it didn't feel that interesting. I didn't care about any of the characters because they were so bland and underdeveloped. The action scenes weren't that well choreographed, the dialogue felt like it was spit out by a computer whose parameters were just make a fantasy story. It's such an inconsequential, forgettable film that it seems like there could've been so much more to it. I'm sure somebody in the studio could've stepped in and made this a worthwhile watch but in the end it ends up being just bland.

Tales from Earthsea is far from being an abysmal movie but it's still not very good. This project screams for a bigger budget and better writers. It could've been a welcome addition to the Studio Ghibli canon. Unfortunately it just turns out to be a big misstep in the wrong direction. It's head is in the right place but it's heart is not. I give Tales From Earthsea 2 stars out of five.

2/5

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Tales from Earthsea has earned a bit of an unfortunate reputation for itself as the Ghibli Film that it’s okay to dislike. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki’s son Goro, the finished product was apparently so underwhelming to Hayao that he would joke in the future that while he was happy Goro had made a film, he would dissuade his son from making another one ever again. But honestly, after actually seeing the movie, I’m gonna have to disagree with the maestro, because I think Tales from Earthsea is a genuinely powerful film. It’s certainly not the best of the Ghibli canon, and it definitely bears the marks of a first-time director, but it’s an admirable effort coming from a place of genuine passion and empathy, a stirring experience that touched me in profound artistic ways I wasn’t expecting going in. In fact, it feels very much like a purposeful reconstruction of the kinds of ideas and themes that Daddy Miyazaki himself has been exploring since the beginning of his career. A fantasy world in some state of decay, caught between man and nature as humanity struggles with the responsibility to live side by side with the natural world, a combined guy/girl protagonist team tasked with keeping that peace… it’s like a love letter to Castle in the Sky, Naussicaa, and Princess Mononoke, the tripytch of Ghibli films that cemented their director as the biggest champion of radical environmentalism since The Lorax. And with just a little more polish, I would absolutely consider Tales from Earthsea worthy to stand among that pantheon. Give your son another shot, Hayao; he’s got the potential to make something really special.

At any rate, where Earthsea differs from the kind of Miyazaki film it apes is that while Laupta, Naussicaa et all are set in world building themselves back up after some long-ago disaster, the world in Earthsea feels like it’s still in the process of falling apart. It’s set in a land with castles and dragons and pastoral landscapes and big bazaars and magic and wizards and all manor of trapping of Tolkien-inspired fantasy worldbuilding. But this is not a bustling world full of life and vigor; from the very first scenes, the air is filled with an atmosphere of impending doom. The regal dragons that populate the skies have started fighting each other, an event that spells ill omens for the future. There is plague and famine sweeping the land, and it’s all the kingdom can do to keep afloat. Over the course of the movie, we visit no shortage of crumbling ruins and grime-flecked streets, remnants of lives and histories in the process of falling apart, being swallowed by pettiness and cruelty and despair and emptiness. We learn that wizards have mostly lost their magic, and the few spells we see cast feel more like ancient druidic rituals born from long-forgotten eldritch power. This atmosphere is the film’s strongest aspect, leeching into your bones over time and filling you with a kind of quiet ache that only grows stronger with every new vista of haunting stillness and gloomy dread. There’s a very Dark Souls feel to the world of Earthsea, like our heroes are traveling around the remnants of a once great civilization now fading into the sands of time. And it’s all supercharged by the color palette and soundtrack, casting the landscape in deep, ponderous shades of hue and groaning, ancient dirges that seem to wail for the majesty of times long since past. It feels like a world you could get lost in, a world that could swallow you whole without leaving a trace that you ever existed.

