The Wind Rises

WARNING: This review is hidden because it reveals the content of the film.
Click here to show this review. When you think of the films by Hayao Miyazaki, you probably picture whimsical fantasy adventures or epic tales that take you to a world that’s beyond your imagination. Those elements are somewhat present in “The Wind Rises” but this is a historical drama film. Don’t expect a lot of whimsy and prepare yourself for a mix of cool aviation history and underwhelming romance. Loosely based on true events, the film follows Jiro Horikoshi (voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) He and his friend Kiro Honjo (John Krasinki) are plane designers tasked with modernizing Japan’s air force, which at the time consisted of wooden and fabric crafts. While we witness the historical development of Japan’s fighter jets, Jiro and his fiancé, the severely ill Naoko (Emily Blunt) struggle to keep each other close.

There’s no denying that this is a beautiful film. It’s appropriately stunning for Hayao Miyazaki to end his career with this picture. And yet, it left me with mixed feelings. Whenever the film has anything to do with flight or aviation, it’s terrific. There’s something infectious about Jiro’s admiration for his idol, Giovanni Battista Caproni (Stanley Tucci), who tells him frankly that he understands that his designs are meant for war, but endures in the hopes of being one day allowed to build planes that will carry passengers, not bombs, around the world. Aviation is a subject that lends itself easily to film and the historical developments here are worth paying attention to. You actually get the dinosaurs that are rickety biplanes make way for full-fledged fighter jets made of metal. The friendly competition between Jiro and Kiro make each new refinement exciting. I couldn’t wait to see how they were going to streamline the fuselage, reduce the weight of the vehicles, adjust the fuel access ports or figure out that one thing you’d never think of as a civilian. There’s something about seeing an expert work his craft that’s always compelling. Knowing that this is all based on true events makes it even better. There’s genuine tension as the designs go through multiple iterations and more than once, end up as smoldering wrecks, a devastating blow to everyone involved..

I found the other major component of the film, the romance, disappointing. I’m sure that this love plot is based on actual events and that the man Jiro is based on held the love of his love very close to his heart but honestly, you couldn’t care less. Every second Jiro spends with Naoko means time away from the world of aerofoils, wings, propellers and the fantasy sequences. This is the reason why they make up and omit events in films based on true stories; even the most fascinating people on earth have some dull passages in their lives. It’s not like this is a small part of the story either, the film lasts over two hours and about half of it is dedicated to this dramatic love plot. It just makes you wish the story would become really dramatic and that she would just die or something (Come on, she’s sick anyway!) so they could get back to anything that flies.

I wonder if this picture will have difficulty finding an audience outside of Japan. I can’t stress enough how beautiful the visuals are. Seeing the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 recreated is simultaneously one of the most beautiful and frightening images I’ve seen in an animated film. Overall, however, there’s not that much wonder and whimsy present in “The Wind Rises”. People who have seen Miyazaki’s other fantasy films will likely come in expecting to see all kinds of fantastical, even humorous developments and find instead the story of a man that… is hard to sympathize with because of what he ultimately unleashed on the world. Jiro Horikoshi designed the planes that attacked the United States and the other countries opposed to Japan in World War II. I sympathized with the guy, but to me, this picture highlights the true evil that war is. I know it’s harsh to say, but I believe that you SHOULD put your dreams on hold if they’re going to contribute to the atrocities that happen during combat. It’s nice to fantasize about the future, but what about what’s going on right now? Sarah Winchester, the wife of the man who designed the Winchester Rifle believed that she was cursed; haunted by the people who died at the hands of the product she made a fortune off of. As depicted in this film, Jiro Horikoshi comes off as a man that would have been too blinded by love (for flight and for Naoko) to grasp what he was contributing to history. I find it very hard to cheer for him knowing that he build weapons (because these planes are not merely means to get from one place to another) that were ultimately used for evil. Maybe it’s just me, and it perhaps it is unfair to comment on events of the past since I’ve never been put in a situation where I’ve been given the opportunity to follow my dreams at the expense of others, but it bothered me.

The film does address the fact that our hero’s passion is being utilized for combat, but the love plot that, honestly I found boring, constantly interrupts the idea. I will give the picture credit that it does look great and that perhaps it’s just my current mood. I recommend the film and would like to see it again to give a second opinion. If you’re a hardcore fan of animation or really into aviation, “The Wind Rises” is an absolute must-see. Even if you’re not, it’s worth taking a peek to find out if it’ll be your thing. (English Dub on the Big Screen, March 22, 2014)