Current Events > Still doing a Studio Ghibli movie marathon, finished Tales From Earthsea and wow

(+) Yeah! (+)

What a bad movie.

It's weird, this movie starts off looking really interesting. Its opening is almost like an rpg, not unlike those metaphor type games. Starts of intriguing in this world of medieval swords and magic, with some political intrigue elements as well.

Then the movie just... does nothing the entire 2 hour run. Kind of a shame that this animation goes to waste, because it does look good, part of why I thought it would be good. And some of the voice cast is great, they got timothy dalton! He's awesome. And willem Dafoe! What a shame the movie couldn't be better for their sake.

Just read the books, which are great (especially the first).

I'm not a fan of fantasy lit. either.

There is why Miyazakis kid hasnt directed another film since.

there is also a reason why every adaptation of earth sea adds more action. The books prided themselves on not having the stereotypical military conflict climax. Words and true names of creatures was far more important in earth sea, so most conflicts were solved with chess matches of wits and words, not swords and cavalry.

Yeah I read up on it a little bit and found out it's based on a book series, and they just jumbled up a bunch of book stories to make it. Wonder if this movie is the "black cauldron" of Studio Ghibli just like with Disney.

I'd never heard of the earthsea books before, but they sound somewhat generic if I'm being honest.

saspa posted...

Yeah I read up on it a little bit and found out it's based on a book series, and they just jumbled up a bunch of book stories to make it. Wonder if this movie is the "black cauldron" of Studio Ghibli just like with Disney.

I'd never heard of the earthsea books before, but they sound somewhat generic if I'm being honest.

If they sound that way to you, it's because of all the people that have ripped them off.

They are works of great imagination and beautiful world building.

Ghibli's entire catalogue is basically gold. They have a few middling movies, but even those are "fine."

...with one exception. Tales from Earthsea. Considering the source material, this movie could've been one of the all-time greats. Le Guin is a classic author. There's so much material to mine from the books. So many directions they could've gone. Instead, it's the studio's biggest dud. Really a shame.

VRX3000 posted...

There is why Miyazakis kid hasnt directed another film since.

there is also a reason why every adaptation of earth sea adds more action. The books prided themselves on not having the stereotypical military conflict climax. Words and true names of creatures was far more important in earth sea, so most conflicts were solved with chess matches of wits and words, not swords and cavalry.

Oh interesting. Well I could listen to timothy dalton's words all day, I loved Doom Patrol in large part because of him (and Alan tudyk of course)

VRX3000 posted...

There is why Miyazakis kid hasnt directed another film since.

Not true at all.

He has directed three movies and Tales from Earthsea was his first.

Tales from Earthsea
From Up On Poppy Hill
Earwig and the Witch

Plus he directed a 9 episodes of Ronja, the Robber's daughter.

I give this film an extra two or three points because Miyazaki was truly such an asshole to his son during the production

KFHEWUI posted...

From Up On Poppy Hill

Heartwarming movie

Earthsea books are one of my favourite series of fantasy books and it's just incomprehensible what the movie did with it. IIRC there's basically no sea in an Earthsea story.

Fun anecdote: In the 80s (I think it was the 80s) Miyazaki wrote to Ursula Le Guin and asked if he could be allowed to make an animation adaptation of her Earthsea books. She refused as she, and most of not-Japan, had no clue who he was at the time. Upon seeing his great works as he gained international popularity in the late 90s and 00s she changed her mind and allowed it, saying she believed he was the only one who could do it. By this time, as the anecdote goes, he felt he was too old to make it, even though he made several films afterwards, and handed the property to his son, who made an awful film with it. She did not like it.

DodogamaRayBrst posted...

Earthsea books are one of my favourite series of fantasy books and it's just incomprehensible what the movie did with it. IIRC there's basically no sea in an Earthsea story.

Fun anecdote: In the 80s (I think it was the 80s) Miyazaki wrote to Ursula Le Guin and asked if he could be allowed to make an animation adaptation of her Earthsea books. She refused as she, and most of not-Japan, had no clue who she was at the time. Upon seeing his great works as he gained international popularity in the late 90s and 00s she changed her mind and allowed it, saying she believed he was the only one who could do it. By this time, as the anecdote goes, he felt he was too old to make it, even though he made several films afterwards, and handed the property to his son, who made an awful film with it. She did not like it.

