Princess Mononoke
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Movie Reviews of Princess Mononoke
Movie Review: An Anime for the while family.
Summary: 5 Stars
It's Anime alright, but it isn't your typical Anime. I would classify this under Classical Anime in a heartbeat but it also finds itself to be the first anime for most people. Personally... it was my 4th Anime Movie.Genre/Setting: Fantasy, Ancient Times surrounding the initial invention of the Gun and the mining of Iron.
Art Style, realistic and very beautiful, a worthy Masterpiece of art. As you can tell i really enjoyed it.
Nudity: NONE... most anime has a little... even if it's a small insignificant scene it at least has something, but this anime... nope, not a thing. A major reason it can be viewed with the entire family there.
Violence is low in comparison to other Anime. But for the family scene, this Anime contains scenes of cartoon death, dismemberment and animal attacks.
It is the story of a young man who becomes cursed while saving his village from a demon. The demon is actually a large Bore that became possesed by hatred when he was shot by a human. The curse will spread throughout the young man's body until it kills him. So, in the meantime he will journey to the heart of the evil behind the bore's hatred to learn for himself the truth "with eyes unclouded by hate", so that he may find peace. From there the plot unfolds.
This is not a sword battle movie and though the image on the cover may appear like a lightsaberesque duel is taking place, i assure you it is not based on combat. In fact the young man in the image rarely takes up his sword in any sort of battle... he's better with his arrows. And as misleading as the Title may be, it does not have some sort of Helpless princess... Princess Mononoke is just a title given to the daughter of the wolf god. The movie does have large animals who are like gods and even a forest god who reigns over all of them, but there is no preaching of this religion.
On the cast list are names like Claire Daines, Mimi Driver, Billybob Thorton, Gillian Anderson (who plays the role of the Wolf god, whose japanese voice is done by a really deep bass... kinda confusing). With such names as these taking up the role then it's gotta have something in it right? And i hear that it almost ran off with #1 movie in Japan, falling to the hyped up Titanic. It is an anime that the entire family can enjoy and one that will remain classic to all Anime fans, casual and hardcore. It was one of the first anime's my family saw, and trust me that the kids will love it... at least all the kids i know of have loved it.
Movie Review: a great film
Summary: 5 Stars
A film by Hayao MiyazakiThis is probably the best Miyazaki film that I have seen. It rivals Kiki's Delivery Service for having a story that I could get involved in and truly enjoy, but it also surpasses Spirited Away in terms of quality and storytelling craft (in my view). Kiki's Delivery Service used to be my favorite Miyazaki film, but I believe that has now changed. Princess Mononoke is a superior film.
This is a fairly complex story about technology vs nature. Near the beginning there is a boar which appears to be covered in some kind of grub worms. Wherever the boar steps, the grass and trees die. The boar is on a rampage and when it appear that the boar is headed for his village, Ashitaka (Billy Crudup) is forced to attack and kill the boar. Only then does Ashitaka learn that the boar was really a forest god turned demon. Ashitaka was infected and the iron ball that was the poison inside the boar is also going to poison and kill Ashitaka. Ashitaka heads to the west to find out how to seek out the Great Forest Spirit and find a way to cure this poison.
Ashitaka finds his way to Iron Town and meets the leader, Lady Eboshi (Minnie Driver). Eboshi initially seems to be the villain, but as we get to learn more about her we see that she is not a villain, but rather simply human. She is destroying the environment to create iron weapons and materials, but she has also rescued prostitutes from brothels and takes care of them. She is both sympathetic as well as a harbinger of destruction. Eboshi has a nemesis in a young girl living with the wolves named San (Claire Danes). San has been raised by the wolf gods and is fighting to preserve the forest and the gods. Ashitaka sees the good in both, even if neither San nor Eboshi can see the positives in the other.
I have only touched on the surface of the depth of this movie. It is a story so big that it could only be told in animation (I just don't think that live action could have succeeded with this story). The animation is beautiful, if a little graphic at times with the violence. This is definitely not children's animation. Besides being one of the best films of Miyazaki's career, I would rate this as a great movie. Period. Forget about it being a great animated movie, this is a great movie. Princess Mononoke also features the voice talent of Gillian Anderson, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Billy Bob Thornton (who does a fantastic job). This is a must see.
Movie Review: "You shall know my hatred and my grief"
Summary: 5 Stars
Hayao Miyazaki has created a film that places among the best I have ever seen, and I am not limiting my comparison to the anime genre. The director presents the fight of good vs. evil not only through different characters, but also related to the conflict in one of the main characters (Ashitaka). The concept is similar to the one used in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but in this film Ashitaka is still trying to contain the inner demon and prevent it from coming out.
Right from the start we are mesmerized by the beautiful colors and animation, with crisp drawings and scenes of bliss. Miyazaki is very crafty in using this tool, together with well-chosen music to depict the mood of each scene. But happiness has an end, and in this case, the small village that was portrayed so lively, is attacked by a demon from the forest. Ashitaka is in place and tries to stop this demon before it reaches the village, being partly successful in his attempt. He gets to destroy the demon before he can kill all of his loved ones, but he also touches it in the process. This means that now he is doomed to be overtaken by the evil spirits and die an awful death.
