Tales From Earthsea

When Goro Myazaki decided to move from simply drawing storyboards for Tales From Earthsea to actually directing the picture, it caused something of a rift between himself and his father Hayao, director of previous Studio Ghibli classics such as My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away. He claimed that Goro simply didn't have the experience to do the task justice. Whilst he relented upon seeing the film, it would appear he did have a point.

Based on the Earthsea books of Ursula Le Guin, there's a lot of source to make for the epic adventure Goro is going for, but unfortunately the myriad muddled themes of dragons, wizards, dark other selves and a world of fading magic aren't weaved together sufficiently to create the sort of mythic atmosphere the last few Ghibli films have delivered in spades. Instead, what we have is a confused mass of disparate plot threads, few of which are properly explored or explained. It's not that there's nothing to enjoy here. There are some great action scenes and the visuals are occasionally beautiful, but the disjointed narrative is only intermittently involving. The film undoubtedly suffers under the inevitable comparisons to previous Ghibli masterpieces, making Tales From Earthsea a classic case of expect less and you'll get more.

Released 3rd August 2007 by Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

Written by Andrew Williams.