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REVIEWS

• 

  Rein2

  90/100
  Mamoru Oshii's Legacy

  Mamoru Oshii's The Sky Crawlers is an inaccessible film.

  By his own admission, it wasn't something that lent itself to the international stage, unlike his work on Ghost In The Shell. It's themes and indeed its intent are harder to discern, but beneath the surface is a piece of media that begs to be examined.

  

  An Endless Cycle

  It's fitting then that Oshii's film would again explore the philosophy of what it means to have an identity.

  However, Sky Crawlers primary message is easy to see. Opting to visually present and imply the futility of war and our morbid fascination with it. It does so with enough subtly to quietly drag you into the world.

  Depicting one side of a never ending conflict and the difficulties and trauma of the humans and Kildren pilots that fight it.

  

  Blank Stares

  Pilots with whom death provides (arguably) no escape from battle. Something that the characters including the humans, seem to think taboo.

  Because of this, we are often treated to awkward pauses for contemplation of repeated events. Blankly gazing into what once was and likely will be again.

  It's no accident that Oshii places us first hand into these conversations multiple times in order to view the absurdity of them, asking us to look at our own unfavorable surroundings that we lack the initiative to change.

  

  Imperfect

  These flaws are not hindrances to the characters though. Chihiro Ito's screenplay provides an unmistakable layer of fear and doubt among the characters that rarely show emotions.

  Acting as the same tools of war that they regularly control, only to continue to spiral back down to the ground.

  

  The Harsh Reality

  The undertones and themes of Sky Crawlers can be enthralling.

  But while there is a visceral experience here if you enjoy film and art in general; just as I would seldom refer to a painting as entertaining, most of the film occupies the same vain in typical circles.

  Still, Oshii's own identity and legacy in pushing the medium is only bolstered by The Sky Crawlers

  http://dorkshelf.com/2014/07/12/interview-mamoru-oshii/
  DS: As an artist who works in different mediums on a regular basis, how do you ultimately want to be remembered in the global artistic community?
  MO: As a conscious filmmaker.

  
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• 

  Gandruine

  80/100
  The Sky Crawlers // 2008 Mamoru Oshii

  CASTELLANO

  Hace un tiempo ya que empecé a reflexionar sobre la guerra,no sobre si es buena o mala, tema que tengo desde bastante antes asimilado,si no que nos lleva a ese estado de conflicto permanente.

  Sky Crawlers es una película atemporal, no importa el año producida, y aunque por culpa de sus efectos 3d está condenada al envejecimiento, los temas de los que trata estarán por siempre presentes en la naturaleza del hombre, y de la mujer.

  La idea de lo eterno es algo que no viene de nuevo, aunque si lo combinamos con experimentos de laboratorio y tecnologia tenemos una vista nueva a este problema.

  El simbolismo está presente en los personajes más secundarios,el búho, sintoma de astucia, encargada de encontrar y "proteger" en vida a la protagonista y por otra parte el Jaguar encargado de "aniquilar" a esta. Pongo el " " por una razón y es que como he dicho antes, estos "niños" son eternos.

  Niños en apariencia, ya que son capaces de sobrevivir en un mundo en guerra, son astutos, tiene capacidad de resolver problemas morales, como el compañero en el agua y el tanque de combustible vacío.

  Hay un par de errores, desde mi punto de vista, pero es una obra de culto al anime que reflexiona sobre el ser en la guerra. El hombre es o no es, siempre se debate entre esos dos estados.

  ENGLISH

  Some time ago I began to reflect on the war, not on whether it is good or bad, a subject that I have been assimilating for quite some time, but that leads us to that state of permanent conflict.

  Sky Crawlers is a timeless film, no matter the year produced, and although because of its 3D effects is doomed to aging, the issues it deals with will always be present in the nature of man, and of women.

  The idea of ​​the eternal is something that does not come again, although if we combine it with laboratory and technology experiments we have a new view of this problem.

