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Review: “Tales from Earthsea” – Patronizing Boredom in Fantasy Form

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Tales from Earthsea

Tales from Earthsea Box artTales From Earthsea has an infamous shadow hanging over it, being the directorial debut of Hayao Miyazaki’s son, Goro Miyazaki. At the height of its release, there was a nervous air as Studio Ghibli’s fans wondered if lightning can strike twice from the same family. Whether he expected it or not, there was an immense level of pressure for Goro Miyazaki. The resulting movie certainly shows off a level of dedication and expert craftsmanship. The animation is standard Ghibli faire even if it isn’t meticulously detailed as previous films and the music stands out from Joe Hisaishi’s dramatic jaunting tones for a sweeping Celtic-inspired score. Earthsea will forever be compared to other Ghibli movies until the end of time, but the truth is that Earthsea is frustratingly dreadful, even taken on its own merits.

A battle between dragons signifies an omen for the land of Earthsea. Sickness and famine overtake the land, and magic is dying. Elsewhere, young prince Arren suddenly murders his father and makes off with a magically sheathed sword. Tales From Earthsea’s opener is far removed from standard fantasy, foregoing prophecies and chosen one plots in favor of a growing mystery and questionable morals. It’s practically gift wrapped for Studio Ghibli and in better hands, could have delivered on its strong premise. Sadly, a sluggish pacing and ineffective characters keep it from reaching the potential it had.

Tales from Earthsea Arren SparrowhawkArren is a dullard protagonist with an unfortunately obtuse story. At first, his primary issue centers on his shadowy dark side, an otherworldly presence that temporarily overrides his body. This presence forces him to act aggressively and is the root cause of his father’s death. I theorized the shadow as analogous to the guilt Arren felt over his accidental act of patricide and perhaps an extension of severe denial. However, the movie is explicitly clear that the shadow really is an outside force controlling Arren, meaning it doesn’t even work as a daftly explained symbolism. Where it came from and for what purpose it has with Arren is never explained and the murder subplot is quickly ignored in favor of a lesson that is unrelated to his dilemma. Arren starts his journey panicking over his ill-fated actions to suddenly fearing the very idea of death for no reason other than the plot said so.

Tales from Earthsea is utterly hell-bent in its preachy message. At almost any given moment, a character will pontificate about balance and how one element must coexist with another. It’s all dribble: nowhere in the movie do they properly convey this meaning, mostly existing as mouthpieces for characters to waste time prattling about while they plow the land or fix the fence or whatever inane farm work that needed to be done. Roughly the first half of the story proceeds to follow the characters as they walk and talk before spending an inordinate amount of time in a farm where they walk and talk some more. Occasionally we’ll get a scene that indicates plot is happening, but it takes roughly the last thirty minutes (of a two-hour film) for anything relevant to occur. By that point the message rings hollow because nothing lead up to it, demoting all the speeches into pretentious garbage in an effort to sound deep.

Tales from Earthsea SparrowhawkThe film’s antagonist Lord Cob might be the closest to fulfilling any of the hour-long jargon our heroes spit out. He yearns for eternal life and manipulates the main characters so he can open the gate between life and death, whatever that means. Willem Dafoe gives him a subtle, whispering voice that echoes his sinister intent. I actually felt mild discomfort at his overt sliminess, and his true form reveals an unsettling desperation that enhances his creepiness.

The rest of the cast are nothing but cardboard. Earthsea is so busy relaying its message that it fails to deepen its characters. Sparrowhawk’s rivalry with Cob and Tenar’s wistful past feel less like backgrounds to broaden each character and instead anecdotes to a greater world that is never fully realized. Therru is important somehow, but her last minute plot twist is problematic as it nonsensically ties into very vague hints that don’t justify the reveal. I suppose reading the books this movie is based on might have helped, but a self-contained film should take the best qualities of its source materials and exercise certain liberties to produce a product worthy to stand on its own two feet. I shouldn’t have to expect to scourge through Wikipedia entries to understand the unexplained.

Tales from Earthsea TherruThe Blu-ray comes packaged with a DVD edition of the film. Extras include the standard Disney treatment: storyboards that play out the entire movie, along with TV spots and trailers. “The Birth Story of the Film Soundtrack” is a thorough insider’s journey into the style of music they chose and the various European instruments insurmountable for its progression. “Behind The Studio: Origins of Earthsea” is a lax feature that briefly goes over Goro’s involvement with the movie and little else.

It’s unfair to compare Goro to his father; he is not Hayao Miyazaki and shouldn’t have to be. A director should be able to stand on his or her own and manage material with their own signature style. The lofty expectations Goro Miyazaki had to carry are an undeserved punishment and an inevitable outcome of his situation. It’s tragic to see his first venture didn’t come out the way it could have. In a vain attempt to capture the subtlety his father mastered, the movie rapidly falls apart. Goro’s sophomoric attempt with From Up On Poppy Hill proves he’s capable, so perhaps Tales From Earthsea will remain the only visible fluke in Ghibli’s otherwise stellar record. At its highest, Earthsea is simply average, but it tries too hard to be poignant and instead comes off moralizing and pedestrian. I can’t recommend this film to anyone outside of diehard Ghibli collectors.