Today, my family and I left our home early to make it to the first show of the day. We took a half-hour drive to get to a theater in Long Island. Why? For the shopping we can do after, of course!
Dad has been very eager to watch Miyazaki's "final masterpiece" since it premiered in Japan. I was surprised that he wanted to take the family out to watch it- the last time we saw a movie together was when Paprika came out.. in 2006!At first I wasn't too excited about the movie when I learned that it was dubbed. I believe films should be enjoyed with the original language and cast. This would have been a petty reason not to watch it, but when I heard that Joseph Gordon-Levitt was voicing the main character, I was even more intrigued. ♥w♥
Just like every Miyazaki film, this was animated beautifully. I have always loved his keen attention to detail, and the details are often so subtle that you would never notice until you watch it a second time. This movie was definitely angled toward a mature audience; aside from the references to war and the controversial images of cigarette smoking, it showed a man struggling to fulfill his childhood dream as well as his love life.
In some ways, I drew connections from this movie to my own life, especially in the scenes where Jiro slaved away on his mechanical drawings throughout the night. It showed that even though you may struggle to try and achieve your goals, hard work does not always lead to a good outcome. You work for what you love, and whether or not the results work in your favor, the time you have to invest eventually disappears, so you must do your best work while you have the mind to.
It seemed that in Jiro's endeavors to become a successful aeronautical engineer, he became a more selfish character. In his race to meet his work goals, he lost the time and connections with his family.
Like many of Miyazaki's films, this had quite the bittersweet ending. It was surely one to remember, for many could relate to the situations that were displayed. The Wind Rises may not be Miyazaki's final film, but it was certainly a masterpiece in itself.
