December Madness: Boy and the Heron (Dubbed)

The first ever Ghibli movie that I have watched in theatres and the first one I've ever reviewed! This film could be marked as a fever dream, a charming movie, and even a horrifying one at times. However, when put together, the strange traits of this movie turn into something truly intriguing and fascinating to watch. Matched by lively and beautiful animation and the true potential of the studio behind them, this film is a bright spot in animation this year. Let's break down Boy and the Heron!

Side note: if the writing seems more extensive and detailed than the last few days, it's because I've been writing the last two reviews on phone instead of PC. Blame that, I guess.

PLOT: Fever dream.

A story about a boy grieving his dead mom turns into a seafaring adventure then turns into a stealth mission through a mysterious tower. Yeah, this movie has the traditional Ghibli affair of turning something real into something powerful and thought-provoking. A basic story turns complicated in their hands and I am not complaining. It's actually emotional all the way through and manages to work its slightly bizarre premise into something strange yet wholesome.

CHARACTERS: Charming!

As per the Ghibli standard, many of its characters are either ethereally horrifying, adorable, or just brave and wholesome. They have really cracked the code on how to make likeable and endearing characters and this film is just full of them. Even the supposed villains have little movements and actions that show little bits of likeability under the rough exterior. The actors are all spectacularly cast. Luca Padovan is subdued yet powerful as Mahito. Mark Hamill, Gemma Chan, and Christian Bale all deliver knockout performances, but to me, it's Florence Pugh and Robert Pattinson who steal the show. Robert Pattinson is giving off his best gremlin performance yet and it's so entertaining to watch. Florence Pugh plays a dual role and nails both of them to the point where I didn't even recognize it was the same character. It's well-done.

SHOTS: Sometimes horrifying!

Not a bad thing by any means! But, some of the shots are so spectacular and well-done while others are ethereal and horrifying and make you question exsistence (again, in a good way!). While many films struggle with visual clarity and understanding what to show, this movie rarely ever shows anything unnecessary or irrelevant to the plot. Movies that utilize animation often get this benefit, but also suffer from not being able to hold on a shot sometimes. This film manages to balance still shots with only small amounts of movement. It's great stuff and a delight to the eyes.

SOUND: Back around to charming and a bit of a fever dream?

This film has a quiet and subdued soundtrack that only enhances the sound design of the film. While some choices such as letting the sound of a heron eating a fish (aka Robert Pattinson eating a fish) are questionable, letting moments like the dying voice of Willem Dafoe sink in with no music is powerful and rocks you to the core, knowing these Pelicans are truly suffering. Good sound design all around!

WRITING: All of the above.

The writing bounces around a fair bit from charming to feverish to horrifying. Anything involving the family is charming, while the other world can be slightly horrifying. Anything in between worlds is usually strange and otherworldly to the point where you can tell the difference between worlds quite well. The movie also has stellar writing that lets emotional moments sink in by not having big monologues that tell you how to feel or over-written lines that feel out of place. Above all else, the people feel real and that's a big compliment. One of the biggest things I can point out, however, is this film's portrayal of grief in the wake of a tragedy. Setting it during World War 2 was certainly not an accident, but it does it in other ways too. Mahito has to accept he can't bring his mother back while also showing us how he moves through grief as well. They introduce Natsuko who immediately attempts to take over as his mother, but it's not mean-spirited. She really wants him to be happy, but she overreaches and causes distance between them. It's really well-done and shows how adult this movie can be. But...

CONS: The ending.

The ending is by far the worst part to me. Not just because I didn't want it to end, but because of its sudden decision to end. It cuts from the third act to the end of the movie. As in one scene between the third act and the ending. It's super bizarrely cut and feels out of place. If the movie took five more minutes to maybe show us Mahito visiting his mom in some way, it might have made this more compelling. Sadly, this issue drags the movie down a huge point for me.

LITTLE THINGS: Animation is a medium, NOT a genre. Also, the dub.

Once again, animation is NOT JUST A GENRE FOR CHILDREN. This movie is PG-13 with surprising amounts of blood, self-harm, and even some horrifying themes of child murder. But, these themes make it the unique film it is. Animation is considered only for children because of its imaginative yet endless possibilities. However, this should be utilized to tell stories of all kind. Films in this medium rarely utilize the rating, but there are people willing to experiment and try. Isle of Dogs is a PG-13 movie and it utilizes dark and haunting imagery to tell its story along with harsher language. 9, although a certainly flawed film, has dark elements that really stand out among the crowd of animated films that play it safe at PG. However, these types of films with an edge have always stuck out as they shock you more while also telling a compelling story. Animation is a medium that should be taken seriously.

PS: I also watched this movie in the dub. Feel free to watch it in whatever language you like, but always watch it in the original language if you can. Just kidding, do whatever you like.

VERDICT: A charming, horrifying, sometimes feverish movie.

That being said, this film plays the gambit of horrifying to charming to sometimes confusing as all hell. However, what it never does is bore you or leave you out of the story. It feels like it wants to tell this grand story and bring you along to this new world that reflects not only the circle of life but also the stages of grief as we accept the loss of loved ones. This film shows understanding of pain through grief and never once makes you question its characters. While a sudden and abrupt ending ruins a near-perfect movie, I can never once say this movie struggled to be anything but a marvel.

SCORE: 9/10