Children Bond Amidst Bleak Industrialism in Castle in the Sky

I’ve been working my way through the films of acclaimed Japanese writer-director Hayao Miyazaki, and after the isolated, bucolic beauty of My Neighbor Totoro, I was startled by the industrialism and violence of Castle in the Sky, originally from 1986 but recently released by Disney in America with dubbing by English-speaking actors. This movie is considerably darker and longer than Totoro and involves an epic quest to discover a legendary floating city along the lines of Atlantis but concealed in the clouds.

Our heroes are Sheeta (Anna Paquin), a mountain girl whose mysterious amulet makes her the target of kidnapping by two different groups of unsavory characters, and Pazu (James Van Der Beek), the working-class boy who finds her floating above the quarry where he lives after she escapes her would-be captors. It doesn’t take the children long to realize that the necklace is the reason she is endangered, and they soon make the connection between it and the lost city that Pazu’s father, an explorer, once claimed to find. Both seek the city for answers about their heritage, but they will have to contend with slimy government official Muska (Mark Hamill) and his minions, who are after the knowledge and power the island houses, as well as a ramshackle band of pirates led by cantankerous matriarch Dola (Cloris Leachman), who has her eye on its fabled treasure.

This is a bleak movie. It has a futuristic feel to it, as so much of it takes place in the sky aboard “airships.” Given Miyazaki’s love of nature, I expected to see more of it, but we are offered only fleeting glimpses. Granted, what he does show us, particularly in the pristine garden that greets the children after they finally reach the island of Laputa, is stunning. Mostly, however, it’s cold fortresses, crumbling mines and lots and lots of propellers. Unlike Totoro, the world of this movie was not one I wanted to visit, particularly since explosions seem to rock the landscape about every ten minutes.

Hamill is flat-out creepy as he voices the slick Muska. For the most part, his manners are genteel, but underneath that cajoling exterior is roiling malice. It doesn’t take too long to realize that of the two villainous factions pursuing Sheeta, his is the more malevolent. Leachman is hilariously ornery in her role as the unkempt pirate queen who reminds me of hillbilly Ma Gogan in Pete’s Dragon. The pirate family is ultimately a twinge more warm-hearted than that dastardly crew, and Dola, her husband, who usually wears only an undershirt above the waist and whose build and enormous mustache make him look like the Lorax, and their many borderline dopey sons are consistent sources of much-needed comic relief.

The heart of the movie, however, is the deep friendship that develops between the elegant, ethereal Sheeta and the earthy, rough-and-tumble Pazu. They bond quickly, particularly during their time with a slightly daffy elderly miner Pazu calls Uncle Pomme (Richard Dysart). It is at this point that they realize just how strong Sheeta’s connection to Laputa is and what a potentially dangerous object she carries. Shades of Lord of the Rings entered my mind as Uncle Pomme uttered dark warnings about the amulet’s powers falling into the wrong hands. While Sheeta feels guilty for dragging Pazu into a dangerous situation, he seems to thrive on the adrenaline rush, and the movie includes an amusing number of instances in which he falls, dangles or crash-lands. He has great physical strength and little foresight. It isn’t really until the climax that he learns to think things through a minute before he leaps.

My Neighbor Totoro left me feeling warm and fuzzy, wanting to run out in a rainstorm and twirl around or give someone a great big bear hug. Castle in the Sky has a very different tone to it. While there is happiness in the conclusion, it is elegiac, and the final image strikes loneliness into the soul, as does the state in which the children find the island and the assertions Muska makes about it. The film seems to be largely a fable about the dangers of superior power unchecked by compassion. The central friendship brings it down to a more relatable level, while the antics of the pirates keep us from getting too bogged down in despair. Hope does peer out through the crevices of this movie. However, at times it feels almost as elusive as the titular castle.

Star Wars is Not Star Trek!

I've been a Trekkie for as long as I can remember, and I got razzed a lot for it during grade school. One time, members of our class were asked to make crafts for the graduating seniors which would be presented at their banquet/roast. Our art teacher read through the descriptions of the projects, asking for volunteers for each. When she came to the girl who was a Star Wars fanatic, everyone pointed to me. I protested that I knew nothing about Star Wars, but the response I received was "Oh, Star Wars, Star Trek, same difference." I could not convince the teacher that I was unqualified for the task, and I wound up making a Star Trek poster simply because my knowledge of Star Wars was so limited. I did so grudgingly, however, figuring that the recipient probably was no more a Star Trek fan than I was a Star Wars fan.

Well, I finally saw Star Wars when our family purchased the trilogy from a video club. I had never been too terribly interested in seeing it because it struck me as being much darker in nature than Star Trek, but once I had seen it I was perfectly happy to call myself a fan. I still don't believe that Star Trek and Star Wars have much in common, though. For one thing, Star Trek takes place in the future, and many of its key characters are from Earth. Star Wars is supposed to hail from the distant past and occur in an entirely unknown part of the universe. Star Trek is not so much focused on good guy/bad guy. It's deals more with everyday situations which might occur on a starship and people which its crew might encounter, and the enemies encounter rarely pose a serious threat to the entire galaxy.
Anyway, let's just say they're different.

Star Wars: A New Hope introduces the focal characters in the Star Wars saga. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hammill), the ambitious 17-year-old stuck on "the planet [the bright center of the universe] is farthest from." His provincial life is turned on its head when his home is destroyed and he joins Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Sir Alec Guinness) to learn the ways of the Force and fight the evil Empire. He is joined by the prissy protocol droid C-3PO,who looks slightly like a gold version of the Tin Man, and the mischievous R2-D2, a dome-shaped droid who rolls rather than walks and communicates with a series of mechanical sounds.

