Miyazaki's Fantasy Wonder

Rating: 9/10 (8 May 2019)

Hayao Miyazaki isn't a name synonymous with fantasy epics grand and aggressive such as the Lord of The Rings, yet in a pleasant twist of fate it appears as if the renowned director has yet another genre wrapped around his finger, intertwining a vast yet personal epic with a profound message for the younger viewer in 1997's 'Princess Mononoke'.
Suffering a cursed injury, Ashitaka, the last Emishi prince of the Emishi village, finds himself on a journey Westward bound to try and find a cure for his ever-worsening ailment. Along the way we meet a colourful cast of characters including the titular Princess Mononoke (San) and her band of wolves.
Venturing into the wild Ashitaka discovers a town destroying the land around them, the home of the wolves, in order to develop iron, growing exponentially in power and wealth. Should this trope sound familiar to you it would be for good reason. For many years the issue of defamation of the natural world for the prosperity of humanity has been a frequently touched upon issue, yet from the get-go the beauty in this film is in its initial reluctance, and then outright refusal to take a side.
The destructive mentality of the people of the ironworks is merely a community attempting to find its place in the world; they destroy to prevent themselves from being destroyed (as it is established clearly they are not the most powerful force in this world). They destroy in fear of being destroyed, in many ways a reflection of the aggressive animals they kill rather than a binary opposition. Following this train of thought, even the animals are not without fault. The forest is divided into tribes of different species, and amongst them it is clear that there is conflict. They bicker and fight all in a desperate bid to survive, much the reflection of ourselves.
This conflict is centralised through our connection to Ashitaka whom from the first scenes retains a clear reverence for nature, smiling and gazing in wonder at its otherworldly beauty. He acts as us, the everyman, looking on in horror as two worlds that he adores and is familiar with crash together In fire and blood, a desperate bid for survival where no survival is guaranteed. He fits his role very well and plays off San well also, however if I did have one flaw with the film it would be that: in earlier scenes he seems to develop a connection with San that is only apparent to them and doesn't translate to the audience very well (yet one could always argue that the reason for this is as what they represent thematically usurps what they represent in emotional connection.)
Speaking of fire and blood, this is by far one of the most unexpectedly violent Studio Ghibli films I have ever laid eyes on. From the first scene blood is abundant, limbs are lost and death reins over the land. However, unexpected as it threw me, out of place it was not. The violence perfectly reflects the theme previously mentioned; the disarray of the conflict at the centre of the film between the growth of industry and nature, senseless and heart-breaking.
This profound melancholy surrounding the theme yet contrasts itself with joyous human moments sprinkled throughout the film in romance, friendship etc. all heightened by a mesmerising score and Ghibli's signature rich vibrant visuals, which both make the world we're exploring feel full, truly living and breathing.
Princess Mononoke is a film which takes risks, hovering in-between the side of nature's right to rule and the roaring progress of industrialisation, yet never wavering in its resolve. It knows that the issue isn't black and white, with dynamic elements frequently affecting the actions of both man and beast, with violence resulting from confusion, and a sense of pensive grief hanging over the film. Through all this conflict, neither side overcomes in the end, with the beauty of life itself being the true victory, a truly profound message for both children and adults alike.