Princess Mononoke - Reviews

Pros:

• Continues with the Ghibli trademark of having both gorgeous animation and music
• Features a complex, adult story about moral ambiguity and the complexity of relationships
• Despite being arguably one of the most mature of Ghibli's narratives Princess Mononoke also lends itself to being enjoyable on a surface level to children/pre-teens
• Boasts a particularily strong dub - especially for something from the 1990s
• Serves as a good "gate-way" to introduce anime to those unfamiliar or just starting out in the hobby

Cons:

• Given the reputation of the film newer viewers may disappointed with what it delivers since the movie is often heralded as a masterpiece.

Review Summary: Just like the premise Princess Mononoke exists in a space of juxtaposition.  It is morally ambigious in its cast yet it boasts a clear protagonist and mindset.  It is arguably one of the most complex of Ghibli's films (along side Grave of the Fireflies and The Wind Rises) yet, unlike other mature works, it also manages to capitivate younger audiences and can be completely enjoyed on a surface level.  The duality of this movie, in both narrative and delivery, makes it truly worthy of its legendary status.

You may like this if:  You enjoy other Studio Ghibli productions - most notably Nausicca of the Valley of the Wind.

Highly Recommended

Had a good story line. This movie (made by the literal creators of good anime themselves) was about a girl who was princess of the wolves who came across a boy who was riding away from his hometown. I really recommend because it's such a cute story

Please note: I wrote this review back around 2000, shortly after Princess Mononoke was screened at the Palace Cinema in Adelaide, South Australia. I was barely out of my teens, naive, and tried to write a review that wasn't a synopsis. It contains hyperbole, a smiley-face (for which I apologize), and factual errors. I've since learned that Princess Mononoke contains quite a lot of CGI, but maintain that it's some of the most subtle use of CGI I've seen in an animated film. Here's the review:

Princess Mononoke (screened in Japanese with English subtitles) is IMHO the perfect Japanese epic. For those that liked Crouching Tiger but wanted a more coherent story, Princess Mononoke delivers, and then some. The story is a simple folk legend (like the Aboriginal Dreamtime tales) set in medieval Japan when gods and humans walk the land side-by-side. The story deals with the time when this balance begins to change, and what effect it has on the world. Sounds a little “Greenpeace”, but remember this is a folk legend, and they usually always have a moral.

But what a way to express such a moral! The animation is so beautiful in parts you’ll think the forests and mountains covered in fog are real... and I don’t just mean CGI (of which there was none used in the making of the film), but it actually looks photo-realistic. The action sequences are a wonderful blend of traditional anime and lifelike fight & battle sequences. The music should have won an Oscar, etc. etc.. :-)

And to top it all off, this is no Disney flik!

No singing monkeys and dancing pigs to be seen here. The wolves have teeth, and use them. When someone is decapitated, they don’t get up again. And the emotions of the characters are real & subtle, as opposed to over-the-top goodies vs baddies.

If you like anime, go see Princess Mononoke now.
If you love anime, why haven’t you seen it already?
If any of this sounds remotely interesting and you haven’t seen Princess Mononoke yet, you should.

Anime in 200 Words: Princess Mononoke
   
Premise: A young prince is cursed by a demon when he kills it to defend his village. He must set out into the world alone in order to find a cure for his suffering, but he’ll end up finding a war between mankind and nature.
   
Format: I’m reviewing both of these at once, so comparison is impossible to avoid. I really prefer the anime for two reasons: sound and perspective on the forest spirit. It’s much easier to connect with this version, but it was the original, so that’s to be expected.
   
Environment: It’s a pretty clear-cut battle between technological progress and traditional balance with nature. Technology is bad in Princess Mononoke, because you can’t develop it without killing off guardian beasts, apparently.
   
Characters: This format allows the inhuman beings to shine. The spirits are easier to connect with when you can see their mannerisms and ear the difference in their voices. The little tree spirits benefit most from animation- they’re actually cute here!
   
Overall: The timing is solid, characters are well-defined, and the execution is focused. Princess Mononoke is a fairly enjoyable film which actually earned an extra half star for the ending.

 While this isn't my favorite Ghibli movie, I can see why so many people love it. It has great characters, an interesting story, good pacing, and great animation. I love how Ashitaka cares about everyone and thinks all lives are worth saving, no matter what that person or creature has done. San is great as well. I love how wolf-like she is, while also possessing some human traits. It really adds to her allure.

I love all of the characters living in the town. They all crack me up, and I love how they all love and appreciate life even while working a hard job, as that hard job has freed them from a life they didn't want. Even though they were very minor characters, I still really cared for them.

The story is one we've heard before, of those who live different lives fighting against one another, but the movie was careful not to make either one the bad guy, and you could see both points of view. I also love how the focus wasn't on nature, but rather the spirits that need nature to survive. The Studio Ghibli movies really do a great job at making spirits a natural part of the world, and I know a part of that is the Japanese culture.

As for the pacing, I think this movie is one of the best out of the studio. As much as I love Studio Ghibli movies, there's often a point where they feel like they're dragging, just a little bit, but this movie kept my attention the whole time, and rather than wanting the movie to hurry up, it felt enjoyable in its slow build of the story.

The animation and music was great, as always.

I will say this movie is just a tad more graphic/violent than I like, but those graphic moments don't happen too often.

Overall, it's a great movie with great characters, and it's one I wouldn't mind owning.