The Wind Rises (Film Review)

So I've finally gotten to see The Wind Rises in theaters after complaining about its early nomination for best animated feature.  And while I still disagree with the submission I have to admit, it should have won over Frozen.  In fact that’s putting it lightly; The Wind Rises is superior to Frozen in every aspect except for musical (and that’s because it isn't a musical).  Along with The Lego Movie it’s the best animated feature I've seen in years; though unlike The Lego Movie it has a more specific target audience.

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, The Wind Rises tells the story of real life individual Jiro Horikoshi (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the English version) as he embarks on a passionate journey to design and engineer planes.  Jiro's story is told throughout various phases of his life; from childhood, to college years all the way up to his supposed thirties.  Throughout this time period Jiro experiences many vivid dream (or dreamlike) sequences shared supposedly by his idol and famous Italian aircraft designer Giovanni Caproni (played by Stanley Tucci); also a real life individual who acts as Jiro's spiritual mentor.   Along the way, Jiro has many experiences involving war (specifically World War One and Two), natural disasters, a maturing romance, and bittersweet tragedy.

The Wind Rises is unlike any Miyazaki film before; not only is it set during a real time period (starring people who actually existed), but contains little to no supernatural features.  No matter how mature his earlier films were, Miyazaki always gave elements of fantasy and magic to them.  Even Porco Rosso (which is set during real life World War One) features an enchanted pig-man as our main character.  Yet unlike Porco Rosso’s lighter take on WWI and plane fighting (focusing on issues of honor and nobility), The Wind Rises deals more with the darker aspects of war (Jiro dreams of seeing many Italian models soaring off into the sky; Caproni informs him that all of them won’t make it back, following a quick flash of the planes burning out of a bloody sky) as well as the consequences (Japan is hit by a heavy depression causing people to starve).

The only fantastical elements found here are in Jiro's dream sequences, and even then it’s not entirely clear whether he’s actually sharing them with Caproni or just believes he is.  Even in his mind however, Jiro cannot escape the reality that his beloved creations will most likely be used for destruction and warfare; yet in a way made understandable, still wishes to create these beautiful machines (“We’re not arms merchants” Jiro's coworker argues, “we’re just trying to build good planes”).  Jiro does not want his devices used for evil, but cannot bring himself to stop engineering; his mind is conflicted and Caproni tries to help solve the dilemma, “do you prefer a world with pyramids, or with no pyramids?"  Jiro's dreams give the audience a view into his subconscious, allowing for a better understanding of his decisions.  At times Jiro's dreams can even slip into his reality, making it hard to tell what’s really happening and what’s simply in his head.

The earthquake scene is a prime example of the above merging of dreams into reality.  Based on a real earthquake that hit Japan, the scene begins with Jiro riding a train back to Tokyo after holiday.  The scene changes to an overshot of Tokyo city getting dark, followed by a massive wave of energy crossing over as fast as a surge of wind.  Suddenly a monstrous cry echoes across the land as the Earth falls into destructive chaos, dropping and shifting the flat train track into a nightmarish roller coaster.  The scene seems so fantastically bizarre that at first I assumed it was another dream sequence; that is until the buildings began bursting into flames and everyone scrambles in terror at the tremor's mercy.  Miyazaki's able to give the earthquake a life of its own; with it cracking the land, crying its inhuman roar, and devouring buildings indiscriminately.

It’s thanks to these scenes and others that The Wind Rises has such serene beauty and calming destruction.  The earthquake scene creates an inferno of blazing red fire that engulfs Tokyo in horrific beauty, filled with just the right amount of shocked silence.  Then there’s the wedding scene that’s as tranquil as it is gorgeous; surrounded by a beautiful night backdrop of glowing stars and tree petals falling near identical to light snowflakes.  Other scenes contain a mix of both; such as Jiro's initial flying dream having both water painted backgrounds of lush mountains filled with flora of detail and vitality and distorted German planes that are imaginatively twisted and ominously silent.  Such beautiful scenery, vibrant use of coloring, and creative designing could have alone made the film notable, yet the cast of characters are quite memorable as well.  My personal favorite is Jiro's supervisor; one of those grumpy-type characters who’s always mad but ultimately has a good heart, becoming one of Jiro's closest confidants.  The comedy from him and a few other characters (such as a peculiar German fugitive who possesses some very creepily drawn eyes) help lighten up and balance the film’s darker scenes.

I've heard that The Wind Rises is to be Miyazaki's last feature length film; if so then I’m glad he was able to end on such a great note.  Here Miyazaki tries something different from the rest of his films and succeeds in creating a beautifully artistic and intricately mature film in setting, character, and moral.  Yet The Wind Rises still feels as true to Miyazaki's style as any of his other films; which may allow those hesitant to still enjoy his final feature in their own unique way.  Nonetheless, The Wind Rises alone is a great film and one of the best animated features to come out in years.