Ursula K. Le Guin’s “Earthsea” books constitute one of those sci-fi sagas that fans perpetually wish might get a decent movie adaptation. And surely some enterprising moviemakers could take a stab at turning their fantasy worlds into the next “Lord of the Rings” or “Narnia” series.
In the meantime, here is “Tales from Earthsea,” a somewhat left-field attempt at the subject. It’s an animated version produced by Studio Ghibli, the home of the visionary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki (Oscar-winner for “Spirited Away”).
Miyazaki’s son, Goyo, directed this project. The movie has all the signposts of fantasy: dragons, warriors and witches, and a wanderer with a magic sword moving through the land.
The young hero, Arren, has mysteriously killed his own father and absconded with the sword; he meets a powerful mentor-knight named Sparrowhawk. They are trying, I guess, to find some explanation for why the Earth is bereft of magic.
The movie’s best character is a very narrow witch, who skulks about and occasionally takes liquid form. In the final sequences, the witch goes full-bore evil, resulting in the kind of nightmare images that will undoubtedly freak out young kids who unsuspectingly see this movie.
The film really seems to be about death; Arren can’t reconcile the reality of death with a reason for living, and there’s much talk about the meaning of life in the shadow of the inevitable end to it all.
Yes, well, it’s not exactly “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” is it? “Tales from Earthsea” is handsomely drawn and, every once in a while, bursts out in a bit of visual poetry.
But overall it’s a bummer. The one thing that distinguishes Goyo Miyazaki from his father, more than the absence of much-needed humor, is pace: This film trudges along from one thoughtful scene to the next.
At some point, it doesn’t matter what your ideas are — if you don’t have a sense of rhythm, a movie will lose its way. And this one goes flat, no matter its good intentions.
Note on distribution: I saw the film in a Japanese-language, subtitled print. The movie in circulation is dubbed with English-speaking actors such as Timothy Dalton and Willem Dafoe, which will likely make it easier to enjoy the animated world on display.
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