THE WIND RISES (2014)

 

Genre: Animated
Running Length: 2:06
Cast: (voices)  Hideaki Anno, Miori Takimoto, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Masahiko Nishimura, Steve Alpert, Morio Kazama, Keiko Takeshita, Mirai Shida, Jun Kunimura, Shinobu Otake, Nomura Mansai
Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki's THE WIND RISES is an ambitious historical drama attempting to cover many grounds; moral implications, romance, sacrifice, ambition, autobiography, legacy and the value of imagination.  It tells of a fictionalised account of the life and times of Jiro Horikoshi, the designer and engineer of Japan’s Zero plane. (The Zero fighter plane, which put Japan on the map in World War II, was a long-range aircraft with a high degree of maneuverability) Unfortunately, the movie's bloat prevents it from taking off and soaring into the sky. Granted that this is a down-to-earth serious story ie. no parents being turned into pigs, no moving castles and no fish-girls turned into humans, but it's just too slow moving. The first two thirds of the film drags and haphazardly stumbles between what's real and the many dream sequences as Jiro goes through various breakthroughs in construction and design. Thankfully, there was a lift in the final act where the audience will witness one of the most moving and beautiful love story ever filmed drawn. And speaking of animation,  the hand-drawn style embraced by Miyazaki is as per expected; rich, smooth and pays alot of attention to details ie. it is visually stunning.

Rating: 4/10