The Sky Crawlers

This film is quite the slow burner, it is a film that revels in the space between events as a result dialogue is often sparse, but the incredibly thought out and perfectly executed timing of what is said provides an exceptionally atmospheric film because of this you must be patient to get the most out of this film, you have to let yourself be totally absorbed in every car door sound or in every unlocking of a front door. The more attention you put into this film the more of an experience that you will get out of it.The social commentary on this film is also of note for being penetrating and powerful, more so for how matter of fact it is presented and then washed away with a glass of wine as if to say it is horrible and even pointing it out and making it obvious doesn't change anything because the world is just how it is, how it always has been and how it will always be.The pilots are eternally young but not in a happy, fun Peter Pan type way, this is more eternally depressed teen. This idea plays a pivotal role in explaining the world in which the Sky Crawlers live and their relations to one another especially with regards to the role of memories.It is worth watching this film at least twice because of the knowledge of the world that you gain in the first play through which will help to reveal all of the subtly planted clues that are missed during an ignorant first viewing, which makes it all the more unfortunate that so many people will be put off by the pace of the film because if your mind is not in it the words `achingly slow, where is the bin' might come to mind frequently enough that you never get to the end. Still that is their loss I think because while it may not be the type of film that you will watch often it is one that is good to have in your collection and whenever you do get it down to watch you won't be disappointed you did, no matter how few and far between those viewings are.

...with moments of extreme violence.The overall premise of The Sky Crawlers is that war has become a kind of sport rather than the other way around (anyone for a game of Rollerball?). The draw of violence and the buzz of anticipated violence is all that keeps society pacified, as they watch other people destroying each other on a screen somewhere. The problem then is finding a supply of volunteers to fight and die in a spectacle for the masses to watch - long live the gladiator. So the fighters are bred for the task - kildren.Oshii's love of flying machines is obvious here, the flying scenes are breathtaking if somewhat improbable at times (some of the manoeuvres bend the laws of aerodynamics rather a lot and would require planes so over-built that they'd probably not fly (I'm talking of high-G/high-alpha manoeuvres) or at least not fly far! Even so, for dramatic effect the flying sequences are excellent. These are interspersed with often extremely slow sections set around the airfield, comprising most of the dialogue and exposition, and with the occasional surprisingly long silences. Other scenes take place in cities, command bunkers and rain-swept hillsides that are created in considerable detail. This film does not lack detail, and the animation rendering is top-end graphic novel material, and this lavishness of setting, for me, overcomes the lack of pace that the film exhibits. It is a slow-burning plot and you have to find the virtues of the film in its characterisation, its faceless enemy 'Teacher', and the way it slowly but surely makes its point.The musical score is by Kenji Kawaii, and has one of the most wonderful opening themes I've ever heard, a strange cross between Japanese music and that of the English classical romanticists (Elgar/Vaughan Williams), well, if he'd dropped the percussion! It perfectly complements the idea of flight and lulls us into a sense of peacefulness broken only by a pilot bailing out from his aircraft and being strafed and killed by 'Teacher' as he falls.The storytelling may put some people off, especially if they're looking for a full-on action film. The story unfolds very slowly and deliberately and to stay with the film you have to enjoy the details and the atmosphere in the quieter sections, and get carried away on that aspect of the storytelling and scene-setting. It is somewhat true to reminiscences of aerial warfare published by fighter pilots of World War 2, in that there are long periods of stillness and boredom interspersed with moments of mind-numbing terror. The film takes a lot of risks in duplicating this aspect of reality in full and, as I said, you have to live with it or accept that you won't get on with the film at all.I like the film a great deal but accept that I will only really watch it when I know I'm in the mood for it, but at times like that, it will be perfect.

To be totally honest, I only bought this DVD because it was cheap, and I am expanding my anime collection at the moment, so I thought 'why not?'.Well, it turned out to be one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen, of any kind. Visually, it is stunning, and had me checking the case to see if I had been sent the blu-ray by mistake! The (imaginary) aircraft, the most frequently seen of which being the Rostock Sanka Mk.B fighter, and the Lautern J-5 Skyly, it's enemy counterpart, are gorgeous, and totally believable, while the other planes that feature are just as amazing - the CG is awesome, and the dogfight sequences are fantastic! The story is a little confusing at first; you do have to keep your wits about you - there are clues aplenty, but it all makes sense by about 5 minutes from the end of the film; I have to confess I was heartbroken at the outcome; it is very moving and poignant. The music soundtrack by Kenji Kawai is also gorgeous; I ordered the soundtrack CD too, and the Wii game.All in all, a superb film; at this price, just BUY IT; you won't be disappointed!