Han Solo (Harrison Ford), the rough-around-the-edges pilot of the Millenium Falcon, which he claims to be the fastest ship in the galaxy. He's in desperate need of cash and agrees to pilot Luke and Obi in order to save his skin. His egotism and sarcasm rub Luke the wrong way initially, but he's really the only guy they've got. With Han comes Chewbacca, a wookie. Chewy, a huge, furry Bigfoot-type creature who generally has more bark than bite, speaks using growl-like vocalizations.

Throw into the mix Leia (Carrie Fisher), the lovely princess who is being held captive by Dark Lord Darth Vader (Darth Vader), and you've got the core group of characters who will all play important roles throughout the trilogy. Although Leia is rather obnoxious to begin with, both Han and Luke find themselves falling for her, creating a love triangle that is at the heart of many of the trilogy's best scenes and resolved brilliantly in The Return of the Jedi.

The Star Wars trilogy combines fantastic creatures, romance, the battle of good and evil, action, and comedy to produce a tale of true epic proportions. It contains many memorable scenes and quotable lines, and its soundtrack is some of the most recognizable in music history. This first volume is a promising beginning, and it ends with A New Hope that the best is yet to come.

Saved the Best for Last

I am aware that most serious Star Wars fans are slightly embarrassed by this final portion of the trilogy, in large part due to the Ewoks, but I stand by my opinion of this movie as the best of the three. It includes that incredible scene in Jabba the Hutt's palace, wherein Leia melts Han, Luke defeats the disgusting creature in Jabba's pit, Leia strangles Jabba, and Luke and Han escape their sentence of being slowly digested by a gigantic creature with a thousand teeth.

Luke returns to Yoda to find that his mentor is dying, and he learns the truth of his father's identity. While talking with the spirit of Obi, he discovers that he has a twin sister. One of the most powerful moments in the movie occurs when he finally tells Leia of their connection, saying, "The force is strong in my family. My father had it, I have it, and my...sister has it."

Family becomes a major part of the end of this epic. Luke and Leia discover that the love they have for one another is familial rather than romantic, though no less profound. Now Leia can love both Han and Luke without guilt. I love the little scene at the end when Han reluctantly tells Leia she should be with Luke because she loves him and Leia replies that Luke is her brother and proceeds to kiss him. That look of befuddlement molding into a "hey, this worked out really great!" expression is priceless.

And, of course, the relationship between Luke and his father. In the end, Darth Vader is a sympathetic character. Luke's assessment that there is still good in him is correct. Luke loves his father and is unable to destroy him, and Vader, in turn, is moved to become Annakin Skywalker once more in order to save his son and overthrow the emperor whom he had served for such a long time. He knows he cannot survive as Annakin any longer, but he dies happily, having finally been returned to the light side.

The most entertaining aspect of The Return of the Jedi was the antics of the Ewoks who populate the lush planet of Endor. These playful creatures are mostly peaceful but prove to be formidable allies for the Rebels --once they decide not to eat them. The teddy bear-like beings live in elaborate treehouses and speak in a very strange and ancient language. They provide a good deal of comic relief but also are shown in moments of sadness as some of their numbers fall to forces of the Empire.

In the end, of course, the Death Star is destroyed and the most dominant evil entity in the universe has been eradicated. Everything ends happily for our heroes, and we are left with a rich feeling of fulfillment that all is now right with the cosmos.

Gave Me the Shivers!

I was never too interested in Star Wars when I was growing up, and The Empire Strikes Back is the reason. We caught part of it on TV one time when I was pretty little, probably six or seven years old. All I remember from that initial viewing was the image that would haunt me for days. Han being led to the chamber in which he would be frozen. Leia proclaiming, "I love you," and Han replying, "I know." (I recall my dad making a remark something to the effect of "nice guy!" But I noted later that he was simply reciprocating her actions from a previous incident.) Then the procedure was performed, and Han came out in a block of frozen carbonite. In my young mind, that picture of the distorted mold of his face protruding from the ice was one of the most disturbing images I could imagine. I left the room and wanted nothing more to do with Star Wars.

But I finally got over it, and taken in context with the rest of the trilogy, particularly The Return of the Jedi, this scene has lost most of its horror for me. Still, I can't help but shiver when I recall the first time I saw his frozen form.

But putting that aside, The Empire Strikes Back is a great second installment to the Star Wars series. It begins on a harsh, arctic planet, where Luke is stranded with his beast of burden, a large, thick-furred creature similar in appearance to a kangaroo. Han, who had planned to fly the coop, flies to the surface to rescue his young friend. Shortly thereafter, one of my very favorite lines in the entire trilogy is spoken. Han accuses Leia of causing the extenuating circumstances that are preventing him from leaving the base. Infuriated, she throws him a first-class insult. "Why, you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking...nerf-herder!" To which he replies, "Hey, who you callin' scruffy-looking?"

Once Luke has healed from his injuries, it's time for him to meet Yoda (Frank Oz), whose level of Jedi mastery far eclipses that of Obi-Wan Kenobi, who died fighting Darth Vader. The swampy planet where Yoda resides is full of unknown dangers, and Luke and R2-D2 have a couple of serious scares before their meeting with the endearing Yoda, which comes about in a most amusing fashion.

In this movie, a dramatic turn of events occurs when Luke confronts the dreaded Vader, who utters the famous words, "Luke, I am your father." This middle chapter ends on a note of uncertainly, as opposed to the the triumphant ending of the first. Luke must learn the truth of his origins and reconcile himself with that truth, no matter how unpleasant it may be. The group of faithful friends must be separated, but the stage is set for a breath-taking resolution in my favorite of the three movies, The Return of the Jedi.