Kahlia Laszlo

Hayao Miyazaki has done it again with another breathtakingly beautiful animation that tells the story of loss, grief, family, and moving on. To the people who are giving this movie less than 4 stars - what? Did we watch the same movie? Are you sure you’re a Studio Ghibli fan? I’m not saying you HAVE to like it, but you saw the absolutely stunning visuals too, right? Personally I liked the slow pace of the beginning of the movie - too many movies nowadays jump immediately into action and high stakes drama. I enjoy getting to know the characters and world before things get too intense! I enjoy having moments to breathe in between action scenes. This movie has a lot of really deep metaphors and an intricate plot, so maybe that lost some people? If that’s the case, I get it, some movies take a second watch to fully understand what it’s trying to say! I also liked the heron and the incredibly weird/grotesque imagery this movie sometimes had: this is not a movie for little kids. This movie is PG-13, like a lot of Marvel movies (and Princess Mononoke)! Just because something is animated doesn’t mean it’s for a younger audience. If you’re a fan of Studio Ghibli this movie is definitely worth watching! Just don’t go in expecting a Disney film were everything is sanitized and family friendly, or with a cookie cutter plot and perfectly explained story. This movie is captivating and beautiful in its bizarreness, and I recommend it!