That despair-tinged atmosphere extends to the film’s themes as well, which center on a young man caught at the crossroads of life and death and finding himself unable to move forward. Aaron is the prince of the kingdom, son of a good king, who nevertheless finds himself afflicted by a mysterious rage that drives him to kill his father and run away to the wastes. There, he finds solace with a wandering mage named Sparrowhawk, and lacking any greater purpose or goal, he finds himself listlessly tagging along with the wizard, hoping to escape from his shame and sorrow in the presence of unfamiliar people and locales. But it quickly becomes clear that he’s become embroiled with someone with much bigger plans than simply wandering the wider world, and in time, Sparrowhawk’s ultimate goal forces Aaron to come to terms with his fears and regrets, standing up to a danger that reflects his worst terrors back at him. It’s in his story that Tales from Earthsea finds its meaning, reflecting the protagonist’s own faults and fears in the decrepit state of the world at large as he grows strong enough to change himself- and symbolically, the world as well- for the better. It’s a story about a young boy more afraid of life than death, who would gladly throw himself on the wrong end of a sword if it meant ending the thick fog of misery that hangs over his head. But it’s also a story about the beauty of life he comes to discover, the beauty of the awe and majesty he comes to see in the world around him, of the simple grace of the people he encounters. There’s a particular moment about halfway through the film where Aaron comes across the Ghibli-branded spiritually important leading lady, here a reckless recluse who has never shown Aaron an ounce of trust before, as she’s singing a haunting, yet riveting melody to herself in the middle of a field, her voice echoing across the soft, sweeping plains like a plaintive cry for hope in the face of despair, and by the time it’s over, well, I was almost tearing up right alongside Aaron. It’s the kind of moment that makes me feel like the bag-filming kid from American Beauty, so struck by the beauty of the world that I feel like I can’t take it.

It’s unfortunate, then, that the actual plot facilitated by this incredible story isn’t as strong as it could have been, though the extent to which it rises or falls it a bit more of an open question. Another note this movie takes from Dark Souls is that it doesn’t tend to answer a lot of worldbuilding and lore questions for you, telling most of its greater story through implication. As such, it relies on the emotional and thematic resonance of its ideas to make up for the lack of clear explanations. It’s purposefully mythic storytelling prioritizing emotional resonance over strict logical coherence. We’re never given explicit answers for how dragons and humans once started as the same species, but we’re made to understand the thematic importance they serve in the story as the symbolic representation of the kind of pure, honest freedom and hope this world longs for. We’re never told how exactly the wizards’ magic is fading with the rest of the world, but we understand it as a metaphor for the land’s inner life being swallowed by fatalism and despair. We never know the mechanics of how the film’s ultimate villain plans to open to door between life and death, but we understand that his desire serves as a dark reflection of Aaron’s own desire to be free of the uncertainty and pain of life as he knows it. And there are a handful of spoiler-y moments that raise huge questions about how the lore of this world actually works without ever answering them, because the function they serve in the overall thematic narrative is more important that tying together all the specific details of the mechanics of this fictional universe. It’s a movie that relies on your ability to be okay not having your questions answered, to accept the flow of information as it comes and tackle every step forward on its own emotional terms.

Thankfully, I happen to be exactly the kind of person who prioritizes emotion over logic in storytelling, so the faults in Earthsea’s overall construction didn’t bother me that much. I was perfectly able to get sucked up in the storytelling, in the majesty of the world and Aaron’s journey, without worrying about not knowing the specifics of how it functioned. In a way, I love that it allows you to ask your own questions, wondering how some of the more out-there lore details would be fully realized with the power of your own imagination. That said, there’s definitely an unevenness in the film’s handling of that open-ended nature that isn’t present in, say, Spirited Away. In a way, I almost with it left things more open to interpretation; there’s a handful of moments where it feels like the movie goes too far in trying to explain what it’s all about when I was having a perfectly fine time following it already. In a way, it’s both too obvious at times and too obscure at times, over-explaining its thematic narrative at certain key moments while leaving the actual mechanics of that narrative’s realization fairly obscure. It’s clear that this was Goro’s first film, as there’s a sense that the storyteller isn’t fully confident in the audience’s ability to grasp such an abstract narrative, so he over-corrects in some areas and under-corrects in others. It ends up jarring your expectations at times, when you’re not certain whether or not the movie has more to reveal about a certain plot point or idea of if it expects you to take what it’s already given you as the full picture. The story is still incredibly strong, it just needed an editor to push all of its pieces more firmly into place, someone with the confidence to leave unanswered what could be left unanswered and explain only as much as needed to be explained at any given time. With that kind of finesse, I would have no qualms calling this film an outright masterpiece.

Still, not living up to the work of one of the greatest directors on the face of the earth, especially on your first attempt, is far from the worst criticism to see leveled against you. Tales from Earthsea isn’t a perfect film, and it’s definitely uneven at spots, but it’s got a stunningly powerful core that honors the legacy of the works it draws from while still feeling like its own creation. It’s a stirring fantasy tale of epic adventure and lost worlds coming to life, realized in spectacular fashion with timeless themes and stirring storytelling that more than makes up for the occasionally awkward construction. Don’t be fooled by its reputation, this one’s a real winner.

