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The first major mainstream review of the film can be found at The Hollywood Reporter. "An ensemble effort that recalls other great POW movies, Wars boasts many superb performances," writes critic David Hunter. "[The film] is quite successful at showing how [the heroes] use their minds and Christian faith to bend rather than break under the Japanese system of Bushido. The cinematography of Greg Gardiner, costumes and production design are all exemplary for such a modest budget."

So far, the film is receiving positive reports from Christian media critics. You can read Doug LeBlanc's review of the film, which appeared in CT in tandem with his review of Star Wars Episode Two: Attack of the Clones, here. At Christian Spotlight on the Movies, Ken James raves about the film's excellence and potential for discussion fodder. Another Christian media review, by Eric Metaxas, appeared a few months ago in CT's sister publication Books & Culture. You can read it here.

Click here to visit the film's official website. David Bruce's Hollywood Jesus website also offers a page full of information about the film along with a collection of stills. (A review there is pending.)

It is exciting to see some Christian artists taking on difficult subjects with honesty, realism, and craftsmanship. Let's hope it's the beginning of a trend. (For more on the subject of R-rated films and a Christian perspective, look back at the series Film Forum ran last year: "Wrong, Right, and Rated R," parts 1, 2, and 3.)

Spirited Away is being presented across the U.S. by Walt Disney Studios, but it is not in any way a typical Disney film. Parents should be cautioned that while it looks like a friendly cartoon, it is actually an elaborate, complicated, and sometimes intense animated fantasy that may frighten and confuse young children.

It is also the most highly acclaimed movie of the year (check out the dozens of rave reviews stacking up at Rotten Tomatoes).

Drawing on a vast array of fairy tales and Disney films, legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki has woven a tapestry full of myth, comedy, drama, and wild imagination. The story resembles a fusion of Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and earlier Miyazaki works (Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro). A good witch and a bad witch are feuding in a realm filled with spirits and monsters. Into this world stumble a man, woman, and their cautious daughter, Chihiro. The eager, careless adults quickly fall under a curse—the wages of sin, so to speak—and it is up to Chihiro to set them free. With the help of a few magical and sympathetic guides, Chihiro finds a job in a busy mansion, a sort of spiritual resort, called "The Bath House." There, her hard work and her virtue change the course of events. She becomes a hero of open-mindedness, patience, compassion, and courage.

Some Christian viewers may be disturbed by references to Shinto beliefs and "nature spirits" that pop up throughout the film. These tales are clearly coming from a tradition other than Christianity. No doubt they spring from Miyazaki's familiarity with Japanese culture, myths, and beliefs. But the film does not exist to preach a false religion. The trappings of another culture and another belief system here, ultimately, serve to glorify virtues that are resonant with the way Christ told us to live. Before the film is over (it is an exhaustingly busy 125 minutes), we have been given parables about greed and the power of sacrificial love.

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September (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46