Saturday, May 03, 2008
The Sky Crawlers Takes Flight
Saw a press screening of Oshii Mamoru's latest film The Sky Crawlers (『スカイ・クロラ』) yesterday. After seeing the first reel over a month ago, I'd been waiting to see the rest. And it was worth the wait (mid-level spoilers follow).
You can find bits of background on Mori Hiroshi's original novel and the film adaptation around the web, but here's a brief homemade plot summary, based what I've seen and the press notes, followed by a dog's breakfast review:
In a world not unlike our own, it's a time of relative peace following several world wars. To truly appreciate this transient period of harmony, people demand a "war for show" that they can follow on their TV sets. Pubescent fighter pilots known as kirudore fight deadly air battles over Europe. They fight not for countries but companies that sponsor them, while the media keeps a running tally of each corporation's success.
Kannami Yûichi (voiced by Kase Ryô) arrives at the Urisu base at the front lines. He has no memory of his life before his arrival, yet possesses incredible fighter pilot skills. But why does base commander and former ace Kusanagi Suito (voiced by Kikuchi Rinko) regard him with such intense eyes, as if she's been waiting for him?
What is the secret of these young pilots' existence and why do they hold such fascination for the millions that watch their daring efforts from the safety of their living rooms? Who is the mysterious and undefeatable adult pilot with the black panther insignia on his plane known only as "Teacher"?
The kirudore while away their days on the ground, only feeling alive when they're in the skies. The upcoming "world cup" battle between powerful sponsors Rostock and Lautern will decide many of their fates. The cockpit is "their cradle and their coffin"...
Fighters descend through the clouds into a raging thunderstorm. Sudden shifts to super slow-mo as thousands of rounds of ammunition close in. A pilot ripped to shreds after ejecting. A massive bomber exploded apart by its own ordnance. The action is sure to blow away all and sundry. The heavy use of 3DCG in the skies helps create a different realm from the world below, stated Oshii.
The English language banter between pilots (Kase is fluent) brings back memories of admit-you-liked-it-in-the-80s Top Gun, but the shaky, disorienting chaos is closer to the WWII air battles over the Pacific (this rare colour footage shot over Saipan, for example). Airplane freaks will marvel at the different flying machines. This is an alternate past/future where instead of jet engines, prop engines have been pushed to the logical extremes of physics.
Sound design giants Randy Thom and Tom Myers, who also worked on Oshii's Innocence and Avalon, use Skywalker audio technology to push the visuals further up into the stratosphere while regular music collaborator Kawai Kenji's soundtrack combines his ethreal work on Innocence and a pretty music box main theme that recalls "Greensleeves." The music box is also an important visual motif.
Romance, love and sex are new "special effects" for Oshii, who handles them well, resisting the urge to fetishize. Itô Chihiro's screenplay gives the protagonists real emotions and character building dialogue during intimate scenes. The non-flying scenes, predominantly rendered in 2D, have a quiet stillness. Whether drinking sponsor-provided beverages in the mess hall, hanging out at the local roadside diner (a piece of Americana that also reminds of Top Gun), or visiting prostitutes at a palatial whorehouse in the forest, carefully observing the characters when they're doing "nothing" is an important key to the film.
I don't follow the craft of voice acting, but to me it was a good idea to hire "regular" actors (another first for Oshii). Kase and Kikuchi are joined by the likes of Kuriyama Chiaki and Tanihara Shôsuke who are both also effective. The alternate Europe they inhabit is the result of extensive location hunting by Oshii and his principal crew, combining elements of Poland and Ireland.
There's a lot more one could write about this movie, but I'll leave it until other reviews start coming in. In the meantime, you can print out your own Sky Crawlers meishi (business card) here. The Sky Crawlers opens three months from now, on August 2. I'll definitely be checking it out again when it's released at my local. The image above is the front and back of the chirashi, which has the two leads dressed in character.
And with that, I'm off for Golden Week. Hot springs await.
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5 comments:
That pacific footage! Jeepers.
Just came back from United Cinemas in Urawa having seen the whole thing. You're right on the money with your review. I should also mention that it fully makes up for anyone who was let down by Oshii's job with Innocence. The Sky Crawlers manages to serve Oshii's fetishes for Catch-22 situations, mecha-driven action and political intrigue into creating a satisfying whole instead of putting them at war with each other as in the previous effort. It is moving and pulse-pounding in a way that probably hasn't been seen from Oshii since his screenplay for Jin-Roh.
It should also be advised that you sit through the ending credits for an epilogue that subtly manages to make the whole film's message that much more haunting.
Sounds like you follow Oshii's work pretty closely. Hopefully both hard core fans and audiences coming in cold (Venice for example) enjoy it.
Aren't United Cinemas great?
Yeah, I've been a pretty big Oshii fan since Ghost in the Shell and Patlabor Movie 2. So, with my recent move to Saitama I was ecstatic to see an Oshii film on the big screen, even if I only got 40-60% of the dialogue.
Anyhow, I think this one will hit it well with audiences due in part to having a far more human touch than Oshii's usual clinical detachment. Don't know if it means anything but when I went the half-packed theater consisted mainly of women, young and old.
Sorry for leaving you two novellas in your fair comments section, but it's hard to find a place to discuss this film. Overall, good site, I look forward to reading more and yeah, United Cinemas is awesome.
For me, the movie was between amazing rendered Animation and endless nothing-happens scenes, which were sometimes so boring, that the audience felt, how it was for a pilot in WW waitin at the base. For his mission. His enemies. His friends. And, of course, there s always a "Mamoru Oshii himself" in the movie, personified by a very active Basset hound, sometimes more active than the protagonists.
If you don t understand Japanese, like me, you r missing the best part: the endless discussions about war, relations and philosophy. Nevertheless Sky Crawler is a huge 3D experience you have to watch, if you want to see what actual PCs and Animation studios are able to produce in combination with Skywalker Sound. (damn! I nearly dropped my Popcorn when Yuichi was shootin at his supervisor)
A Mamoru Oshii Movie like you can always expect from one of the best animation directors on this planet.
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