Japan was nuked and is surrounded by water; combine those, and you get the irradiated beast Godzilla rising from the depths to destroy Tokyo. Japan also suffers earthquakes and is surrounded by water; combine those, and you get an orphan girl (guess how Mom died in a post-Fukushima world) who gets dragged into a mission to stop mystical worms from escaping the underworld and causing what the unsuspecting public experiences as earthquakes. Why can teenager Suzume see the worms when almost no one else can? Because she’s been through one of their doorways, doorways that are often situated in abandoned places where children once held sway (a middle school, an amusement park). So many national anxieties in play! Makoto Shinkai’s latest has less melancholy and a lot more action than earlier efforts Weathering with You and Your Name, but remains suffused with his signature sadness and romantic longing. Suzume is thrilled to meet a mysterious man who shares her vision, but wouldn’t you know it, the mystical cat she accidentally released from its post traps his soul in a three-legged chair — her last memento of Mom. It all makes for a fine adolescent adventure: travel, rebellion, unattainable love, a search, a chase, a deadline, and a little bit of growing up. And happily, the film understands that some problems don’t get resolved without real sacrifice (though its handling of that aspect may leave you bemused). Plus, it’s gorgeous. (2023) — Matthew Lickona