On the one hand, this film more than any other of Miyazaki's displays his penchant for flying machines and air travel. The animation in some of those early sequences rivals anything of his best work. On the other hand, the film's second half becomes little more than an extended chase scene, with massive loss of life in the process. I get the desire to illustrate the evils of the abuse of power. I'm just not sure it works here in what is, ostensibly, a kid's film.

Anything by Hayao Miyazaki deserves full credit for originality, depth, rich settings and loveable characters. Castle in the Sky is no different and spins a wonderful tale in a fantastic world. Miyazaki's intense focus on ecological themes in all his films can sometimes get tiresome, but it's not overly done in this case and it's a theme worth sharing.

The castle isn't seen until the final third of the movie, and everything leading up to that is pretty typical adventure stuff, a bit tedious and cliched. The story, characters, and art lack the warmth and wonder that made Kiki and Mononoke so special. They should have done more with the castle and spent less time getting there.

Beautifully crafted and animated, but lacks the magic of Miyazaki's later films. A bit too straightforward and lacks different levels. Relatively fast-paced but slows up a few times for some beautiful scenes. Us Finns have had the pleasure to have these imported to our theaters one by one, and the big screen really does them justice.

Miyazaki animation with wonderous designs and solid action, let down by a sagging middle act and dull humour. The pirates are annoying, as are most of the characters sadly, and almost all attempts at humour fall flat. Some of the action sequences are outstanding, the 'robot rampage' especially, but often at it's best during quieter moments where Miyazaki's genius can shine through unfettered

A real masterpiece by Miyazaki! Just like so many by him.