This sense of fatality is not unknown in the epic anime genre, and usually we get to see the main characters go on a quest that is impossible to achieve. This case is not different, and even though the Oracle tells Ashitaka that he cannot change his fate, she mentions that there may be an alternative by going west and facing the calamity of Mikado (evil demon) to lift the curse. So Ashitaka leaves the village knowing he should never return.
That is when the classic epic adventure starts, and we go on a journey through a forest full of fantastic creatures, gods and demons. One of these "creatures" is no other than Princess Mononoke, a young girl whose soul the wolf stole, and who has vowed to kill the wolf's enemy, Lady Eboshi. The relationship that develops between Ashitaka and Mononoke is a complex one, and Miyazaki uses the disturbed nature of these characters masterfully to make the story even more interesting.
When you put together a great story, with impeccable animation, appropriate music that complements the action perfectly and a few surprises here and there, the result is a movie that is top notch. Therefore, the only thing left to say is that I highly recommend this film, it is a must see!
Movie Review: Fantastic...
Summary: 5 Stars
Mononoke Hime is hands-down the BEST fantasy movie I've ever seen. I'm a big fan of Conan and Time Bandits and Star Wars and many others, but Miyazaki has outdone everyone this time. Character design, backgrounds and animation from this film are going to set precedents all over the animation scene; you can already see Disney grabbing at the cool sub-dappled shadows effect when they released Tarzan. Now if only American animation could see its way to delving into more adult and meaningful themes, perhaps it, too, would receive such acclaim instead of the spurning it usually gets.The occasional splotch of computer animation was a little unexpected and seemed almost to have been pasted over the rest of the movie in places but such sequences are few and fairly far between. There was plenty of other artistic muscle-flexing going on to make up for it.
Intelligent dialog was another of the film's many joys. Though the battle sequences of the film are good (especially when Ashitaka is defending himself or attempting to avoid combat) they are not the focus of this world so richly created. The people are the point of the movie and every character has a distinct personality, voice and set of morals which govern his or her existence. The entire cast is a study in shades of gray and though some of them are clearly not of the highest moral character, neither do they come across and pungently evil or diabolical.
The script was translated by Neil Gaiman and follows the Japanese version almost to a T.
As many people already know, Disney was forbidden to cut a single frame or line of dialog from this film. And to that I say "HURRAH!" I shudder to think what might've become of Princess Mononoke if it had been through a grinder like theirs.
Musically, Mononoke Hime is a masterpiece. Jô Hisaishi has produced an epic soundtrack that fits brilliantly with the images portrayed in the movie. The American release is riddled by 30 tracks that chop the music up into a list that more closely follows the individual scenes while the Japanese release is a symphonic suite of themes from the film (minus one or two, including the vocal numbers).
All in all, you CANNOT go wrong with this movie, even with the violence. It's a groundbreaking work that will be one of your all-time favorites before you're even through watching it the first time.
Movie Review: I hope this is for real
Summary: 5 Stars
Well, February has seen the first announcements that Princess Mononoke will get a DVD release, and it is apparently more than a rumor, but I'm not holding my breath. As to the movie itself, I must admit I purchased a DVD player just in anticipation of this film (I figured if Castle of Cagliostro was getting a DVD release, so would Mononoke). So as to the movie itself, no amount of praise would really be adequit. Somewhere in the back of my brain is some idea I formed as a child as to exactly what a powerful and moving film should be--but it is an idea that came to be discarded because let's face it, Star Wars or Disney after puberty doesn't live up to the magic it had at 5 years old. Surprise, surprise, at age 27 I've seen something that reminded me of what it was like to be 5 years old again. Miyazaki has been able to do this consistantly not just because he is a master storyteller (something so many american films could desperately use) but because his films immerse you in a world that in a very short time you fail to notice is a cartoon. As advanced as Disney animation is, all it's marvels seem bent on impressing, not on immersion, such that while impressed we cannot help but remember (sometimes painfully) that we are watching a cartoon. Mononoke on the other hand will win the audience over with the still beauty of its settings long before they've even grasped the fantastic story line. I must also mention that Mononoke has a simply amazing soundtrack that is free of upbeat musical numbers or pop songs. With what to my ears sound like a few bows to Rimsky-Korsakov, Hisashi's score to this film is as delicious as the film itself, standing well on its own merit, but in conjunction with the film it is utterly unparalleled. Very rarely does it seem that a film solidly hits on every count, and even when it does happen, the force of the film in it's totality is often not so great. Mononoke however is not just a solid film but a very strong film as well. If there is a weak point here it is the english dub, and yet I for one found the dub very enjoyable and convincing...yet in a film where everything is perfect, this will no doubt be the point which will earn the most criticism. Anyway, I've said enough. If you havn't seen this, you must. Worth buying a DVD player for this movie alone if they'll just get around to releasing it.