Tales from Earthsea

I am a huge fan of both Ursula Le Guin and Studio Ghibli but the story and the presentation just weren't all they needed to be. The fragments of story they excerpted from the novel lacked cohesiveness, so the characters' stories were truncated and lost. The art work was true to the beauty of Ghibli. I'm disappointed that I can only give this film a 6 (fair) out of 10. {Animated Fantasy}

Better than I expected, a fantastic debut from Goro Miyazaki (son of Hayao Miyazaki) and a worthy addition to Ghibli's consistently brilliant catalog. It follows the prince Arren, as he runs from his kingdom and encounters a wizard named Ged. From here, he is drawn into a classic good versus evil battle. Goro Miyazaki's film bares a lot of similarities to his father's films, but lacks some of the whimsical nature that makes Hayao's movies so distinct. Tales from Earthsea is a more subdued film than films such as Spirited Away and Porco Rosso, and doesn't really hit the emotional or imaginative heights that Hayao Miyazaki's films do. But this isn't always a bad thing - It's simply Goro's style, and this element makes his film a more traditional, perhaps more sensible narrative. Goro has taken a somewhat conservative route with this film - visually and audibly it's classic Ghibli, full of lush environments and excellent animation. In terms of narrative, it carries classic Ghibli (particularly Miyazaki) hallmarks - epic battles of good and evil, cathartic journeys, and the hospitality and grace of ordinary people - but it also has more of a traditional narrative. Good and evil are, unlike many his father's films, clearly defined, and the events of the film lack the extravagance (and imagination) of Hayao's films. It's a wise move - rather than try to re-invent the wheel, Goro has made a wonderfully solid and cohesive film.

To simply compare Goro Miyazaki (and his film) to his father is unfair and sells a great movie short - he has obviously inherited a tremendous flair for storytelling, and with Ghibli's animation team behind him, has created a fantastic debut film. There's another Miyazaki in town - and i can't wait to see where he goes next.

I like both Studio Ghibli films and Ursula LeGuin's 'Earthsea' books, but this film did little for me. While the backgrounds and 'set pieces' were striking, as expected in anime from this studio, the realisation of the characters left a lot to be desired, especially Ged who was bland and Cob, who was oddly androgynous. I also found the voices used in the English version either dull (Timothy Dalton's generic 'gentle English lord') or silly (Cheech Marin's hodgepodge of accents). The biggest weakness, however, was the story, which was just boring - by the time things began to happen, I'd stopped caring and was just waiting for the film to end. Pity: LeGuin's 'Earthsea' series could make a fantasy epic to rival the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy or the 'Harry Potter' series, but so far, all we have is a second-rate anime and an awful made-for-TV 'sword and sorcery' romp.

Some argue that "Tales from Earthsea" only works if you're not a fan of the novels. I argue the opposite. Studio Ghibli and Goro Miyazaki took on a Herculean effort, creating a massive love letter to Ursula K. Le Guin's beloved series. They approached this film as if it were their only chance to make an Earthsea movie, leading to a final product that, while beautiful, suffers from trying to do too much.

The film struggles to find its footing, with many plot points never receiving the resolution they deserve. This results in a narrative that only makes full sense if you're already familiar with the Earthsea series. For fans like myself, this makes the movie work better as an adaptation of "The Farthest Shore." We see characters from other books making appearances, adding to the richness of the experience. However, for those unfamiliar with Earthsea, understanding the importance of the events and characters can be challenging.

A major disappointment is Sparrowhawk, who feels like a corked bottle throughout the movie. The books make it clear just how powerful and wise he is, akin to Gandalf in "The Lord of the Rings." Unfortunately, the film fails to convey this, depriving the audience of a true sense of his greatness.

Despite these criticisms, I still give "Tales from Earthsea" a 7 out of 10. The animation is stellar, capturing the dark fantasy essence of Earthsea while maintaining Studio Ghibli's recognizable style. It's perhaps the least Studio Ghibli-like film of them all, with its violence and dark tones. The voice performances, especially Willem Dafoe as Cob, are astounding.

The story, though messy, is interesting, and the world-building is incredible. There's a strong commentary on nature and man's greed, a typical Studio Ghibli theme. It's a shame the film didn't achieve the seamless finish it deserved because the potential for an incredible adaptation was there.

In conclusion, "Tales from Earthsea" is a flawed but fascinating film. It stumbles over itself and can't quite find what it truly could have been, caught between a bunch of crossroads. Nevertheless, it remains a beautiful, albeit messy, love letter to Earthsea that I appreciate as a fan of the series.

I am a great fan of the LeGuin books, and when I learned that Studio Ghibli was going to be involved in making of the film I eagerly looked forward to its release. I hoped it would make up for the awful SciFi Channel-aired film. The good news in this outing is, there is genuine respect for the source material, even if it is not done genuine honor.

The plot of the film is an amalgamation of elements of several of the Earthsea books, creating a new villain and having characters interact that indeed barely met in the books. While I could not help but feel disappointed by these changes, the film is still visually enjoyable to behold. It does not compare as favorably to Howl's Moving Castle, a story drastically altered from its own source material that still manages to stand on its own as a story.

I could not help but think, as I watched the character Arren develop, why? Why, when there is such wonderful source material, that his introduction came across so muddled and poorly reasoned. I viewed the film with someone who had never read the books, and she really enjoyed it. Despite the film's shortcomings, you generally care for the cast by the end.