So, about the movie I'm actually reviewing. The fifth movie Miyazaki made with Studio Ghibli, Porco Rosso seems to me to get the short end of the stick as far as his movies are concerned. I certainly rarely see it brought up in anime movie recommendations, and while it seems like it got good reception generally, it seems to be passed over in favor of his other more well-known titles. There does seem to be one possible reason for this, however: it was actually planned as an in-flight movie, but changed into a full-length film during production. So does this movie deserve some more acclaim, or should it just be shown on a red-eye into Tokyo?
As the film begins we're introduced to our protagonist, Porco Rosso - a somewhat jaded old ex-WWI fighter pilot with a pig's head. Yeah. Anyway, he makes his living these days as a bounty hunter taking in seaplane pirates, and he's one of the best. The pirates are getting fed up with him, so they bring in an ace from America named Curtis in order to get rid of Porco once and for all. Around this time we're also introduced to an old friend of Porco's named Gina, a war-widow who's actually carrying a torch for Porco and who Curtis falls for but is ultimately rejected by.
As Porco's beat-up old plane is starting to show it's age and he heads to Milan to get it repaired. On the way, Curtis ambushes him and Porco can't take him with his plane acting up like it is. He gets shot out of the sky but survives and Curtis returns to brag. Porco continues to Milan and enlists his usual mechanic to fix the ship, though his young granddaughter Fio takes the lead in the repairs, something Porco is uncomfortable with. She quickly proves her talent and Porco slowly comes to respect her ability.
There's a catch, however - Porco's a deserter from the Italian Air Force (due to the incoming Fascist government) and the secret police are out to get him. He barely gets out of Milan safely, but the plane's a bit more crowded as Fio insists on coming along to make sure the plane's working alright. They return to an ambush by the pirates and later Curtis. However, Fio sets the pirates straight and reminds them of their honor and also arranges a dogfight between Porco and Curtis to settle things - if Porco wins, Curtis pays his repair bills; if Curtis wins, Fio marries him (o_O). The dogfight ends in a draw followed by Porco winning an impromptu boxing match, and then everyone high-tails it before the Italian Air Force shows up for Porco.
The story of Porco Rosso is really just alright at best. One thing that stands out to me is that it doesn't feel like a Miyazaki movie. Male lead, slight focus on action, not as much charm to it - a lot of things feel off. This isn't necessarily bad, but I wonder if it suffers because he's out of his element. There's something of a theme of lost honor and rediscovering that honor, but it isn't done in a particularly intriguing or fascinating way. A lot remains unexplained as well, most notably the reason for the pig head, as Porco used to be a human named Marco. It's implied to be connected to the desertion, but it's really unclear. While I enjoyed the final conflict and found the more real-world approach interesting, as a whole the plot felt lacking.
The character interactions are probably the best part of the movie, and the characters themselves are great for the most part. Porco is a good lead, while not immediately likeable, shows his nicer side as the movie progresses. He's clearly haunted by his past and he can't get past it; he really feels like a grizzled vet. Fio is more of the traditional Miyazaki protagonist, a cheerful, upbeat young girl with attitude who also serves as an inspiration to Porco to remember what honor is about. Gina is a wise, thoughtful, and capable woman keeping the peace between Porco and the pirates. On the other hand, there's Curtis, a brash casanova playing up the American stereotype a lot. He's good for a laugh at the stereotype, but he's annoying the rest of the time.
Amazing art, what a surprise. Do I really need to keep saying anything here? Miyazaki made it, so that means beautiful hand drawn art and unique and charming character designs. The animation flows well and never skips a beat. You can always count on Miyazaki's art.
The music was really good in the movie as well. The dramatic pieces played during the dogfights, the soft and airy tones during Porco's flashback, the soothing song sung by Gina - there are a lot of parts where the music fit perfectly. And once again, Disney brings in great talent for the dub. Keaton plays Porco to a tee, playing him gruff and lively most of the time but bringing warmth and compassion when needed. Kimberly Williams-Paisley brings a lot of energy and confidence to Fio and Susan Egan as Gina sounds very wise and kind. The rest of the supporting cast gave good performances as well.
In the end, this is probably the weakest of his films that I've seen. This isn't to say it's necessarily a bad movie, as it has good characters and Miyazaki's gorgeous art, but the plot leaves something to be desired. I would still recommend it, but not as heartily as I would Miyazaki's other movies.
Next week, Princess Mononoke, one of his most well-loved films!
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