Story: The story seems to suffer the same problems as many biographical movies; trying to tell a story of over 20+ years in 2 hours. Some aspects of the story (such as how certain things in everyday life influenced Jiro's plane designs) are mentioned, but never fully explained due to time constraints. However, Jiro's relationship with Naoko is shown as a slow, gradual build that is very satisfying to watch. Pacing is definitely an issue in this movie.
The dream sequences are where Miyazaki's trademark fantasy and amazing plane elements come into play, and are some of the most inspirational parts of the movie.
Art: As usual, the backgrounds are Ghibli-gorgeous. So much detail and color are put into the backdrops that you cannot help but be awed by the talent in this studio. However, there was a problem with the character animations. When someone was standing still, they seemed to twitch back and forth between 2 animated states. It made everyone look like they were nervous or shivering. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, but it was very distracting and disappointing.
If you are a sucker for plane porn and shiny things, this movie will not disappoint. The planes are some of the most beautifully animated things I have ever seen. Not only are their flight animations smooth, but the fantasy planes also have beautiful designs. I am not a plane aficionado, but I could still appreciate the time and effort put into each scene.
Sound: The plane sound effects being made by human mouths was an interesting choice. It didn't bother me, but I could see why some people might not like it; watching a gorgeous plane on-screen accompanied by "bbppp-bbbpppp-bbbbpppppp" noises is a strange combination.
I watched the English dub, and overall it was enjoyable. JGL was an interesting choice for Jiro; he did a decent job of trying to inject some emotion into his character, but kept a "scientific mind" about him. There were some instances where the dub synchronization was off, but for the most part the delivery was spot-on. Disney's dubs of Ghibli films are always a mixed bag; big-name actors are used to draw in audiences, but may not necessarily be experienced in a foreign-language dub.
As always, Joe Hisaishi's score was beautiful. However, there are no memorable musical themes from this movie. It serves as excellent mood music, and is very well-perfomed by the orchestra.
Character: I found the character of Jiro to be a bit stoic. Perhaps it was becuase he was an engineer, but he didn't show a lot of emotion through the movie. Victories, disappointments and love were not that far from each other in his reactions. For this reason it was hard to relate to Jiro. Once his relationship with Naoko progressed, he became more open and easier to read. The supporting characters are very memorable and really help to bring a sense of humanity to the story.
Overall: The movie was enjoyable, but as Miyazaki's last directorial feature, it was a let-down. So much could have been improved that it leaves a sour taste in your mouth. If you are a big Miyazaki and/or Ghibli fan, I would recommend going into this movie with an open mind, and don't set your standards too high. If you are not a Miyazaki/Ghibli fan, you could definitely skip this movie and not be missing much.
TL;DR 5 words/phrases to describe The Wind Rises
pretty planes, twitchy animation, nice music, feels, story pacing issues
