Featured Audience Ratings

• Emil K

  
  The Sky Crawler is director Mamoru Oshii's most elegant and mature work to date. A film with sophisticated look and complexity which none of his earlier has matched before. Oshii seems to be director whose characters are often isolated loners with tendency to suffer from… More
  The Sky Crawler is director Mamoru Oshii's most elegant and mature work to date. A film with sophisticated look and complexity which none of his earlier has matched before. Oshii seems to be director whose characters are often isolated loners with tendency to suffer from depression. There is also this beautifully melancholic tone in his films and especially here in The Sky Crawlers and the film is filled with young loners who are facing huge risks and questions. Whole film actually reminds me of a sad nostalgic poem. It has this philosophical core which ponders the vulnerability of our fragile lives.The Sky Crawlers is a story about young people designed to be nothing but puppets in a endless war at the sky. If you are looking for easy entertainment with clear answers then Oshii's films might not be your cup of tea but for the fans of anime and Oshii this is a dream come true. With stunning animation and visuals this film has power to amaze you with it's outstanding aerial combats and beautiful landscapes. Kenji Kawai's music is also beautiful and has this hypnotic ambient feel in it that suits the film's atmosphere perfectly. Little trimming in the editing room wouldn't harm this film at all. There are times when it all comes borderline too slow for it's own good, but Oshii manages to still keep his film afloat. From all the Japanese directors, Mamoru Oshii is one of the greatest and most original. He is an artist whose style is very recognizable and The Sky Crawlers is his best film to date. Do not miss this beautiful and exciting film experience.

• Keiko A

  
  The sky crawlers is a very well done movie and a very good book though like Meany films it takes more then one watch though to understand and get throw it. The book is really good no doubt some people would have waited years to see a film or an animation version of it and finally we… More
  The sky crawlers is a very well done movie and a very good book though like Meany films it takes more then one watch though to understand and get throw it. The book is really good no doubt some people would have waited years to see a film or an animation version of it and finally we get one. With some fantastic battle scenes in the sky and on the ground it proves to be some what of a very slow movie. Though this movie was also nearly on the list for the 81st academy awards for best animated feature. The Sky Crawlers is set in an alternate history where, although the world is at peace, in order to ease the tension of a populace accustomed to war and aggression, private corporations contract fighter pilots to stage combat operations against each other for show. The film introduces a mystery involving characters called Kildren humanoids genetically designed to live eternally in adolescence until shot down in air battles presented commercially for entertainment, after which they are reproduced by cloning. Has a great story that can be very slow moving but its good. 90% for story it can be slow at times but I really liked it 80% for acting and dubbing they really do sound great 80% for animation it's greatly done but could have been better 100% for special effects they are just mind blowing these plane scenes are not animated but both CGI and animation 70% for characters would could have known more about them but overall fine 80% for everything else. But take my word it takes more then 1 watch but its worth it. Keiko's score 90-100

• Dean M

  
  It's astonishing how much heart, soul and depth they managed to incorporate in this gently told, unique story, despite the sterile, but at the same time strangely sophisticated nature of it's characters. This is an adult Japanese anime in a psychological drama, not much as… More
  It's astonishing how much heart, soul and depth they managed to incorporate in this gently told, unique story, despite the sterile, but at the same time strangely sophisticated nature of it's characters. This is an adult Japanese anime in a psychological drama, not much as an action-adventure, and it has a very quiet, reserved pacing. The CGI aerial combat sequences were amazing?dizzying and spectacular, with intricately designed air vehicles that spurred the imagination. The characters' emotional depths were thoroughly mined?although not always pleasantly so. The character design and art direction were top notch?the CGI segments were almost photo-realistic, and the 2D segments were beautifully drawn and lighted, too.

• Tsubaki S

  
  Gorgeous to look, but completely pointless in whatever it was trying to say. Is the kind of movie that feels more like solving a riddle than watching a story unfold, why do the characters behave in certain ways? Who is fighting who? Why are these kids fighting? Why they won't… More
  Gorgeous to look, but completely pointless in whatever it was trying to say. Is the kind of movie that feels more like solving a riddle than watching a story unfold, why do the characters behave in certain ways? Who is fighting who? Why are these kids fighting? Why they won't age? Who knows, who cares. At the end i felt i knew even less about the characters as the story progressed, and eventually couldn't care about any of them. Oshii should consider a different career choice.

• danny d

  
  very stylisitc and the concept was excellent, but unfortunately this film didnt deliver on anything else. the concept wasnt fleshed out and nothing in the film was developed well, the pacing was far too slow, and the dialogue could have been written by a 10 year old. a visually… More
  very stylisitc and the concept was excellent, but unfortunately this film didnt deliver on anything else. the concept wasnt fleshed out and nothing in the film was developed well, the pacing was far too slow, and the dialogue could have been written by a 10 year old. a visually captivating film that fell far short of its potential.

• JY S

  
  Based off of the novel by MORI Hiroshi, <i>Sky Crawlers</i> is one animation that doesn't deliver all that it can.<p>The story has its moments, however it is just too long and too slow. What seems to be more of an action adventure in the sky with planes,… More
  Based off of the novel by MORI Hiroshi, <i>Sky Crawlers</i> is one animation that doesn't deliver all that it can.<p>The story has its moments, however it is just too long and too slow. What seems to be more of an action adventure in the sky with planes, becomes a slow burn character driven mystery. That's not to say that this is a bad thing, but in this case, it hurts. It almost seems that this story is just for fans of the novel.</p><p>Mamoru Oshii's directing doesn't necessarily shine here. The sky sequences are nicely done, however it is the scenes on the ground that lack the greatness of Oshii.</p><p>The characters have the typical <i>Ghost in the Shell</i> look to them. This may not be anything spectacular, but the objects and settings do this film visual justice. The rendering of the action sequences are just fantastic and that is why these scenes steal the show, despite the fact that they are not the biggest part of the story.</p><p>The voice acting matches the characters with big names, including Rinko Kikuchi, Chiaki Kuriyama, and Shosuke Tanihara providing their voices for this project.</p><p><i>The Sky Crawlers</i> isn't a waste of time by any means, but this is not one to rush out and see. Fans of the novel or Mamoru Oshii will want to check this out if time arises.

• Jojo S

  
  Extremely slow paced film. The animation were nearly "stills." The storyline is dry. So what it's 3-D. The animation wasn't top notch.

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