An epic masterpiece head and shoulders above many American films

Rating: 10/10 (5 October 2001)

This movie tore me apart in ways I cannot even begin to describe in words.
First off, the plot is truly unique to the American film market. In a time where sex and violence is king and characterization and plot are merely regarded as afterthoughts,this movie bravely stood alone as an example of how to do a film correctly. It paid a great price for doing so; the sales were dismal compared to many other movies that debuted in 1997, and unfairly so. It takes the conflict of "man vs. nature" and elevates it to a whole new level, adding many interesting characterization aspects in the process.
I do not wish to go into great deal regarding the plot; that has been done many times before. What I do want to say is that this movie will give you a great deal of insight into human nature and our attitude towarsd each other and towards the natural level. What you realize midway through the film is that there is no true "Hero" in the traditional sense in the film. Ashitaka is merely a figure of neutrality in a battle of man versus beast. Is the animals' desire to butcher the humans and drive them out of their forest any different from the human's hunger for wealth and iron? And what about Jigo; is his greed different than Eboshi's? Neither side is right or wrong, everyone is fighting for their own interests and nothing else. Toward the end, your perspective may change a bit, but I do not wish to get into spoilers here.
All I can say is, watch the movie with an open mind and you will enjoy it like no other. A lot of negative reviews that I've read through are silly, one person claimed to "not understand it" when they couldn't even remember the characters' names; had they paid any attention at all? This movie is really not difficult to comprehend in the least if you're willing to actually watch it. And if you think it's stupid because "Ashitaka couldn't do this, it's impossible etc etc" have you become so jaded that you can't invoke a little suspension of disbelief once in a while? This is fantasy, not a physics lecture.
In summation, I want to state that is that this is a powerful movie for the whole family, despite some bloody parts -- but in most places the gore is no different than what you might find in Star Wars. This is truly an epic film, easily on the level with movies such as Braveheart.