The Sky Crawlers

This movie is really quite good, especially the idea behind it all. If you are aware of Animes and Manga comics, then you might expect, the movie to be how it is. But if not, be prepared to get a whole lot of story. It might be too much for some audience members and you might not get everything with the first viewing. Now this either will get you hooked and you will watch the movie again or you will hate the movie and rate it badly.

Depending on what you think you can take, it should be up to you to decide if you want to watch it. If you do, you will be confronted with quite some interesting question (not all of which get an answer at all), that might inspire you to think some things over, that you take for granted.

It is hard to write a coherent review of The Sky Crawlers without revealing major plot twists, but I will try. I advise you to see the movie without reading too much about it beforehand so that you can enjoy and think about what happens without bias. Do stick around for the epilog after the closing credits.

The Sky Crawlers is a thought-provoking alternate history that will appeal to literate science fiction fans. Mainstream audiences will undoubtedly be bored and confused by what happens in the film. The film examines weighty themes such as the meaning of war and the nature of memories. I was reminded of the recent death of famous amnesiac "HM" while watching The Sky Crawlers, as some of the characters suffer from a similar type of memory loss. Why they suffer this loss is one of the twists that will either spark heated discussion or bewilderment afterward. Like most good science fiction, The Sky Crawlers presents somewhat ambiguous characters and ideas. It is up to the viewer to interpret the meaning.

What worked: The CGI aerial combat sequences were amazing—dizzying and spectacular, with intricately designed air vehicles that spurred the imagination. The characters' emotional depths were thoroughly mined—although not always pleasantly so. The character design and art direction were top notch—the CGI segments were almost photo-realistic, and the 2D segments were beautifully drawn and lighted, too. The Basset Hound was cute.

What didn't work: The pacing was slow—this is a psychological drama, not an action adventure—and could have benefited from some judicious editing. Although I found the transitions from CGI to 2D and back to be perfectly fine, particularly after getting into the rhythm of the film, many viewers will likely find the transitions jarring.

If your tastes run more towards Blade Runner or A Clockwork Orange, you will probably appreciate The Sky Crawlers. If your tastes lean more towards Star Wars or The Incredibles, I advise you to see something else.

It's astonishing how much heart and soul writer Hiroshi Mori and Ghost In The Shell director Mamoru Oshii managed to incorporate in this gently told, unique story despite the remote, but at the same time also strangely deep nature of it's characters. The discreet use of the beautiful visuals serves the movie - not the other way round - and though pretty slow-paced and without major cataclysms Sky Crawlers manages to keep up a fascinating and unique atmosphere till the very end.

I think everyone with a heart and an open mind will recognize this one as a rare gem.

7/10

Just occasionally, you'll find a film where thew execution of drama over powers your awareness that the film is animated.

The Japanese style is arguable the most exploitative of animation, which is why Mamoru Oshii's rather minimal and refined approach which he brings to The Sky Crawlers is extraordinary in it way. The film is rather static with little physical movement, elongated cutting, wide open Kurosawa type shots, psychological use of color, light and shadow, and a haunting and mystic score. The film is kind of cold, but with a scene of mystery which makes it seductive. Even when we are up in the air with dozens of aircraft, gunfire, and spectacular balls of fire, the film maintains it's sense of calm. Oshiii handles it almost like a ballet. This is not a kids movie, and it's not for those with a short attention span. It it a deep slow psychological piece.

The ending is one that may divide an audience. Some will see it as giving The Sky Crawlers a sense of moral function, while others will argue that it makes the whole thing seem useless. I won't take either side. All I'll say is that I enjoyed the flight.

"The Sky Crawlers" is directed by Mamoru Oshii, the 56-year-old genius director. He lets go of the screenplay this time and presents a fresh front by introducing a new scriptwriter, Chihiro Ito.

The most anticipated aspect of this film for fans of Hiroshi Mori, the author of the original novel, is how the director has translated the original into the medium of film. The original is like a poem where you can clearly see his vision with a lots of space in the sentences. It's also a challenge to decide on what extend the truth of the story is to be visible which was less clear in the original novel.

KillDren - Living weapons which never grew up, kept as adolescents their entire lives and created to show people a performance called a "war".

Once again, the film treats the dominant theme of the conflict between "humans" and "AI made by humans". However, the story has an appeal which is different from "Ghost In The Shell" or "Innocence".

Humans who do not know about wars; breeding, killing people, depriving family, or being full of hatred. They wish for peace, and exhausted by all the efforts which end in endless tragedy and death. The wars as a form of entertainment is a way to look directly at such concepts, and is a way to create a distance from such tragedies. The wars what make them recognise once more what they are truly happy about, by peeping at this extreme hopelessness.

Certainly, humans are greedy creatures and they expect that the safe and peaceful situation will continue and this would be fine without knowing whether they are truly happy. They still want to their further happiness because they are not satisfied with this situation. It is the moment that they realise they are actually happy, by recognising the position where they stand at the hierarchy of the society they live in and comparing it with others. It is through having wars as entertainment that people venture to create.

Meanwhile, there are girls and boys who only find their lives worth living in the sky, laughing in the sky, crying in the sky and killing other people using their right hands as Living weapons. KillDren, who love people, become puzzled with the truth, have some self confidence and sometimes are fragile. It is the same life as normal adolescent girls and boys, except they are weapons and never grow.

This is a story which tells us about what the truly important things in life are, and to see them living in our world and time.

Notes: Please watch till the end of the story even after the ending credit starts. The last scene will give you a hint to the secret of the story.