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Writing a good fiction requires a good level of imagination, character development, and an engaging plot. Goro Miyazaki's Tales of Earthsea fails at several of these points. It is flat, not engaging. It felt like a chore to watch.

The film starts off with a huge negative action: the main character's balance is already stacked heavily against him. In order for the plot to progress, he must overcome that negative balance and progress to a positive balance. Vices must be overcome with virtues, past actions forgiven, lessons learned, etc.

Even as the main character goes on a journey (part of the Hero's Path) the main character never really progresses. There is no remorse or guilt. There is no character development: he remains as he was at the beginning: wimpy, despondent, and fatalistic. His guide in the journey can only do so much.

To those of you who seek a sense of justice, who expect a sense of comeuppance, stay away from this film. There is no retribution. Wrongs happen and no one is there to amend them. At the end, you are left feeling that too little was done too late.

I don't know if there is a source material for this movie, but I imagine it was much better than the film.

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Honestly, the only thing I can really say about this movie is that it's... average, and definitely subpar when compared to other Ghibi films. Like any Ghibli film, the art is amazing, and the overall quality of the film is good, but as far as the story and characters go, nothing special. I just rewatched it, and yet I can barely remember it. It's very forgettable, and the story is very hard to follow, the characters are bland, and motivation for many of the biggest plotpoints are completely ignored and overlookedOverall, I'd give it a pass, unless you really want to see every Ghibli film.

The movie tries to stay true to the book in "tone" and also tries to convey many of the main themes apparent in the books and people who have read the books I think will appreciate that and feel very comfortable with this movie. However for this review I will assume that most of the people who would want to watch it aren't familiar with Le'guin's world.

You will not understand the majority of the plot here if you haven't read the books. There is so much material crammed in here (from 3 books) that you will be left wandering what is going on and why do the characters do the things they do.

However, apart from the almost incoherent story all the other aspects of the movie are great. The art style and soundtrack are superb and albeit some characters not looking faithful to their in-book descriptions (Ged is more dark-skinned and Therru shoud have been far more severely scarred) I was ok with their overall presentation. The landscapes, Hort town and the dragons look especially good and captivating. As for the music score, it conveys the "feel" of earthsea quite successfully - the pieces have a folk celtic element which befits earthsea's world.

As someone who has read the books my enjoyment of this movie was quite high and I would definitely reccomend it to everybody who would like to experience this beautiful world again (as I said, the "feel" and "themes" of the movie are very close to the books). I wouldn't be so quick to reccomend it to viewers who are not familiar with the books because the plot will be very confusing and they will not experience a proper introduction to the characters, since a lot of their actions remain unexplained in the movie and appear unmotivated. It is still a solid audio-visual experience though. But overall my advice is to first read the books and then see the movie, because otherwise you might feel a teeny-weeny lost in this world.

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I suddenly have heard many things about people who didn't enjoy this movie...and frankly I don't know why :(
I am both an Earthsea and a Ghibli fan, with Ghibli being my favorite movie studio (hayaoi miyazaki my favorite director) and Ursala LeGuin being one of my favorite authors, no-one need say that I expected much from this movie. While it is true that I had not yet got to the fourth book (which this is based off of, those who do not know earthsea) of the series, I enjoyed recognizing the characters and the world.
Naturally, a few thigns were changed, and another few adapted, but honestly, I dont think that Goro's father could have done a better job! He was able to capture both the breathtaking atmosphere as well as the bittersweet, and sometimes somewhat terrifying, aspects of Earthsea.
I know, you fans of Ghibli, that Goro used many things that you would expect more in the typical anime film--the slight overuse of blood in the dragon battle, the odd look of the lead antagonist--but really, it was needed.
And for those earthsea fans, yes, yet again Ged looked a bit too western, and the island culture may have been a little different than one have imagined, but goodniess knows I felt Earthsea!
but, even ignoring all of that, the movie was good jsut as a movie! Well acted, well drawn, and coupled with a beautiful fantasy music score.
I dont know about the critics and anime fans who rated this movie before me, but I personally thought it quite a wonderful work, and would gladly watch it quite a few more times, and definatly buy it! :)
Highly reccomended, jsut keep in minds that things chagne when a book is adapted, and jsut be glad the character's are recognizable and that they idnt pull an Ella Enchanted :P

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This is probably my least favorite Ghibli movie. I feel as though this movie would have been wonderful if it were not for a few wasted and unneeded scenes. At some parts, I was holding my breath to wait to see what would happen......and then, minutes later, let it out and laugh a little when I realize that I had been led on.

