So I just watched Mamoru Oshii's latest film The Sky Crawlers.
Plot Synopsis: "Kannami Yuichi is a "Kildren", a fighter pilot recently sent to Urisu Base to replace a previous one who had died in battle. Like the numerous genetically-engineered pilots before him, he does not age, only to live his life fighting and eventually dying in battle. Rostock and Lautern, 2 different companies have been engaged in a brutal war that has no beginning or end, rather the battles they create serve to "entertain" the peacetime people. Yuichi befriends the base commander, Kusanagi Suito, a woman who endures a long dark past. As their relationship grows, Yuichi learns the bittersweet moments of life, and the inescapable fate he has been placed in." (ANN)
So what do people think of this movie?
I came away from this feeling rather bored. Not much happens as the movie is mainly the plain life of our characters who are Kildren, pilots who remain as children and live only to fight in battles. Maybe this is just a movie I don't get. Maybe it's a movie that I need to see multiple times to penetrate it's layers. I'm not sure and who knows when/if I'll get myself to rewatch this movie. Most of the interesting moments in the story didn't actually occur till the last quarter of the movie. Just to inform people who may try watching this movie later, it is by all means NOT a war-action movie. It's a slow calm character story that forces you to think to really understand it, and as I said earlier may take multiple viewings.
On another note, I realize this isn't suppose to be an action/war story, but these people should really get together to make one as the aerial dog fights were absolutely stunning in every way possible.
Plot Synopsis: "Kannami Yuichi is a "Kildren", a fighter pilot recently sent to Urisu Base to replace a previous one who had died in battle. Like the numerous genetically-engineered pilots before him, he does not age, only to live his life fighting and eventually dying in battle. Rostock and Lautern, 2 different companies have been engaged in a brutal war that has no beginning or end, rather the battles they create serve to "entertain" the peacetime people. Yuichi befriends the base commander, Kusanagi Suito, a woman who endures a long dark past. As their relationship grows, Yuichi learns the bittersweet moments of life, and the inescapable fate he has been placed in." (ANN)
So what do people think of this movie?
I came away from this feeling rather bored. Not much happens as the movie is mainly the plain life of our characters who are Kildren, pilots who remain as children and live only to fight in battles. Maybe this is just a movie I don't get. Maybe it's a movie that I need to see multiple times to penetrate it's layers. I'm not sure and who knows when/if I'll get myself to rewatch this movie. Most of the interesting moments in the story didn't actually occur till the last quarter of the movie. Just to inform people who may try watching this movie later, it is by all means NOT a war-action movie. It's a slow calm character story that forces you to think to really understand it, and as I said earlier may take multiple viewings.
On another note, I realize this isn't suppose to be an action/war story, but these people should really get together to make one as the aerial dog fights were absolutely stunning in every way possible.