I really didn’t think it would come to this, folks, but Tales from Earthsea (2006) is not a good movie.
There have been a couple movies I’ve reviewed so far that weren’t my cup of tea — I didn’t find Only Yesterday or My Neighbors the Yamadas to be very satisfying, for example. This movie goes far beyond that; I can confidently say that this isn’t a matter of my personal taste. Tales from Earthsea has its moments, but they are totally outweighed by its failings. Now that you know what you’re in for, let’s back up a bit. Tales from Earthsea was the first of two movies directed by Hayao Miyazaki’s son, Gorō. It is (loosely) based on the Earthsea series of novels by acclaimed sci-fi/fantasy author Ursula K. Le Guin. Le Guin’s novels often trade in the same kind of subversion of typical Western storytelling that Studio Ghibli’s movies do, which makes this movie all the more tragic. |
Taking place in the magical world of Earthsea, the plot concerns a young prince on the run and a seasoned wizard searching for the cause of a series of worldwide calamities. The plot is also the source of this movie’s troubles. The casting, animation, and writing are all much less problematic, so let’s start with those.
According to something I read somewhere, Gorō Miyazaki was hired to write and direct Earthsea based on the strength of the storyboards he’d drawn for it; while the decision to have him in those particular roles didn’t pan out, it’s easy to see how his storyboards could’ve instilled such confidence. The opening sequence, set on boats amidst a storm, is especially memorable and striking, and the designs for the dragons, alien and metallic, set them apart from the dragons of many other fantasy worlds. The casting is also well done. As Sparrowhawk, the wizard searching for the source of the world’s troubles, Timothy Dalton brings a sense of wisdom and experience that is easy to believe in. It’s crucial to the thrust of this story that Sparrowhawk be a much more down-to-earth wizard than your standard Dumbledores or Merlins, and Dalton gets that across. |
Equally up to her task is Mariska Hargitay — from Law & Order: SVU — as Tenar, Sparrowhawk’s … important … person? The nature of their relationship is left vague, but the important thing is that Tenar delivers several lines that efficiently hint at a lot of unspoken backstory, which does wonders for the film’s worldbuilding. Hargitay makes these lines sound natural when they could’ve easily come of as stilted, and she and Dalton bring great chemistry and history that makes the second act of Tales from Earthsea its best. The rest of the cast is less effective, but they get the job done.
Almost disappointingly, there’s some good writing hidden in this movie as well. Before it goes completely off the rails, and even a little after, there are interesting conversations about death and how it gives meaning to life. For a moment, you’re willing to forgive a few oddities and believe that this movie really understood the books it adapted, with its deliberate pace, meditative feel, and pragmatic wizards. |
Then the climax kicks into motion, and everything falls apart.
If, against my recommendation, you plan on watching this movie, here’s the no-spoilers version. The movie sets up a lot of questions in the first two acts, and even in the third — what is the shadow person plaguing Prince Arren? Why did Prince Arren murder his father? Where did Therru get her scar? Who even is Therru? What’s up with Arren’s sword? What was up with those two dragons fighting in the opening scene? Why does Cob want Arren’s true name? What does knowing someone’s true name even mean, in a practical sense? Dear reader, literally none of these questions are answered in any kind of coherent fashion. I want to make it clear that I’m not complaining about not getting answers; answers come, but they are the ravings of madmen. Answers and revelations and problems and solutions either come completely out of the blue, or else fly in the face of things we were just told minutes ago. As I watched, I continued to hold out hope that soon, something would happen to elucidate the madness I was watching. Surely, soon there would be a revelation that would snap everything into place, justifying my investment in this film and its story. Instead, the nonsense continues right up until the credits. Whatever talent or joy exists in the first hour and change of Tales from Earthsea is completely tainted by its disastrous ending. The beginning of any story is a promise, and the middle prepares us for the fulfillment of that promise. A movie can survive a botched beginning or middle if it makes good on its promises — Rogue One is a great example of this. But no movie can survive a failure, on the most basic level, to keep the promises it made.
If you’ve experienced the frustration and betrayal of watching Tales from Earthsea, you might enjoy commiserating with my very spoiler-y and not particularly coherent notes on the ending:
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Up Next: Technically, the next film Studio Ghibli made was the adorable Ponyo, but that was actually the first movie I reviewed in this series. So instead, I’ll be watching Arrietty -- I know literally nothing about it, but it can’t be worse than Tales from Earthsea was! See you then! |