Princess Mononoke
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Movie Reviews of Princess Mononoke
Movie Review: Maybe a turning point for Anime as mainstream movies?
Summary: 5 Stars
A lot has been written about Princess Mononoke, here, in the press and in other sources all over the world. Pretty much all of it (after the DVD release) has been positive, so I won't waste much time on that aspect in this review. All I can say is that it's an amazing movie, and from such a simple, yet intriguing concept. This, as said in other reviews is not Ghost or Akira, but then it's not trying to be, and doesn't need to be in that genre to succeed. This is a film which at first seems to follow a standard format, good versus bad, but on closer inspection, and through repeated viewing, the characters seem neither good nor bad, but all viewing the world through their own eyes and so justifying their actions according to their own situations and understandings. All trying to prosper and make the best for themselves with their limited view of the world. Truly it is only Ashitaka who can see the whole picture and attempts to unite the factions under this, to truly bring together the civilised world and the forest like in the past. This is the work of Hayao Miyazaki the same artist who gave us Nausicaa, and the quality and depth of the story shows. In fact anyone who is familiar with Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind, will be familiar with this quality of work, and the flow and depth of the story is similar, both in ideas and content. In both stories a lone warrior struggles to better the world for all people. This is not a post-apocalyptic tale, or the story of a civilisation nearing collapse, it's the story of two worlds trying to be reunited through the efforts of the few. This is both an excellent movie and a very good DVD with some worthwhile extras. If you're new to Anime, or if you don't buy another animated titles this year, then please make sure you buy this one. If you think that maybe this is not your thing as it is animated, try to move past that and appreciate the film for what it is. It is not a childs cartoon, it is simply that the Japanese choose to animate most of their features, as in this format the film can become more expressive than in live action pictures. This is truly a standout Movie and may yet become a modern masterpiece, experience it for yourself.Movie Review: SEE THIS FILM!
Summary: 5 Stars
Princess Mononoke is one of the best films ever created! Hayao Miyazaki is a master of animation. If you noticed, my title does not refer to it as an anime. A lot of people disregard films because they are animated. When a friend recommended it to me, so did I. I usually go for live action. I was very reluctant to see the film. But by the time I had seen the first two scenes, I was hooked. I was blown away! The sheer haunting beauty of the animation was enough. Added on to the complexity and many dimensions of the wonderful characters, it was enough for me to be blabbing about it 24/7 to my friends. I will not give away too much of the plot for all you unlucky people who have not had the chance to be completely blown away yet, but I will review some of the characters. Lady Eboshi first strikes you as an evil warrior, but she is so much more than that. She does all she does to protect her people. She is a hero and destroyer at the same time. Ashitaka is more than some brash reckless guy who suddenly discovers a hero within himself(the type you usually see in movies), but a complex character who takes his courageous actions as a duty. He doesn't risk his life to save his village because he was born like that. He did it because that was his job. San perfectly portrays the raw passion and fury that Miyazaki imagined. She is torn between her home and her race. A good character representing the forests and the civilization. Most important of all, none of the characters were perfectly bad or perfectly good. Ashitaka is all around good, but he does make mistakes. The beasts of the forests are far from noble, and fight for what they believe in, but do many wrong things along the way. Lady Eboshi may be cruel in some of her actions, but is compassionate and gentle toward her people. NO ONE is good or bad, plain and simple, like you will see in Disney movies.
THIS IS NOT A A LITTLE KIDDIE MOVIE!
the plot and action is way above second graders. The graphic violence and forcefulness of speech does not suit young children.
Unless you are mentally unstable, I KNOW that you will see this heavenly film!
