Miyazaki's muddled 'Castle'

Hayao Miyazaki, the same directorial master of such anime classics as "Princess Mononoke" and "Spirited Away," finally returns to the big screen with "Howl's Moving Castle," a loose adaptation of the Diana Wynne Jones novel. \n"Castle" tells the tale of young Sophie (voiced by Emily Mortimer), a girl whose days consist of dreamily gazing out her shop window until an outdoor trip leads her into the arms of a mysterious stranger being pursued by eerie monstrosities. The man soon disappears, leaving Sophie safe and sound back in her shop until an encounter with the evil spellcasting Witch of the Waste (screen legend Lauren Bacall) leads to Sophie going from young woman to hunchbacked crone. Displeased with her new appearance, Sophie (now voiced by Jean Simmons) runs away from her home in hope of finding comfort elsewhere in the world. \nSophie's journey unwinds in an almost "Wizard of Oz" fashion, finding an old scarecrow whom she names Turniphead and kindly asks him to find her a place to stay. The scarecrow succeeds, for he brings her to the foot of the mammoth moving castle of Howl (Christian Bale), a powerful wizard and the same man she shared a chance encounter with earlier on. Sophie takes residence as the maid, making friends along the way with Howl's apprentice Markl (Josh Hutcherson) and Calcifer, a fiery "demon" voiced by Billy Crystal who keeps the castle running and our laughter coming. \n"Howl's Moving Castle," much like every other Miyazaki film, is a spectacle to behold. Gorgeous landscapes are intermixed with a beautiful, almost Victorian backdrop. The characters are all unique in design ranging from the handsome Howl to the adorable Sophie to the amusing Calcifer (who takes the prize of cutest character in this Miyazaki effort). The most wonderful piece is of course the castle itself, constantly changing shape, making room additions and pumping out clouds of smoke while rattling away through the countyside. \nThe problem, unfortunately so, is the story. There seems to be too many plot holes and almost no sense of background for the characters. We are given a world of magic with barely any magicians. We are shown a world at war, which, if you don't pay extremely close attention, will have no idea what started the war in the first place. And while I was willing to accept some of these flaws, the ending is completely preposterous, choosing to rush towards blatant sentimentality over proper resolution. \nMy advice to Miyazaki, a man who I respect and whose works I hold in highest regard, is to avoid adapting another's story. Many of his finest achievements were stories from his own imagination, which "Castle" is clearly not. "Howl's Moving Castle" is sure to impress younger audiences with its unique visuals and love-conquers-all message, but older crowds are left with more questions than answers.