Miyazaki's Definitve Epic

Rating: 9/10 (24 July 2006)

Complex, simple, emotive, stark, bleak and truly brilliant, Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke is a work, not only of animated art, but truly a landmark in cinematic achievement.
Miyazaki, first bit the conflicted notion of human nature versus Mother Earth in his 1986 work of Nausicaa of The Valley of The Wind and truly brought this issue to the fore in many a persons mind. Mononoke, is the defining glory, capsulating over ten years of thought and hard effort. It is intrinsically deep, and powerfully moving, with the notion and human sensibility of love, being the driving force, and, like in many a Miyazaki movie, is the answer to the problems. Compassion and understanding, key humanitarian traits, that we as a species often take for granted, and fail to utilise.
After suffering infection and contracting a fatal disease from a dieing Shisigami, or demon, Ashitaka our films major protagonist, sets off on a journey to travel far to the west, leaving behind his native clan and position of prince to discover the source and cause of an old gods transformation into demon. Driven by determination and honesty his search brings him to Iron Town, and a sacred Forest, where he must view an on going feud with "unclouded eyes" and bring peace to a region, so fraught with hate and war.
Paragraphic summaries, however, do not credit this film nearly enough. It is a landmark film, and while Akira alerted the world to the presence of anime, it was Mononoke that smashed through into the mainstream to enable this joyous art form to be enjoyed in the West. Princess Mononoke encapsulates the very essence of what it is that makes us human, yet Miyazaki understands there are two sides to every coin. He does not skirt over the issue, that we as a race have the ability to destroy, to act for our own selfish needs, instead he forces the issue, while concurrently highlighting that we also have potential. The ability to make things right, is buried deep within our psyche, it is intrinsic to humanity and the differential between us and animals. He shows if we cling onto our ethics and morees we shall prevail. A must for any fan cinema.