39. Weathering With You; movie review
WEATHERING WITH YOU
Cert 12A
112 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, threat, sex references
I am a big fan of the reclining seats which are at many Showcase and Odeon cinemas nowadays but, as Mrs W discovered on Friday evening, they can be a tad too comfortable.
Yep, after a hard week at work, I spotted her dropping off during Makoto Shinkai's Weathering With You.
That wasn't just down to the fact that she was nearly horizontal in the cinema. The truth is that this Japanese anime didn't meet our high expectations despite its considerable acclaim.
Regular readers will know that I am a huge fan of Japanese animation - particularly that from Studio Ghibli, so I am trying to put my finger on why Weathering With You didn't chime.
We watched the subtitled version in which Kotaro Daigo voices the central character, Hodaka, a 16-year-old high school student who runs away from home to Tokyo just as it is being hit with its worst rains ever.
Initially, he lives in isolation but finally finds work as a writer for a mysterious occult magazine.
And then he meets Hina (Nana Mori) - a charismatic girl who possesses the incredible ability to stop the rain and bring rays of sunshine.
Slowly, an innocent love embraces the two young people as they try to lighten up the days of others.
Why she has developed this propensity is never discussed but after an initial blitz as a sunshine girl, the mental and physical effects start to take their toll.
Weathering With You is such an odd film that I couldn't understand exactly what it was trying to say.
On the face of it, there seems to be a global warming message combined with a charming coming-of-age love story but that would make it sound simpler than it is.
In common with most Japanese animes, it is attractive and detailed but, as said, neither Mrs W nor I felt the love we expected. On reflection, I reckon that might be down to the plot being hard to follow.
Reasons to watch: It looks damned good
Reasons to avoid: Its storyline didn't grab
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6/10
Did you know? More than 2,000 people auditioned for the roles of Weathering With You's two protagonists. Kotaro Daigo and Nana Mori were chosen.
The final word. Makoto Shinkai: "In Japan, there have been a lot more disasters caused by rain, so I thought the time was right to make a film about the weather. And then, I started thinking about politics and I wanted to make something with a theme of sacrifice." The Hollywood News
The final word. Makoto Shinkai: "In Japan, there have been a lot more disasters caused by rain, so I thought the time was right to make a film about the weather. And then, I started thinking about politics and I wanted to make something with a theme of sacrifice." The Hollywood News
0 Response to "39. Weathering With You; movie review"
Posting Komentar