Airships, get your airships! Castle in the Sky review

This is the sort of movie I’m jealous I didn’t get to see growing up. 

I suspect this is a sentiment I will end up writing more than a few times as I’m carried on the winds through Studio Ghibli’s filmography.

But Castle in the Sky has everything little me (and well adult me) would have adored in a film and would have re-watched over and over - in between episodes of Power Rangers of course.

It is an absolute smorgasbord of imagination.

So if you are thinking of tucking in but want to know what is on the menu, well here’s what you can expect:

-          One mysterious girl who falls from the sky

-          A brave young miner unexpectedly drawn into a quest

-          Course after course of inventively designed airships

-          A medley of morally ambiguous sky pirates, who call their captain Mom

-          Multiple servings of terrific action scenes including one involving mine carts

-          A helping of devious government agents

-          A spoonful of comic relief

If that is not enough, you can finish it all off by feasting your ears on Joe Hisaishi’s truly magnificent score.

It mixes together orchestra motifs with electronic music to memorable effect – and the movie might be worth watching alone just for the soundtrack.

That is if the film doesn’t draw you in right off the bat with its opening set piece which takes place during a raid on an airship and the movie never really slows down from there.

You are instantly whisked off into the world of Pazu and Sheeta who are drawn together by fate and trust into the search for the mysterious castle in the sky – the titular Laputa.

I watched it while full of the sniffles on a long train ride and for two hours I forgot I was on earth and instead was transported far away to a land of airships and adventure.  

This would probably be the best point to make a confession; I tried to watch the film a few years ago and opted for the notorious English dub.

I found the celebrity packed cast of James Van Der Beek and Anna Paquin very off-putting – especially as Pazu and Sheeta sound much older in that version.

The movie fared much better for me on this viewing with the original Japanese voice cast.

While I adored the movie overall, perhaps it could have been a little shorter – it runs out of steam a bit in the middle due to the two hour run time.

Plus Sheeta was not as well developed a character as Pazu and the main villain is a little one-note.

Those few gripes aside, Castle in the Sky really is a must see for all ages.

It is fun, thrilling and just brimming with imagination. Do yourself a favour and watch it.