Princess Mononoke Recommended

Director
Hayao Miyazaki
Production
Nippon TV, Studio Ghibli, Tokuma Shoten
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Film
Running time
133 mins
Year
1997

Princess Mononoke

By Ted
21st May 04

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!

REVIEW:

Made in 1997 this is considered by many to be anime god Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece because of it's wonderful story and animation, which is still a standard for animation everywhere. It's a wonderful rendition of the timeless story of Man vs. Nature and how nature can fight back.

Anyway, Princess Mononoke takes place during the samurai era of feudal Japan. To start with, Ashitaka, our hero and prince of a local village, is injured by a giant boar possessed by a demon, causing him to be cursed and basically be slowly eaten away at until he becomes a demon like the boar. Surprise! The possessed boar had been turned into a demon by a poisoned bullet made in another part of Japan.

Seeing that he is going to die, Ashitaka heads off to the origin of the bullet hoping to find a way to rid himself of the curse. He sets off and through a rather bloody coincidence meets up with Jigo, a traveling merchant intriqued by his situation. Jigo tells him about The Forest Spirit that dwells in the forest nearby, and how it might be able to cure Ashitaka's curse.

From there on, Ashitaka meets a mass of other characters, each with their own personal problems, and most importantly, he meets San, a girl raised by the Wolf gods whom he instantly falls in love with. But as he becomes more involved in the conflict of San and the forest creatures vs. the people mining the region, who are also responsible for him being cursed, ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE!!! Through a mass of double-crosses and bad coincidences The Forest Spirit Ashitaka was searching for for a cure is angered and threatens to destroy them all. Together Ashitaka and San must stop The Forest Spirit from destroying the whole land as well as all of its inhabitants, human and non-human alike.

This is an incredible film in both story and artwork. "But you didn't give it a 10, you gave it a 9," you say. That brings me to the only low part of the film. Princess Mononoke stretches out several scenes without anything happening, in order to build suspense, which works, but can be frustrating. Also, though this doesn't apply to me as much as other people, the theme of Man vs. Nature is very severe to the farthest extreme and it doesn't stylize the seriousness of the subject, which movies shouldn't. But that point only applies to certain people depending on their tastes.

GRADING

Story: A-, it has 1 or 2 micro-flaws, but it's the best telling of Man vs. Nature I've seen to date!!!

Music: A, it's the pinnacle of traditional epic themes we here in Miyazaki's films.

Animation: A+, even today we have trouble beating the quality, fluidness, and detail of the animation and CGI in this film.

Voices: A+, an All-Star cast was assembled for this film, including Billy Crudup (Almost Famous), Claire Danes (Les Miserables & Romeo & Juliet), Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting), Billy Bob Thornton (Armageddon) and SURPRISE!!! Gillian Anderson from The X-Files!!!

It's a must see for anime AND NON-ANIME fans alike. So get out there and watch this film!!! You'll love it!!!

9/10

-- Ted 21st May 04

Princess Mononoke Images