If there's one movie that's often considered the worst film from acclaimed animation powerhouse, Studio Ghibli, Tales from Earthsea seems to be that one. Directed by legend Hayao Miyazaki's son Goro, the film was well received in Japan but internationally polarized audiences. To this day, many die hard Ghibli fans deem it to be the black sheep of the studio's efforts, in addition to Hayao Miyazaki himself not considering his son ready for true director status at the time. Having watched it myself, while I do get a good chunk of the criticisms, I actually found myself enjoying it for the most part.
Set in the land of Earthsea, the film follows a powerful wizard named Sparrowhawk seeking a mysterious force that threatens to bring humanity into internal darkness, Along the way, he rescues a runaway prince named Arren and joins forces with a priestess and a witch girl to defeat an evil foe seeking immortality. Now despite a cool premise like that, the movie actually takes its time getting to the epic stuff, as a good chunk of the first and second act are spent on the gang tending things on their farmland and the city near the king's castle. However, much of this time is spent on letting the characters' interactions with one another speak for themselves. Arguably, what the film gets right the most is how it explores human nature and evil in a way that shows how organic these feelings can be, from contemplation of death, to needing a purpose to live, and even how seeking immortality means throwing off the circle of life. It's rare when I see fantasy movies delve into such serious territory as the struggle between light and darkness in such a humane and fascinating ordeal.
As for Arren himself, given how many dark thoughts that he has yet can't comprehend , even by trying to run away from his troubles, is at his most intriguing and relatable whenever he has to face the grief leads to him having to discover himself a lot more in order to become a more noble person. By contrast, the witch girl Therru values life because of what it offers in spite of every being having to die someday, hence making her sympathetic if nothing else. In addition to Sparrowhawk and his friend Tenar making for a solid contrast between noble sorcery and mortal kindness, the villainous warlock Cob is arguably the best character in the whole movie. With a set goal to control life for good, his calm and whispery presence makes him so unsettling from how much he would destroy anything in his way. With Sparrowhawk's wishes to restore balance to the universe and Cob's wish to alter it, as simple as this dynamic is, it works in a fantasy world where control and order must remain intact. After all, there can't be real light without darkness.
Now with all of that said, the film's weakest moment would have to be the climax where things start to really fall apart. Without going into too much detail, this plot point falls into the typical fantasy trope of the hero rescuing the damsel from the evil doer, and let's just say Cob is taken care of by a plot contrivance. In the words of Ursula K. Le Guin, who wrote the book series this movie was based on, the movie ends up showing evil as "comfortably externalized in a villain [...] who can simply be killed, thus solving all problems," thus making the complex concept of light vs. darkness more disappointingly oversimplified than anything. On the upside, as is the case with the average Studio Ghibli affair, the artwork is gorgeous. While not quite as imaginative as Spirited Away or grandiose as Princess Mononoke, the backgrounds have so much rich detail and color that it's no shock Goro Miyazaki was a landscaper prior to making movies. The characters also have nice little attributes to their designs, from Arren's depressed facial expressions, to Therru's faded scar, to the overall creeper attire on Cob, etc.
So in the end, while the third act of Tales from Earthsea may have been a let down, the rest of the movie at least has some substance to offer in terms of its themes relating to contemplating death over life, stunning art direction and surprisingly relatable characters. I'm sure this movie might not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you're still curious, give it a watch. And who knows, given it was based on a book series, you could end reading them to heighten your love of the movie overall. Goro may have gone on to better works since this (From Up on Poppy Hill & Ronja), but it's good to know where he started off, if not perfectly.
Set in the land of Earthsea, the film follows a powerful wizard named Sparrowhawk seeking a mysterious force that threatens to bring humanity into internal darkness, Along the way, he rescues a runaway prince named Arren and joins forces with a priestess and a witch girl to defeat an evil foe seeking immortality. Now despite a cool premise like that, the movie actually takes its time getting to the epic stuff, as a good chunk of the first and second act are spent on the gang tending things on their farmland and the city near the king's castle. However, much of this time is spent on letting the characters' interactions with one another speak for themselves. Arguably, what the film gets right the most is how it explores human nature and evil in a way that shows how organic these feelings can be, from contemplation of death, to needing a purpose to live, and even how seeking immortality means throwing off the circle of life. It's rare when I see fantasy movies delve into such serious territory as the struggle between light and darkness in such a humane and fascinating ordeal.
As for Arren himself, given how many dark thoughts that he has yet can't comprehend , even by trying to run away from his troubles, is at his most intriguing and relatable whenever he has to face the grief leads to him having to discover himself a lot more in order to become a more noble person. By contrast, the witch girl Therru values life because of what it offers in spite of every being having to die someday, hence making her sympathetic if nothing else. In addition to Sparrowhawk and his friend Tenar making for a solid contrast between noble sorcery and mortal kindness, the villainous warlock Cob is arguably the best character in the whole movie. With a set goal to control life for good, his calm and whispery presence makes him so unsettling from how much he would destroy anything in his way. With Sparrowhawk's wishes to restore balance to the universe and Cob's wish to alter it, as simple as this dynamic is, it works in a fantasy world where control and order must remain intact. After all, there can't be real light without darkness.
Now with all of that said, the film's weakest moment would have to be the climax where things start to really fall apart. Without going into too much detail, this plot point falls into the typical fantasy trope of the hero rescuing the damsel from the evil doer, and let's just say Cob is taken care of by a plot contrivance. In the words of Ursula K. Le Guin, who wrote the book series this movie was based on, the movie ends up showing evil as "comfortably externalized in a villain [...] who can simply be killed, thus solving all problems," thus making the complex concept of light vs. darkness more disappointingly oversimplified than anything. On the upside, as is the case with the average Studio Ghibli affair, the artwork is gorgeous. While not quite as imaginative as Spirited Away or grandiose as Princess Mononoke, the backgrounds have so much rich detail and color that it's no shock Goro Miyazaki was a landscaper prior to making movies. The characters also have nice little attributes to their designs, from Arren's depressed facial expressions, to Therru's faded scar, to the overall creeper attire on Cob, etc.
So in the end, while the third act of Tales from Earthsea may have been a let down, the rest of the movie at least has some substance to offer in terms of its themes relating to contemplating death over life, stunning art direction and surprisingly relatable characters. I'm sure this movie might not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you're still curious, give it a watch. And who knows, given it was based on a book series, you could end reading them to heighten your love of the movie overall. Goro may have gone on to better works since this (From Up on Poppy Hill & Ronja), but it's good to know where he started off, if not perfectly.