A bit of magic? Check. Precocious young woman? Check. Flying? Check. Lots of white people speaking Japanese? It's gotta be a Miyazaki film. Porco Rosso is quite unusual for a Miyazaki film in that its protagonist isn't idealistic, precocious and young, but rather is an older cynical bounty hunting flying ace cursed to look like a pig. The titular Porco has more to do with Han Solo than Luke Skywalker.
However, the film is still very clearly a Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli work. Set near the time of WWII in the Adriatic, Porco makes a living as a wing for hire. This is thrown off by the introduction of American flying ace Curtis who joins the pirates Porco has foiled in their revenge on Porco. And that's about it when it comes to the story. Porco Rosso doesn't set a very high story bar, as the story itself it rather weak. The film comes across more like an extended episode of a television series. Granted, an excellent episode, but not an ambitious one. Although life is on the line for some of the characters, the gravitas of the film is very low, consequently leading to little tension and consequently little release.
Thus the story of the film itself fails to deliver the kind of impact that most of Miyazaki's works have. But the film is still gorgeous and have a sense of fun, just not really a strong sense of magic or adventure. It's almost like a watered down Indiana Jones movie. However, I can imagine this film being the basis for an excellent television series featuring the titular pig.
The characters are drawn well and the film has a rather fun sense of humor about it (see the kidnapped schoolgirls in the opening of the film), but ultimately doesn't really accomplish the sense of adventure that I think it was set out to accomplish. It comes across as light entertainment--fun, but insubstantial and consequently not a must see. But if you're looking for a sort of light adventure with a Ghibli twist, this isn't bad. Just don't have expectations for an immersive and rewarding pic. 7/10.
However, the film is still very clearly a Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli work. Set near the time of WWII in the Adriatic, Porco makes a living as a wing for hire. This is thrown off by the introduction of American flying ace Curtis who joins the pirates Porco has foiled in their revenge on Porco. And that's about it when it comes to the story. Porco Rosso doesn't set a very high story bar, as the story itself it rather weak. The film comes across more like an extended episode of a television series. Granted, an excellent episode, but not an ambitious one. Although life is on the line for some of the characters, the gravitas of the film is very low, consequently leading to little tension and consequently little release.
Thus the story of the film itself fails to deliver the kind of impact that most of Miyazaki's works have. But the film is still gorgeous and have a sense of fun, just not really a strong sense of magic or adventure. It's almost like a watered down Indiana Jones movie. However, I can imagine this film being the basis for an excellent television series featuring the titular pig.
The characters are drawn well and the film has a rather fun sense of humor about it (see the kidnapped schoolgirls in the opening of the film), but ultimately doesn't really accomplish the sense of adventure that I think it was set out to accomplish. It comes across as light entertainment--fun, but insubstantial and consequently not a must see. But if you're looking for a sort of light adventure with a Ghibli twist, this isn't bad. Just don't have expectations for an immersive and rewarding pic. 7/10.