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| Castle in the Sky |
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  (8/10)
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Runtime: 124 |
| Public Rating: 9.53 (114 votes) |
Director: Hayao Miyazaki |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Action adventure |
Year: 1986 |
| Writer(s): Hayao Miyazaki; John Semper ( U.S. version) |
| Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures |
| Reviewed by: Le Apprenti |
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Castle in the Sky, along with Kiki's Delivery Service and the Oscar-winning Spirited Away, is part of the Hayao Miyazaki 3-pack DVD set released by Disney's Buena Vista Pictures to cash in on Spirited Away's Oscar win early this year. In keeping with its family-friendly image, Disney dropped "Laputa" from the original title Laputa: Castle in the Sky because it means "filthy whore" in Spanish. But Miyazaki meant no disrespect. In classical literature, Laputa is the flying island that Gulliver visited on his third journey in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels - in the novel, Laputa translates into Lap untah, which means "high governor". It is this particular island that Miyazaki based the film on.
Like in Gulliver's Travels, Laputa in Castle in the Sky remains up in the clouds by mystical lodestones. One of these stone is exquisitely cut to be worn as a crystal necklace only by the royal family of Laputa. At the start of the story, set in early 20th century, the royal crystal is around the neck of a mysterious girl named Sheeta (Anna Paquin) with two groups chasing after her for it. One is the band of pirates led by Dola (Cloris Leachman) and her "Ma Baker" sons, who want it for money. The other group is the German army led by intelligence agent Colonel Muska (Mark Hamill) who wants to use it to conquer Laputa and its technology for personal power. Sheeta escapes from their grasps and lands safety - thanks to the crystal - in a farming community where a farmboy Pazu gives her shelter. Pazu dreams of exploring the skies in search of Laputa, whom his late father is believed to have seen but his account was decredited. When Muska obtains the crystal, it gives Pazu the opportunity to discover Laputa for himself, with Sheeta, Dola and her sons in tow.
Of the three films in the 3-pack DVD set, Castle in the Sky leans the most towards the Western cinema culture of adventure genre both in pacing and style. The action begins right at the start without any formal introduction, heroes and villains are very clearly defined, and the slower intimate scenes do not feel monotonous or plodding. Yet the Miyazaki spirit is all-present in this action adventure as is in all of his films. The story is rich with imagination and detail, every scene is a breathtaking feel, and emotionally-driven characters whose expressions are anything but pretentious.
Miyazaki's trademark theme of flying is prevalent. Laputa the flying island is showcased marvelously in the opening credits sequence. Its technology (flying cubes and secret entrances) and firepower are revealed when Muska accesses its inner halls using the crystal. At the same time, Laputa's rich culture is beheld by Pazu and Sheeta on the other side of the island. The flying theme is also represented in the military battle airship Goliath and Dola's pirate airship, with the latter complete with little spacecrafts that fly using a combination of jet propulsion and large insect-like wings.
The best action sequences involve the giant Laputa robots. One of them gave Muska a reason to journey to the island when it crash-landed on the Earth years earlier. After the robot becomes functional from being 'awakened' by Sheeta's crystal, it rampages the entire military compound with its brute power and an explosive optic laser beam. Later on Laputa, Muska deploys a battalion of such robots to destroy Goliath and conquer Earth. Following that is a spectacular demise of the island when a spell of destruction is uttered. Pazu has two fantastic rescue sequences of Sheeta: an aerial one from the fiery mayhem of the military compound caused by the robot, and at Laputa clinging on tree-roots to avoid falling off as he swings towards the inner halls where Muska is holding her captive.
There are three majors issues about the English dubbing that bugs me. One, "Laputa" is seen and spoken throughout the film. The problem here is that the Japanese track makes references to Swift's Gulliver's Travels, which is the basis for the film. The English dub does not. So if you are fluent in Spanish, not a bookworm and only watch the film in English, you leave with the impression that the film (and Miyazaki) is dirty because of "filthy whore".
Two, it is the excessive music soundtrack. The original Japanese track has only an hour of music, which prompts Disney to request composer Joe Hisaishi to write more to "flesh out" the music. Forget the fact that Disney is the champion of animated musicals, Castle in the Sky is not a musical. The purpose of film music in this genre film is to accompany the story action where necessary, not to be its star. But Disney wants to "flesh out" the music purely for the sake of it.
There is a reason why some scenes have no music and others have no nonliteral sounds in the Japanese track. The silence in the opening scene, save for the faint sound of the spinning propellers, is supposed to convey the vast expense of air space and the foreshadow of a significant action. The nonliteral music in the English dub diminishes the impact. Pazu's solo bugle call is mixed with an orchestra sound in the English dub, effectively turning it into a nonliteral soundtrack. Instead of being a part of the scene, the track becomes a separate entity that accompanies the scene. This creates an ambiguity in the following shot where Sheeta wakes up. Did she wake up by herself (as suggested with the English dub soundtrack playing on) or did the bugle call wake her up (as the Japanese track clearly indicates)?
Three, the voiceover is hardly sparkling. Van der Beek and Paquin sound like fishes out of water. Like Kirsten Dunst in Kiki's Delivery Service, neither actors have any soul in their voice acting. They are horribly sterile. Hamill, known for his voice portrayal of the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, does little service to Col. Muska. There is hardly a menacing tone in the voice of Muska. He never sways from his mellifluous vocal, as if Hamill is reciting rather than acting. The same can also be said in the rest of the supporting voiceovers. Leachman at least provides a voice that closely match Dola's ruggedness. For this reason, as well as the first two reasons, it is important to watch the film in its original Japanese version so that you won't miss anything.
Castle in the Sky is an example of an action adventure film that is entertaining and critically praised because it is done right. It has a compelling storyline, exciting action sequences and believable (though not necessarily realistic) characters. Recent films like Treasure Planet and Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas failed in that genre because they are lacking in those qualities. Though he targets the young audience of kids, Miyazaki directs his film with an attitude that he is doing a live-action movie. In doing so, not only does he makes Castle in the Sky entertaining popcorm adventure but he also enables it to be appreciated as a quality work of art.
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 Printable Version
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Laputa is the flying island that Dr. Lemuel Gulliver visits on his third journey according to his journal Gulliver's Travels. It officially translates to "Lap untah", meaning "high governor". After discovering the earflaps and communication problems of the Laputans, Gulliver desires to leave the flying island to discover the lands below on the continent of Balnibari. The island is held together by a strong lodestone located in its, and is the ruling island of the entire continent.
The capital metropolis of the Laputa kingdom Lagado is located in Balnibari. This city, as Gulliver discovers, is defined and run by mathematical figures. In a small town of ghosts and spirits called Glubbdubdrib, derived from the name "Island of the Magicians or Sorcerers", Gulliver summons men of historical import to question them. He learns from men like Alexander the Great, Caeser, Pompey and Aristotle that empires are generally formed from ill will and violent motives. The last island in the Laputa kingdom Gulliver visits is Luggnagg, a land marked by immortal beings. Although Gulliver initially reveres this race, he soon learns that it is rather a curse than a blessing.
For more information, visit Laputa: Metaweb.
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