The jewel in Ghibli's crown

Rating: 10/10 (12 March 2020)

Studio Ghibli almost exclusively produce great films, but Mononoke is more than just colours and smooth animation: it is a complex story of man's attempts to harness nature, and how it shouldn't be a conflict, but instead should be a symbiotic relationship. Using 14th century Japan as the vehicle for this story is perfect - as the nation undergoes an industrial evolution, the forest tries to fight back, and only Ashitaka (the main character) seems to see the full picture.
For something animated as far back at 1997, Princess Mononoke looks immaculate. The quality of animation is second to none, and the creativity that went into the aesthetic and the environment is amazing. The accompanying soundtrack is very good: subtle enough not to override the delicacy of some scenes, but still lends sufficient power to more dramatic moments. There is also an abundance of decent voice actors too - Billy Crudup, Minnie Driver, John DiMaggio and many others lend their talents to this film, which makes the voice-dubbed version a painless experience.
The story is both fantasy and action, a love story and a war film; so many elements combine for this plot, and the film is all the better for it. Loosely, the story follows a prince trying to find the cure for a curse inflicted upon him by a demon, but there is a lot more to it; the relationship between Ashitaka and Mononoke herself is one of both love and hate, since they both care too much for humans and the forest respectively to let one destroy the other.
Words don't really do justice to just how good Princess Mononoke is. I know some people won't really understand just why I think this is such a masterpiece of cinema, but there is both nostalgia and emotional power to this film. I know for those that do connect with Mononoke, they will never forget this feature.