Eternity
Eternity
Junior Staff Writer Olivia Choi '27
Junior Staff Writer Olivia Choi '27
[Spoiler Warning]
Something I wanted to get out of the way before this review begins: Elizabeth Olsen is my favorite actress, and I genuinely love everything she’s in. So, it was a no-brainer to me that I should watch this movie because something about Elizabeth is that she is very smart about the movies and shows she chooses to act in. Knowing how well a majority of her projects have done is what prompted me to watch Eternity in the first place.
Okay, diving right into it, this was one of my most anticipated watches of this year, and I absolutely adored this movie. A24 is one of my favorite entertainment companies, and they really hit gold with this one. I watched Materialists earlier this year, and I was disappointed to see that it was more of a drama than a rom com as it tackled heavier themes than I thought it would have from watching the trailer.
However, in this case, they hit every mark. Eternity is a romantic-comedy drama where our main character Joan has to choose who to spend eternity with in the afterlife after she passes away. As Joan married two people in her lifetime, her first love, Luke, who died very young in the Korean War, and her second, Larry, the husband she built a 65-year life and family with, she has seven days to pick who she wants to spend eternity with, and once she chooses her decision, she has to stay with it for the rest of time.
I really loved how they showed the reasoning behind why Joan chose Luke in the first place. She wasn’t able to get the closure she deserved, and therefore, struggled with choosing a husband despite 65 years of marriage with the other. It was clear to me from the moment we saw Joan and Larry together that she was going to pick him to live with in eternity. He knew absolutely everything about her. He devoted his life to making her happy. Who wouldn’t choose him to live with for eternity?
That monologue Joan said when she realized she chose the wrong person actually melted my heart — “Love isn’t just one happy moment.” She was only in her honeymoon phase with Luke, which was the only reason as to why she was the happiest with him. She realized that the reason why Larry was a better fit with her was because he loved her even through all of the troubles with the mortgage, the kids, and the money. Even when they were at their lowest, he stuck around. He went out of his way to choose Luke for Joan and risk losing the love of his life, just so she wouldn’t feel heartbroken that she was the one who chose. He never went to an eternity because he couldn’t live in a world without his wife!
Can we also talk about the fact that Joan risked living in the Void for eternity for the chance of being with Larry forever? I love love. I felt a bit sad for Luke because he has to live eternity alone, but he does have a temper, and I'm not for that either. It was so obvious that Joan hated meeting new people and that she would probably go insane if she had to deal with that for eternity. Luke spent so much time socializing with other people when he should’ve been spending the 67 years he spent waiting with her instead. I couldn’t understand why he never saw that she was uncomfortable. I understand why Joan initially accepted her eternity with Luke, but it still bothers me that Larry was the second choice. It felt like those 65 years of marriage went down the drain. But seeing her self-reflection and seeing her brain start to realize the small things that Larry did that Luke could never do really resonated with me. I love the realization portion of movies, and Elizabeth's performance to capture all of the complex emotions during this movie was off the charts.
Callum Turner and Miles Teller, Luke and Larry, respectively, did a fantastic job as well, but I thought Miles and Elizabeth did a phenomenal job playing an old married couple. I could seriously think they were 90-year-old people in like a 30-something year old’s body — Miles especially. I loved the way this movie handled the emotional to comedy aspect ratio because I feel like movies these days struggle with handling it. Honestly, this movie is everything to me and I rate it a 10/10, 5 stars 🌟
Thank you to Elizabeth, Miles, and Callum for giving us such an amazing movie and I really, really hope that their careers continue to flourish because their performances were so good here. I love Eternity!
Junior Staff Writer Anthea Sun '26
“Howl’s Moving Castle” opens with the rushing wind as a giant amalgamation of parts creaks through a thick layer of mountain mist. With its gargoyle face, loud bellows, and mechanical chicken-like feet, a first-time watcher can’t help but be unsettled.
However, once it emerges from the mist, its true nature is revealed. Lumbering behind an idyllic field of sheep, we see what it actually is: a gentle giant. And, as the title card fades in with the ever-iconic “Merry-Go-Round of Life” playing in the background, the viewer can finally be at ease with Howl’s Castle.
Howl’s Moving Castle, directed by Hayao Miyazaki and loosely based on Diana Wynne Jones’s book of the same name, was Studio Ghibli’s 13th film. It is Japan’s 8th highest-grossing film and is critically acclaimed, winning four Toyoko Anime Awards and a Nebula Award for Best Script.
In a world of steampunk mixed with magic, the story starts with Sophie Hatter. She is a hat maker who is cursed to look like an old woman by the spiteful Witch of the Waste after meeting the elusive wizard Howl. On her search for a cure, she’s reunited with Howl and meets the ragtag crew that will follow her for the rest of the film: Calcifer, a fire demon; his apprentice, Markl; and another cursed individual who lives as a scarecrow. Sophie’s journey not only changes her physical appearance, but also her view on love, courage, and self-worth.
One of the most captivating parts of the film is the sheer creativity in its design. Miyazaki’s world is brought to life through the stunning animation Studio Ghibli is known for, from the mechanical castle itself to sprawling landscapes filled with lush greenery. The stark contrast in the detail in each scene is what allows the magical and idyllic setting and the looming threat of war to be so intense. The music of Howl’s Moving Castle, produced by Joe Hisaishi, is also a key element in making the picture come to life. Despite all the events in the movie, the “Merry-Go-Round of Life” leitmotif always comes back. His music heightens the emotional depth of key scenes, from the soaring flight sequences to the quiet, intimate moments between characters.
One critique of the movie is its sharp departure from its source. The movie adaptation of Jones’s Howl’s Moving Castle presents a strong anti-war message, reflecting Miyazaki’s own beliefs. However, to do this, it waters down many characters as they are presented in the book. The Witch of the Waste has nearly all her character stripped from her apart from being Howl’s vain ex-lover, Sophie’s ambition and courage is all but ignored, and Lettie–Sophie’s sister–has nearly no place in the film.
Howl's Moving Castle is a celebration of imagination and the beauty of humanity, filled with breathtaking visuals and layered with themes of love, courage, and the value of inner strength. The character interactions, visuals, and soundtrack meld beautifully into two hours filled with whimsy to create a movie with all the hallmarks of a classic Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki film.