I'm sure this comment isn't exactly going to make me popular...
Let me start out by saying that I've seen every Ghibli film except My Neighbors the Yamadas and The Cat's Return (several of them twice), so I don't think I'm making a gross overstatement when I say that Pom Poko is the worst out of all of them.
I recently watched this movie for the second time, and before I did I couldn't remember exactly why I didn't care for it...the movie drags on, is repetitive, and IMO, is incredibly confused. Is it trying to be a soapbox for environmental sustainability or is it just trying to have some fun? The movie becomes annoying when the tanuki first try one strategy against the humans, then try another variation on it, then another...and that's basically the entire movie. There is no build up to a climax, there is no resolution. All in all, they are still raccoons and the humans are still humans, and are still pressing forward with the construction project. I don't consider that a spoiler since it's quite obvious from the onset of the movie.
This leads the viewer to wonder what the point of the movie is. They're GOING to lose, but the movie is trying to advocate for something...isn't it? Either way, if it doesn't have a message or if it does, it's doing a bad job of conveying that. It's comical and about a serious issue, but it's not satire and it's not trying to advocate for anything, while at the same time you get the impression that it IS trying to advocate for something.
Confusing, right? I thought so too.
I greatly enjoy Takahata's other works (most notably Grave of the Fireflies) and I STRONGLY suggest those over this one. I know he often gets the short end of the Ghibli publicity/praise/fame stick, and overall he deserves much more credit.
But hey, even Tom Hanks and Robert DiNiro made some bad movies.
Let me start out by saying that I've seen every Ghibli film except My Neighbors the Yamadas and The Cat's Return (several of them twice), so I don't think I'm making a gross overstatement when I say that Pom Poko is the worst out of all of them.
I recently watched this movie for the second time, and before I did I couldn't remember exactly why I didn't care for it...the movie drags on, is repetitive, and IMO, is incredibly confused. Is it trying to be a soapbox for environmental sustainability or is it just trying to have some fun? The movie becomes annoying when the tanuki first try one strategy against the humans, then try another variation on it, then another...and that's basically the entire movie. There is no build up to a climax, there is no resolution. All in all, they are still raccoons and the humans are still humans, and are still pressing forward with the construction project. I don't consider that a spoiler since it's quite obvious from the onset of the movie.
This leads the viewer to wonder what the point of the movie is. They're GOING to lose, but the movie is trying to advocate for something...isn't it? Either way, if it doesn't have a message or if it does, it's doing a bad job of conveying that. It's comical and about a serious issue, but it's not satire and it's not trying to advocate for anything, while at the same time you get the impression that it IS trying to advocate for something.
Confusing, right? I thought so too.
I greatly enjoy Takahata's other works (most notably Grave of the Fireflies) and I STRONGLY suggest those over this one. I know he often gets the short end of the Ghibli publicity/praise/fame stick, and overall he deserves much more credit.
But hey, even Tom Hanks and Robert DiNiro made some bad movies.