Movie Review: Epic, Darker, Wonderful Studio Ghibli Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the darkest and most intense Studio Ghibli masterpieces, "Princess Mononoke" is every bit as vast and grand as "Lord Of The Rings" and "Star Wars" and rivals fellow Ghibli fare like "Castle In the Sky" and "Spirited Away" in memorabilty and array of character (both human and nonhuman), creature and concept. The film's character cast is headed by Mononoke, a wolf-raised girl involved in the resistance of animals and nature against the ever-encroaching and ever-dominating human civilization, and Ashitaka, afflicted with a life-draining malady and on a quest deep into the remaining forest to find the elusive cure. Being a Miyazaki-directed feature, "Princess Mononoke" still manages to easily blend in large amounts of beauty, cuteness and charm into the darkly serious and often violent story of conflict. The struggle between relentless human industrialization & expansion and the vanishing natural world is a common theme in many Ghibli movies, but seldom presented in such a warlike and apocalyptic fashion. Interestingly, it does this without demonizing the encroaching human factions. As in our world, in this admittedly less technologically advanced world, the enivirornmental decimation isn't always caused by a burning malicious desire to eradicate our planetmates, but out of - what? Arrogance? Honest ignorance? Unconscious apathy? A defeatist attitude that it's all going to be plowed over anyway so why bother trying to delay the inevitable? Unfortunately, it's the other 99.999% of species that have to suffer the bulk of the consequences. In "Princess Mononoke", the 99.999% are in the early stages of not taking things lying down anymore, and are being aided by some very powerful entities, and the result is one of cinema's greatest epics, aided by impeccable animation and great voice acting flawlessly synchronized into the movie. Complete in itself but still feels unfinished - "Princess Mononoke" is one of the great originals of all time, and now all we can do is treasure it while we wait and hope for a "Princess Mononoke II" to come and be one of the great sequels of all time.Movie Review: The most enchanting epic of all time
Summary: 5 Stars
As a 20-year-old man, I often recall in fond remembrance my movie-viewing exploits as a young child. In those days, I would watch such movies as the Wizard of Oz and Legend with such enraptured attention that it almost felt like the television screen was oozing with the magic depicted within those films. It was a beautiful feeling to behold, and it is a feeling which I cherish very dearly as a memory from my more impressionable and innocent youth. However, as time progressed, such a feeling would gradually dissipate along with my childhood. I would no longer be enchanted by films that I had been so readily captivated with in my days as a young child. Rather, I began to see such films (such as the Wizard of Oz) for what there truly were: simple children's films. Legend had lost its fairy tale luster as well, as I view it moreso as a cheesy film than a movie of pure magic when I had seen it as a child. Thus, I began to yearn for a film that would enchant me as an adult as much as I had been enchanted as a child by those aforementioned films. And in the end, I found my answer in Princess Mononoke. Mononoke is simply the best film I have ever seen in that it has rekindled those fond memories of me as a child beholding pure magic on the television screen once more. The movie itself virtually oozes with a miraculously magical atmosphere, and is also a glaring commentary on the ambiguities of good and evil within the human soul, whether it be depicted within the industrially inclined Eboshi or the mystically vocal animal gods who struggle to maintain the balance of nature. Coupled with stunning animation, art direction and a resoundingly haunting musical score, Princess Mononoke is a magical and riveting example of a true cinematic epic. It is truly poetry in motion and a crime to dismiss as a mere cartoon. Hayao Miyazaki truly is a master of his art, as his movie has truly reawakened the long silent child within all who have beheld his animated masterpieces, and Princess Mononoke is perhaps the very pinnacle of the history of cinema, animated or not. Do not miss it.Movie Review: The animated movie of the 90's!
Summary: 5 Stars
In ancient times, young warrior Prince Ashitaka (Billy Crudup) fought a demon but got bitten only to get a deadly curse and he is in search to travel the land for a cure. A monk named Jigo (Billy Bob Thorton) travels along with him to a mill-industry driven town lead by Lady Eboshi (Minnie Driver) for a new home until he finds out that Eboshi and other warriors are off trying to kill the forest of the ancient wolves, boars and other creatures including a brave female warrior named San a.k.a. Princess Mononoke (Claire Danes) who is one of the protectors of the forest that was raised by wolves. However Ashitaka falls in love with her as he decides to join on her crusade with the wolves and other forest spirits to protect the god of the forest from being destroyed as well as trying to find that cure.
Co-starring the voices of Jada Pinkett Smith, Gillian Anderson, Keith David and John Dimaggio this is the ultimate 90's animated masterpiece. This fantasy adventure is from animation auteur Hayao Miyazaki and one of the most original movies ever! I love how it compels the viewer into the complex story with it's dazzling animation and great voice acting even in the dub version. It's PG-13 rated for violent images and some gore but it can still be viewed by the family for it teaches everyone a good message about nature and living in harmony with the world. The score by Joe Hisaishi is magnificent and the film is a unique, imaginative and brilliant work of art that i enjoyed it since it got a US release and saw it in theaters.
This DVD contanis both Japanese Language in subtitles version which you can go to the audio selection feature even with the second subtitles as 2 extras like featurette and trailer.
Also recommended: "Avatar", "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds", "Willow", "My Neighbor Totoro", "Ferngully The Last Rainforest","Fire and Ice", "Beowulf", "The Dark Crystal", "Conan The Barbarian", "Lord of the Rings Trilogy", "Seven Samurai", "Ran", "Ninja Scroll", "Ponyo", "Howl's Moving Castle", and "Castle in The Sky".