Tales From Earthsea - Blu-ray + DVD

Yes, what you have heard about this film is probably true in some sense, but it's also wildly false and illogical in another sense. Within animation, this is a top flight film for me personally. If you asked me if I'd rather torture myself through Ponyo or watch a flawed gem, I'd take the gem any day of the week. That gem is this film.While Le Guin may not have loved the film, she did say it was a good film, just not the one she expected or wanted. Of course what she wanted was this grand 3 or 4 hour tour de force with Miyazaki at the helm. The problem being he was busy, and the idea that this was even possible was always ridiculous.You simply cannot condense Earthsea into any meaningful exposition of two hours. It's not going to happen, and it's not possible.The fact that father and son were in a bit of a spat at Ghibli did not help the preconceived notions that were born from Goro directing for the first time while his father did something else.Going in with a logical frame of mind, in realizing this was going to be vastly different, I find the film to be quite amazing really. It's a lovely piece of animation, and the acting on the dub is considerable and effective.The villains are extremely well done. Dafoe has an understated and completely immersive performance as Cob. The set of heroes are all convincing as well, and I found almost no annoyances with the crew itself.The problematic structure was always going to bite the film, and fans of the books of course were ridiculous in confirming their biases, Ursula included. She very much wanted the master to direct her film. She got the son. She very much wanted it to be exactly like her own world in her head and on page, forgetting that this was a Japanese film made very much so for Japanese people first and foremost. In effect, when you take off the strangling hands of the media and the bias, you are left with a superb film that probably should have added 20m to the beginning to give it a bit more backstory and introduction.As it is the tale here is told well, but it does not quite seal the deal on the world or the happenings it presented in the first few moments. Things remain open-ended on a variety of the novels' ideas and structural theories. You won't be getting those answers. SO RELAX. It's not the perfect film, but it is a fine film in itself.Characters have been cut, shortened, changed, et cetera. What you are left with is a fairly simple tale of revenge, love, and life. The animation is breathtaking in places. For what some people have said was a rushed production, you really don't notice it much. Some of the sequences are absolutely stunning, reflecting a nice variety of lifestyles, emotions, and tones that delicately present to you the aesthetic and creativity on display in the Earthsea universe.Again, I give this five stars not because it is perfect, but because it was so undervalued and overblown as a bad film, when in reality it's not even close to a bad film. How is this a bad film when Frozen 2 is a good film? This isn't right, and it can't be right ever. The acting in this dub is absolutely on par with Ghibli's best. Ged/Sparrowhawk and Arren are wonderful leads, and the ladies in Therru and Tenar present themselves with realism and rational behavior. This is all massively balanced by Dafoe as the creepy as hell Cob, and his lead henchman in Cheech Marin's Hare. The forces of good and evil show themselves and completely do what they are supposed to do, which is create a lively atmosphere with characters you care about. The only problem is they probably needed another 50m to properly expand their stories. And that just was not possible.So what led to the middling reviews then? I make this sound like a masterpiece. Well, for one it's the outrageous expectations of a major studio in their prime and one of the most influential fantasy works coming together. If people wanted perfection, they should have put up the cash to support a 4 hour anime. They didn't. So this is what you get. A folded down and recreated artistic statement on the novels from Japan. It's beautiful quite honestly, and that is all that matters here when you also combine this with the stellar acting. I don't need anything else personally.I tend to agree that Arren probably needed a bit more exposition, but Ghibli chose to start the film as more of a mystery, and they only loosely refer to some of the major incidents and ideas from the books. But it works quite well if you just take a step back to realize this is not a film trying to tell the whole cycle.The bluray by GKids is of course amazing. I at least hope Le Guin managed to watch this again in high-definition where the animation absolutely shines. The bitrate is high, and the bluray is nearly flawless. Impeccable work from GKids. Not too many extras sadly, but there are a few bits to parse through.Altogether forget any expectations you have here, and just watch the film as the singular tale it wants to tell you. I can't imagine anyone being too disappointed.

Stands up the the rest of the Studio Ghibli moves owned. Love it

What’s not to love?

This movie seems to be hated by lots, including the author of the original books. Yet there is a sense of goodness that comes after watching it, this idea that is still portrayed through the film. The idea of life and death. The movie dances with the topics of living forever, yet at the same time is able to paint a world. Well, the world is much better written in the books, there is still a world to see in the Movie. This is far from the worst Ghibli film though I would not rank it high up there. I would give it a 6.7/10: It’s ok, I love so parts well other parts are just ok.

I absolutely loved this film. Sure, the ending was vague, but what Ghibli film with magic and mystery isn't? Media and critics tore apart this film simply because it was judged on the directing style of Hayao Miyazaki without realizing that the son, Goro is different. Hayao is subtle and refined while Goro is raw and emotional. This is a fantastic standalone film. If you watch movies to have every question and mystery explained, then you are misisng the point of storytelling. I can't believe I let the critics and media sway my opinion before I even watched it. The voice acting and animation is incredible, the music was captivating. The story is less important than the meaning behind it, and I understand that a book cannot be properly done in two hours. It's honestly one of my Top movies now next to When Marnie was there and How'ls Moving Castle. Watch the movie as viewer and not an uptight critic. Girl's direction was fantastic, and I'm honestly saddened by all the harsh words he has received.

Another added to the ghibli collection.

The movies are a great family movie to watch.

it's all or nothing, i think you'll either love it or hate it. i really liked it, and would recommend watching it at least once