Grand ideas are explored and heartfelt moments aplenty before the movie collapses beneath its purported sci-fi weight in the last chapter. Either too long or not enough time to grasp the full potential here - but what's here works very well regardless.

it's a really, really well animated movie. the plot is a bit confusing and unforgiving, but i give it some good marks for originality and story--even if it's a bit childish at times. if you're not a big fan of anime like me, then this should go on your list of to see anime movies.

Stunning visuals. The story was interesting as well, though painfully boring to follow. I have nothing against slow pacing, but this time the director challenge your limits.

Well... It's pretty. I'll give it that. But the story manages to be both bland and difficult, working in a way that makes me wonder if even the filmmakers knew what happened in the story.

I haven't been blown away like this for a long long time; I'm not sure the writer was fully aware of the possibilities of his idea but it made me to stop the movie and jump up and down for about 15 minutes. It is an above average animation qualitywise too. 1 mark goes down for the cheesiness of the love story; I would have taken more marks actually , because pacing was problematic too; but I'm enamored with the idea

The sunsets and skies in this film are amazing, maybe my favorite ever in a movie! You know it's beautifully drawn, but it's also a very enjoyable story. On first viewing I thought the story was all very muddled, but I really like it and should watch it again...

What a self-indulgent piece of claptrap. This had great potential but never investigated any of the history of how the North and South separated, what the implications were for the characters, etc. What little science emerged from this "sci-fi" pic was hogwash; they actually try to link DNA to dreams at one point! The visuals are great, but that is the ONLY redeeming feature of this film, and it's not nearly enough.

Brilliant optic and nice characters aren´t enough to make a good Movie...Kumo no muko uses nothing of it´s potencial and so the only thing that´s left is a boring anime which ends and the only question by watching the bracing is "what happened in that movie?!?" the answer : nothing... disapointing...

Perfect example of the movie that runs on emotions rather than story. I wouldn't be able to tell what was it about, but it's filled with loneliness and nostalgia. Animation is stunning, Shinkai is the best when it comes to background design. But the writing never was his strong side, and by the last act of this film I was terribly bored because there was no story to follow.

Shinkai's first studio outing, this film is visually astounding, but the plot is nearly incomprehensible. Check it out for the visuals.

Beautiful story about love and human emotion. At a certain point Sci-Fi elements are thrown in which make you wonder for a bit if this movie will still hold up, but it does. It's written, acted, and drawn very well. The music is fantastic. This is my favorite of Makoto Shinkai's films. It seems to be most personable and complete. Definitely check this out, but it can get slow so bare with it.

Breathtaking scenes are highlighted with beautiful lighting. But the plot is a drag. It starts out strong, but changes in the second act with the goofy sci-fi mysticism that's plagued anime since Akira. The human element is satisfying but the nutty story of the tower is barely comprehensible. Something involving the universe dreaming about parallel realities. Worth a look for the knockout visuals, likeable characters, and stirring emotional content, just don't expect a masterpiece.