Greatest Animated Film I've Ever Seen

Rating: 10/10 (10 January 2009)

Miyazaki is a master of animation, on a par with Walt Disney in innovation, and even greater than him, I think, in sheer storytelling ability. You won't find any singing elves in this dark tale, but that's for the best; instead, we get arrows lopping off arms and heads, and a great war between the forest gods and the industrial Irontown.
To reveal any more about the plot would be a crime, but suffice it to say, our main character, Ashitaka, is put under a terrible curse, and must find a way to save himself - and the beautiful forest girl San (the Princess Mononoke of the title) - before it's too late.
That very small summary right there does this complex movie a disservice; the themes here about the coexistence of man and nature are much more nuanced than that, with no clearly defined heroes or villains. Our two extremes are Lady Eboshi and San - but even as despicable as Eboshi's plot might seem, Miyazaki never lets us forget how very human she is, and the good things she is capable of. Between these two lies Ashitaka, who realizes what the audience only begins to understand by the end of the film.
The animation is beautiful, of course, but the absolutely stunning visuals are only a part of what makes this film so beautiful. Everyone should see this movie; it's an experience that's not to be missed.
In closing, if this review seems somewhat scatterbrained, it's because it's difficult to express in words just how magnificent and one-of-a-kind this film is. To call this simply one of the greatest animated movies ever made is a disservice to its genius; it is, without a doubt, one of the greatest films of all time, period. A magnificent achievement all around.