  The symbolism is present in the most secondary characters, the owl, a symptom of cunning, responsible for finding and "protecting" the protagonist in life and on the other hand the Jaguar in charge of "annihilating" it. I put the "" for a reason and that is that as I said before, these "children" are eternal.

  Children in appearance, since they are capable of surviving in a world at war, are astute, have the capacity to solve moral problems, such as the companion in the water and the empty fuel tank.

  There are a couple of mistakes, from my point of view, but it is a work of anime cult that reflects on being in war. Man is or is not, he always struggles between those two states.

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• 

  DrFlapJack

  70/100
  Awkward Pause: The Movie - the Good and the Not So Good.

  Art is the main mouthpiece for society. It's the way that artists and their consumers speak out against the problems of their times. As such, anti-war stories are a natural staple. The Sky Crawlers takes a more calm, introspective take on the genre. Does it succeed in what it sets out to do? Well....... some points it hits, and other points it misses. Please bear with me and i'll try to explain.

  The Basic Premise and Themes

  ---

  The Sky Crawlers runs on the philosophy that war is inevitable. Wars are fought for a number of reasons. Disputes over resources and land, disagreements over governing methods. You could argue that war is somewhat necessary. It promotes economic growth and technological advancements. It provides a nation's populace with a common cause and enemy to unite against. However, the potential benefits don't change the fact that the cost of war can be much too great. So, if war is inevitable, the only logical way to deal with it is to lessen it's more unsavory consequences. Castrate it so that the discomfort caused by war is kept to a minimum.

  The way society eased the effects of war is by turning it into a business. The public can watch this staged war with no consequences, cry their crocodiles tears over the death of young people that had no futures to lose, and then go home to their comfy beds and sleep peacefully. No strained supply lines, no husbands and sons never coming home. This comfortable kind of war is where a new problem takes root from. If war becomes too impersonal and the consequences it carries become less obvious, then there is less incentive to end it as soon as possible. War without the nasty consequences breeds apathy. It's sort of a, "If it's not me, or my family that suffers, why should I care about whether it ends or not?" kind of attitude. The only people that suffer in this war are a breed of ageless children specifically created to shoulder all the pain and death that war brings with it. Specifically created to live and die in a war over nothing at all.

  It's not a surprise that even a cold, sterilized war comes with its own risks. There is always a chance that it will one day run hot again, and true battles will rage on in the skies. One company might gain an advantage over the other, and begin the path to victory in a war where there must be no winners. Therefore, there needs to be a fail-safe in place. An enemy that can never be defeated, a balance between the major powers. Any company that begins to gain the upper hand will then be faced by the enigmatic ace pilot who maintains the eternal stalemate, the Teacher. Only two things are known about him: he's an adult, and any pilot that he has in his sights will not live to stand on solid ground again. Any Kildren dead set on breaking the status quo and winning the unwinnable war will have to shoot down the Teacher first.

  The Good

  ---

  The most interesting thing about this movie was the way it portrayed the Kildren's odd behavior caused by their relationship with death. Kildren that live long enough to be promoted and retired from the front lines are quite rare. They are born to die young, it's their purpose in life and they just sort of accept it. The Kildren all have a casual disregard for their own health. They're all heavy drinkers and smokers. Don't need to worry about lung disease and liver failure if you're just gonna die in your teens anyway, I guess. The Kildren aren't afraid of death. It's not that they want to die, or that they're happy to do so or anything. They just don't care. Living or dying, it's all the same to them. They'll just be replaced when they fall, so what does it matter one way or the other?

  One thing I found fascinating was the language the movie uses to describe the Kildren's immortality. Rather than saying "We can't grow old", the Kildren say, "We don't grow old" almost as if to say that their eternal youth stems from a habitually short lifespan. Of course you'll never get old if you don't live long enough. The youthfulness of the Kildren could be a metaphor for the fact that the fallout of the previous generation's bad decisions is usually felt by the next generation. After all, it's not the wizened old generals in their war rooms that suffer and die on the battlefield, it's the young men that get sent in their place. They don't grow up because they're never given the chance. Maybe i'm stretching a bit, but that's how I interpreted it.

