I'd like to thank loyal Film Junkies reader Christian309 for taking the time out of his busy TIFF schedule to write us up a cracking review! Cheers Chris!
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I have never really been a fan of the anime scene, but I caught a screening of ‘The Sky Crawlers’ based on the premise alone. It’s the new film from animation veteran Mamoru Oshii, who is famous for his hugely successful ‘Ghost in the Shell’ series. I walked in with no expectations but walked out pleasantly surprised.
The plot revolves around a young fighter pilot known as “Kildren”, who is transferred to another base to fight along side the crew for their corporation. It seems that in the future, two large corporations that own most of the world are constantly at war and fight their battles in the air, but it’s never fully explained. The world of the Sky Crawlers is only touched upon and the majority remains in shadow.
If you expect that all of your questions will be answered by the end of ‘The Sky Crawlers” then you will be disappointed. Many questions are raised throughout the film, like "why are these two companies fighting, why do the characters keep mentioning they can’t grow up, and where exactly does the rival fighter “The Teacher” fit into all of this? The audience is only given semi-answers. I believe that the movie made a wise decision about this, because it’s not about the world, but the characters that live it.
The main problem I have with anime films is that I can never truly connect with the characters. ‘The Sky Crawlers’ excels as character film though. The Characters are incredibly strong and compelling enough so that you are never bored throughout the long conversation scene (which there are many). None of the drama in the film is over done or melodramatic, it is all very subtle. The main characters are so fleshed out, but then there are a few side characters that I felt that their story was rather incomplete or never went anywhere, like the prostitute or the adult mechanic. The characters shine brightly in this world that is shrouded in mystery.
The Animation in this film was just breath taking. Even though the characters are rather simplistic, the environment in ‘The Sky Crawlers’ is nothing short of gorgeous. My jaw dropped to the floor during the aerial combat scenes! I couldn't even will myself to blink as the planes dipped and swerved while bullet casings flew about and enemy plane were torn to pieces. It was not only intense, but beautiful as well. It’s the littler details that show that the animators went the extra mile: The way Cigarette smoke dances around the characters or how the rain hits the propellers of the planes. ‘The Sky Crawlers’ has some of the best animation I have ever seen.
This is a great anime film and just a great film in general. It’s not for everyone but if you give the film a chance you are bound to find something you enjoy, weather it’s the characters or the animation. Be warned though, this is not an action film. It’s a character driven drama with action sequences scattered throughout. This one is defiantly worth hunting down.
The plot revolves around a young fighter pilot known as “Kildren”, who is transferred to another base to fight along side the crew for their corporation. It seems that in the future, two large corporations that own most of the world are constantly at war and fight their battles in the air, but it’s never fully explained. The world of the Sky Crawlers is only touched upon and the majority remains in shadow.
If you expect that all of your questions will be answered by the end of ‘The Sky Crawlers” then you will be disappointed. Many questions are raised throughout the film, like "why are these two companies fighting, why do the characters keep mentioning they can’t grow up, and where exactly does the rival fighter “The Teacher” fit into all of this? The audience is only given semi-answers. I believe that the movie made a wise decision about this, because it’s not about the world, but the characters that live it.
The main problem I have with anime films is that I can never truly connect with the characters. ‘The Sky Crawlers’ excels as character film though. The Characters are incredibly strong and compelling enough so that you are never bored throughout the long conversation scene (which there are many). None of the drama in the film is over done or melodramatic, it is all very subtle. The main characters are so fleshed out, but then there are a few side characters that I felt that their story was rather incomplete or never went anywhere, like the prostitute or the adult mechanic. The characters shine brightly in this world that is shrouded in mystery.
The Animation in this film was just breath taking. Even though the characters are rather simplistic, the environment in ‘The Sky Crawlers’ is nothing short of gorgeous. My jaw dropped to the floor during the aerial combat scenes! I couldn't even will myself to blink as the planes dipped and swerved while bullet casings flew about and enemy plane were torn to pieces. It was not only intense, but beautiful as well. It’s the littler details that show that the animators went the extra mile: The way Cigarette smoke dances around the characters or how the rain hits the propellers of the planes. ‘The Sky Crawlers’ has some of the best animation I have ever seen.
This is a great anime film and just a great film in general. It’s not for everyone but if you give the film a chance you are bound to find something you enjoy, weather it’s the characters or the animation. Be warned though, this is not an action film. It’s a character driven drama with action sequences scattered throughout. This one is defiantly worth hunting down.
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