+ The Art+
Of course it was great. Particularly when Arren was wandering around in the market by himself. It was absolutely wonderful to see the old stone buildings (some of the run-down houses even looked like Howl's castle), the water fountains, the vendor, the flowers, trees up-close. And then, in the very end, when those stones crumble, the ripple effect before they finally fall was pretty amazing.

+The Story+
Plot holes big enough to fly a dragon through.....it just didn't make sense. All that time on the farm should have been used instead to fill the viewers in on the story. Heck, even flashbacks would have been welcomed, even though I haven't seen much of those in Ghibli movies. There was so much to work with! A world losing its magic? There are plenty of things to get from that. Isn't the point of watching movies to find out what happens at the end?

The script was a bit cliche. "Let me go!" "Where are you taking me?" "You'll never get away with this!" Not many morals to be found, except for the whole "live your life" thing.

+The Sound+
Music was okay. Reminded me of Lord of the Rings, actually. All Celtic and whatnot.
Voice acting was pretty good (but I'm terrible at judging voice actors). Cob's was my personal favorite; it made me laugh with how overdramatic, monotone, and quiet it was. Sparrowhawk (can't stand that name) sounded like Gandalf....Arren's voice was very pleasant.....did not like Therru's voice.

+Character+
Underdeveloped, flat characters. This is mostly due to the underdeveloped story. It's not the characters' faults. Arren's personality was rather confusing, but again, not his fault. Cob....mediocre villain. The artwork of him was magnificent, especially at the very end. I was actually scared of it (and then he spoke).

+Overall+
You could probably be doing two things at once while watching this. You will not miss much. Do make sure to look up every now and then so you can see the artwork, and be sure to listen to the music. It is worth watching though. Sometimes unfinished stories make for the best inspiration of all.

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A directorial debut from Miyazaki’s son Goro.

Keeping with the Studio Ghibli standard, the animation was beautiful and colorful. The dragons looked mighty and cool.

Unfortunately, that’s the only thing that kept up with the standard. This movie was a major disappointment. The characters had little background, leading to them having unclear motivations. Some of the actions were quite baffling, and did not have explanations. Many aspects introduced in the movie were barely touched upon, leaving me feel confused and like I’m missing a lot about the movie’s universe.

Most of the background provided by the movie was shown through characters talking, and not actually showing any of past scenes. This was quite lazy and didn’t provide enough about the universe.

Apparently, all these flaws were inevitable because the script attempted to shove 6 novels into one movie. That wasn’t a very good decision.

Overall, a disappointing and confusing movie with ambitious themes. 4.5/10

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While i understand this was the first time miyazaki's son directed a movie and i shouldn't be that harsh...i still don't like this movie.

As far as i know this was an adaptation of a book and the author themselves said they didn't liked this movie since it mixed stuff and it felt more like a different thing...and i can see why.

This movie is SO SLOW, that's not really a bad thing if you really know how to do it, like whisper of the heart, but Tales of the Earthsea just feels slow every second, even in the action scenes it feels slow. I watched this on netflix so i don't know if its the subtitles or what but there's stuff about the plot that i never understood at all, and i don't mean that i didn't understood the concept, but its just that there was stuff that came out of nowhere, mainly the end plot twist.
There's stuff about the plot that appears and you have to assume its just like that but they never try to explain anything most of the time, things just happen and that's just that.

Also even if this is a ghiblie movie, the fact that its extremely slow makes it feel like the animation is not that good but is not like you can do much with this kind of script , the animation IS very good but it just doesn't shine like others.

I guess there's people who can like this film and if this is your case good for you! but i think this is the worst ghibli movie in my opinion

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Gedo Senki isn't a horrible movie by any means, certainly not. However, it is severely lacking. Given that this is Goro Miyazaki's first time out it is somewhat understandable how this turns out. The movie is absolutely beautiful to look at....and thats about it. The movie takes much too long to even get near even beginning the plot that by the time it decides to, the plot has to be mashed together haphazardly and nonsensically. What we're left with is that is full of beautiful scenes that ultimately amount to little or nothing. Nice looking but with a weakly executed story.