Tales from Earthsea

Overview:  Did you know that middle-earth had a cousin? well he/she did, and its name was Earthsea, which was no doubt coined by a 3-year old who wasn't right in the head.  Out of the blue the entire world of Earthsea is going bananas! People are starting to act funkier than the Jersey Shore cast, and some pretty anal looking dragons are starting to appear everywhere.  Ged is a not-gay-for-Dumbledore wizard who's concerned about all the chaos, and along his quest he teams up with an extremely bipolar adolescent boy named Arren who has a dangerous secret of his own.  Their quest becomes harder as an unnaturally deep-voiced witch named Kumo tries to destroy Ged by using Arren.  Pretty Freaken exciting eh?!

The Good:  Hayao Miyazaki is not only a great animator, but he is (hands down) one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, and it may be argued by many (including me) that HE IS the greatest filmmaker!  As it turns out good film-making runs in the family, as his son Goro Miyazaki begins his directoral debut with "Tales from Earthsea".  Goro is an amazing artist, and there are some images in this movie that stick with you long after the credits.  There were parts of this movie that, much like all the other Miyazaki movies, were so perfectly put together that you just want to fall into a deep sleep, and this is not because the movie is boring, but because it's so beautiful; I liken it to ENYA singing me to sleep... Then C comes home.  Ha!  It's hard to describe this movie, instead you just need to see it.  It's a beautifully drawn, beautifully scored, and beautifully narrated story that has the potential to relax you like a narcotic if you let it.

The Bad:  I did like this movie, and thankfully I've been able to re watch my favorite scenes thanks to my second love which is Netflix, but it's not like the movie doesn't have it's flaws.  I'm a huge Ghibli fan, and Hayao Miyazaki's films are some of my favorites.  Although his son Goro doesn't dissapoint, "Tales from Earthsea" is not on the high alter with the other Ghibli movies like "Spirited Away" or "Howl's Moving Castle"; and that's probably due to some tiny flaws in how the plot is told.

The Ugly:  I strongly recommend everyone to see this, regardless if you like anime or not.  I hate anime with the same burning passion Jack had before he sunk to the depths of the ocean, while his lazy-butt girlfriend rested nicely on the big door.  I hate anime but I love Studio Ghibli's movies, because unlike many other films, they are VERY good at telling stories, and they're very artistic unlike all that Poke'man crap.  Give this movie a chance, and appreciate it as a true work of art.

5 out of 5