I wasn't as head-over-heels for Shinkai's last film, Your Name, as everyone else seemed to be, but I still enjoyed its unabashed, cosmic take on teen romance. It was a bit melodramatic for my taste, but it had an undeniable charm and a pure-hearted intent that was hard to resist. Given the fact that it went on to become the highest-grossing anime of all time in Japan, I guess you can't blame the guy for trying to capture the same magic with his follow up. But sadly, Weathering with You is such a transparent rehashing that it feels like a parody of itself. It takes all of the same elements - teen love, fate, fantastical realism, coming of age, melodrama, natural wonder - and remixes it into a frankenstein version of Your Name without any of the finesse or charm. The main characters here can be boiled down to "boy who ran away from home" and "girl who lost her mom." In two hours, we learn absolutely nothing about these individuals or their families. Instead, we're treated to ridiculously overblown setpieces soundtracked by overbearing pop-rock tunes which fall eye-rollingly flat given that no time at all is spent investing us in these characters. The first half isn't awful and does a serviceable job of setting a tone, but the third act is an absolute train wreck full of clashing tones, poorly-executed action sequences, sloppy writing, and ridiculous plot contrivances. The writing is a problem for much of the film as well with clunky exposition and extremely on-the-nose dialogue in which the characters gratingly explain the movie to you. I have to say, I'm a bit baffled at the positive reception for this. Even if you loved Your Name, I wouldn't recommend it.
Solid 1.5/5
