Reviews

Sky Crawlers is anime at its zenith, its brilliance derived from the treatment of opposites: the ubiquity of silence that reigns throughout the film against the accuracy of labored breathing from pulling Gs while looking two o clock high; the subtlety of the color palette broken by enhanced crimson of blood; character's lingering desolation between missions erased by the adrenaline of engaging in mortal aerial combat. The silence and the on-screen action are characters themselves, at times conveying more emotion than the most gifted actor. When dialog takes over, superb English voice-acting and impeccable characterization reign. If the tangible silence is broken, the brilliance of the musical score shines through. Built on this canvas, a story unfolds on the futility of war, as kildren (children that do not grow) dogfight, not for a cause, but as employees for companies. The sole function of their jobs? Provide a valve for citizen unrest, a lens for headlines, fodder for sound bites. With this being their purpose, you come to the inevitable realization the cycle can never break and the end is also the beginning. 5-star brilliance and a new high bar for the genre.