It's even more sad once you realize just how well he could have made a movie from the first book. Hell, I'm sure Spirited Away has Earthsea influences.

DodogamaRayBrst posted...

Earthsea books are one of my favourite series of fantasy books and it's just incomprehensible what the movie did with it. IIRC there's basically no sea in an Earthsea story.

Huh? There is a lot of sailing in the books. Especially the first and third.

In the movie. I think there's one 10 second scene of Ged beaching his boat and then it just takes place on one landmass, which I think is a hodgepodge of several islands from the books. "Tales from Earthsea" is a confusing title because the viewer gets no comprehension of what the title means in regard to the world the story places them in.

You should watch Whisper of the Heart next.

I have not watched it yet, but I just don't understand why they couldn't do a relatively straight adaptation of A Wizard of Earthsea.

I read all the books last year and loved them.

TheOnionKnight posted...

Ghibli's entire catalogue is basically gold. They have a few middling movies, but even those are "fine."

...with one exception. Tales from Earthsea. Considering the source material, this movie could've been one of the all-time greats. Le Guin is a classic author. There's so much material to mine from the books. So many directions they could've gone. Instead, it's the studio's biggest dud. Really a shame.

Isnt that recent 3D movie about the witch girl considered bad

_____Cait posted...

Isnt that recent 3D movie about the witch girl considered bad

You're right. I forgot about that one (or blocked it from my mind) since it's CGI. Doesn't even feel like a Ghibli movie to me. Another misfire with Goro at the helm.

Wait Goro actually directed more films? Well, my info was out of date. Sorry.

tri-sapphire posted...

It's even more sad once you realize just how well he could have made a movie from the first book. Hell, I'm sure Spirited Away has Earthsea influences.

I was thinking nausicaa valley of the Wind actually, when watching earthsea I felt like I saw a lot of what influenced nausicaa 20 years prior.

It's weird that I think nausicaa is still my favorite of the movies I missed out on, and it isn't even technically a studio ghibli movie.

Ursula K. Le Guin

is a good writer and I recall having read it. Part of the love is getting into the world.

If you do not care to (your choice), the tale will look lackluster

Been skimming it, and are the books considered high fantasy, or low fantasy?

saspa posted...

Been skimming it, and are the books considered high fantasy, or low fantasy?

Never read them myself, but I hear they're high fantasy.

saspa posted...

It's weird that I think nausicaa is still my favorite of the movies I missed out on, and it isn't even technically a studio ghibli movie.

If you haven't read the graphic novel, it is imo the best graphic novel or manga of all time. It's very different from most manga, not sure if there is anything out there quite like it.

This isn't even the worst adaptation of her work. That dishonor goes to the whitewashed Sci-Fi channel miniseries.

Watch Princess Mononoke

VRX3000 posted...

There is why Miyazakis kid hasnt directed another film since.

he directed earwig and the witch and its not good

AceMos posted...

he directed earwig and the witch and its not good

And from up on Poppy Hill which is a good movie.

Does it have anything to do with the Wizard of Earthsea series or is that a coincidence?

nm

Yeah those books were great.

Only ones I've seen are Porco Rosso & Spirited Away

divot1338 posted...

Does it have anything to do with the Wizard of Earthsea series or is that a coincidence?

nm

Yeah those books were great.

It's the best adaptation of the books.

Which isn't saying much when the other adaptation is that Sci-fi channel original series.

SgtBash posted...

Only ones I've seen are Porco Rosso & Spirited Away

Porco rosso was a fun movie but I didn't really get the anthropomorphic pig gimmick at all, if anyone can shed light on that one. Like, a movie about a fighter pilot or plane delivery dude was fun enough as is, like an anime talespin. Did the pig gimmick add anything to the movie?

saspa posted...

Porco rosso was a fun movie but I didn't really get the anthropomorphic pig gimmick at all, if anyone can shed light on that one. Like, a movie about a fighter pilot or plane delivery dude was fun enough as is, like an anime talespin. Did the pig gimmick add anything to the movie?

Him being a pig made the movie. It made Porco stand out as a character both stylistically and as far as his characterization goes. I honestly forget the details of his curse if the movie ever really even addressed it, but you could always just view it as a metaphor for his PTSD and lamentation for all the fellow pilots that he lost in WWI.

But most importantly, you wouldn't have the "Better a pig than a fascist" line.