Saw an advance screening.
I agree with you that the film ends abruptly, especially in comparison to the rest of the somewhat sluggish nature of the other moments (this one is REALLY for kids anyway), but it ends in an appropriate spot. Like his earlier films, story elements linger in the viewers' minds long after seeing it, mostly because they're at first a bit unclear. The two climatic wave scenes made my heart skip though!
Did I mention Ponyo is adorable?
I want to see this in theatres. How's the dub?
Unfortunately, the film starts to lose momentum after the first half. The plot grows thin whilst the supernatural elements become increasingly vague and difficult to understand. Meanwhile, the ending is abrupt and leaves plenty of questions unanswered.
I could swear I saw this word for word somewhere else on the internet.
@Rogue: Everybody says it's pretty good.
I could swear I saw this word for word somewhere else on the internet. Perhaps it was my little brother. He shares the same view. Could you post a link?
I definately agree with you about the latter half of the film. There were parts where the plot just dragged and lost momentum, and I felt myself getting a little impatient for it to get ON with it. And like you said, nothing REALLY got explained. I was kinda disappointed that a film with such a gorgeous opening suffered from a lack of tight story-telling and editing.
Overall, though, this movie is simply lovely.
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Charming!
Hayao Miyazaki manages to wow his audiences yet again. The opening is simply breathtaking; the operatic score swells just as the viewer is hit with this overwhelming underwater paradise, teeming with life. The effect is somewhat akin to the opening to Finding Nemo when we see the bustling coral reefs for the first time. Ponyo actually surpasses it. It is here that we are introduced to Ponyo, an adorable and wayward fish/mermaid that runs away from her father to experience the human World. Swiftly she becomes besotted with a five year old boy and chooses to become human, upsetting the balance of nature and spelling disaster for all mankind.
The film obstinately refuses to resort to CGI; everything is hand drawn. This proves especially effective about half way in, with this epic scene of Ponyo bowling along the top of a tsunami, all the while, a Wagner inspired score booms out something akin to Ride of the Valkyries. It had this troper blubbering like a little girl.
Unfortunately, the film starts to lose momentum after the first half. The plot grows thin whilst the supernatural elements become increasingly vague and difficult to understand. Meanwhile, the ending is abrupt and leaves plenty of questions unanswered.
Despite this, the story never loses its charm and I wholeheartedly recommend this picture to everyone. Fans of Studio Ghibli and will not be disappointed.