  As far as the animation goes, it's top notch. I doubt you'll hear anyone complaining about the way this movie looks. The character animation is what impressed me the most. Every movement the characters make contribute to their characterization. You won't need any explanations of someone's personality in this movie: how they walk, how they move, how they throw a bowling ball will tell you all you need to know about who they are. The movie pays special attention to each characters' subtle ticks and behavioral quirks. Things as simple as lighting a cigarette or folding a newspaper are animated with painstaking meticulousness. While it contributes to the already slow pace, these little details add an extra layer to the characters and their unusual situations.

  The Not So Good

  ---

  While the characters' movements are beautifully fluid, their facial expressions are not quite as natural. Tetsuya Nishio's character designs are partially to blame for this. The characters' blank smiles and owlish eyes give them a synthetic, unsettling look. Coupled with the unusually realistic movements puts them quite nicely into the uncanny valley. (Except for Tokino. He's goofy, expressive, and feels like a real person. He's also the best character in the movie. He didn't really have much competition though, being stuck in a movie full of the wettest blankets you'll ever see). This can be considered a pro rather than a con, if you stretch your imagination a bit. The Kildren aren't normal humans, so it makes perfect sense that they wouldn't act like them. However, this quality plays into the movie's first major flaw: it's painfully awkward. The characters all talk with a flat, unconcerned manner even when it's inappropriate. Any emotion they express is muted and stiff. Conversations are often punctuated with long pauses, which are made worse by the characters' aformentioned huge glassy eyes. One character will say something to someone else and they don't answer immediately. They just sit there and stare for what feels like minutes on end. Never has a movie given me second-hand embarrassment quite like this one. I was this close to screaming "Get on with it!!" at the screen like I was watching Manos: The Hands of Fate.

  

  The Sky Crawlers unfortunately suffers from one of Mamoru Oshii's signature trademarks, which results in the second major flaw of this movie: it's damn slow. This movie is 2 hours long, it felt like 4 hours. Everything moves at the pace of an old grandma crossing the street. However, keep in mind that not everyone that watches this movie will find this to be particularly detrimental to their enjoyment. Slowness is just something that I personally am not a fan of when it comes to film. I am notorious for zoning out even during the most exciting action flicks, so it could very well have been my fault and not the movie's.

  The plot moving like molasses is a direct consequence of The Sky Crawler's most egregious flaw: the balance between the slice of life aspect and the dogfighting action aspect is way off. There is about fifteen to twenty minutes of action and an hour and a half of characters just doing absolutely nothing. What little action scenes there are are excellent, but they're too few and far between to truly appreciate them. This wouldn't be so bad if the dialogue hadn't been so lacking in subtlety. There is nothing wrong with focusing more on developing the themes and morals, but it's so forced it just comes off as clumsy. Perhaps a better approach would have been to go a more satirical, dark comedy route with the dialogue. A little extra humor and nuance might have eased the painful sluggishness of the plot somewhat. But hey, that's just my opinion.

  If I had to guess what I think this movie was trying to tell me, I'd say.......it was telling me not to be apathetic about life, mine or others. Just because I can't see people suffering and dying right in front of me doesn't mean that their suffering isn't real or important. Just because i'm young and alive now doesn't mean that it'll last forever. But i'm gonna be completely, brutally honest here. After watching Yuuichi light his cigarette and snap the match for the fifth freaking time, apathy is the only thing I can still feel. But in the end, it doesn't matter how I felt about it, one way or the other. It doesn't change the fact that it's a perfectly good movie. It's competently made, beautifully animated, and it deserves a moment of any film buff's time. Fans of Mamoru Oshii's other movies in particular will mostly likely get a lot of enjoyment out of this one.

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