Howl's Moving Castle

I'd heard that this movie was not as good as Miyazaki's previous efforts. Well I shouldn't have worried. Even an average Miyazaki work is better than most of the stuff out there. This movie did have a different feel to it, perhaps because it was based on a book by another writer. (Though I'm not sure what the source was for the other movies.) It's quite involved, and towards the end it's a little hard to keep track of what is going on. It's also more of a "people" type film, so it's more similar to Kiki's Delivery Service than say, Spirited Away.

The thing I really like about Miyazaki is his restraint. He's not constantly blasting us with background music or gratuitous action scenes. In fact, a lot of the beginning of the movie is rather quiet. I think some people would get bored with this, but I find it allows me to really sink into the ambience of the movie and the characters. The story - where a young girl Sophie overcomes her limitations (both self-imposed, and subjected on her by others), and truly makes an impact on those around her - is very uplifting.