An epic tale to remember...

Rating: 10/10 (31 July 2009)

Mononoke Hime (or Princess Mononoke) is one of those movies for which words are not enough, because its simply too beautiful to describe! As I'm writing this comment, I'm reminiscing on how I came to read of it for the first time, through a small review in a known movie magazine, where its critic wrote how the first ten minutes of Princess Mononoke were just breathtaking. That review stuck with me for some time, and was revived two years later as I went to the video store looking for something for my young brother (aged 11 at the time) to see in the weekend. To make a long story short: I was the one that end up watching it, at 2:00 o'clock on a Sunday morning. And what a surprise! I didn't knew who Hayao Miyazaki was, but I certainly got to Know him from that point on!
The story is set in a fantasy like Japan, where the groundbreaking molding of iron was disputed by several feudal lords (and the emperor itself), and the forests were ruled by spirits and gods in the form of giant animal-beasts! In deed the first ten minutes of the movie are presented to us in over drive, as a former god turned demon rages in to the peaceful village of the Emishi tribe, leaving it to its prince, Ashitaka, to defend it . And so the movie gets started!
In all of his previous movies Miyazaki had already presented us with the classical duel of Human versus Nature which is in the center stage here. The whole movie can be seen as a huge metaphor, exploring that very same theme, with characters depicting each side of the conflict_ Lady Eboshi and San _ that are everything but one dimensional characters, and can't be labeled as good or bad, as if Miyazaki is inviting us to make our own judgment about them; and of course there is Ashitaka, a fated prince that in his own search for peace of mind ends up being the leverage that tries to bring each side to a peaceful existence. In the end you are left in absolute awe, and questioning yourself how could such a masterpiece ever got to the finish line in one piece! Could it be the story and script on which Miyazaki labored for so long (story has it that he started developing the characters as far as thirteen years prior to the movie)? Is it the top notch cell animation technique, or the beautiful color with which the sceneries are depicted? Or is it the engaging musical score by Joe Hisaishi, that gives an epic feel to the movie as well as enhancing the more intimate side of it (I saw it yesterday and I'm still humming to every single tune there is in the movie)? Perhaps it's the sum of all in the end that make up for its magnificence and beauty.
So if you are skeptical about such seriousness being presented in a fantasy-like animated movie don't be. Trust me! Just risk seeing the first minutes of the movie and you'll get hooked, for sure!