An cinematic masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (10 September 2001)

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** This film, Princess Mononoke, is one of those movies that makes me tremble with excitement - it is such an astounding example of what cinema as a creative medium is capable of. It is a perfect example of what an art film-making can be, and it is also grand entertainment of the highest order.

Now I won't spoil the story for you (besides I can't according to the IMDB rules, lol), but I will give you a few of the important details that may pique your interest. For starters, Princess Mononoke is an animated epic mythological fantasy set in 14th-century Japan that deals with themes like mankind's relation to and place in nature, the destructiveness of ambition, and the capabilities of human nature.
The film begins as young prince Ashitaka (of a fictional 9th-century empire that was overthrown and forced into hiding) is returning from hunting with his trusty mount Yakul, an intriguing beast that seems like a mixture of elk, goat, and maybe bear. He is told by three girls, one of whom is his younger sister, that something is approaching the village, and he heads out again to investigate. In a rousing action sequence he confronts and flees from the now-attacking presence - a gigantic boar-god possessed by some demonic curse that makes it faster, stronger, and of course, uglier. Covered with writhing, stunningly animated wormlike purple goo that spreads out at its bidding, it clutches Ashitaka's arm when he attacks it in a valiant attempt to protect his stumbling sister , its closest target. Ashitaka slays the creature with his bow-and-arrow and it dies in agony, proclaiming its hate for the `loathsome rabble' (humans). After the battle the prince returns to the village, his arm now sporting a festering purple scar in the spot where the ooze had grabbed him. He is informed by the local wise-woman that he is cursed. Also she informs him that an iron ball was found in the boar's body, and that it was the cause of its transformation into a demonic force. He is commanded to leave the village permanently and to journey to the boar's homeland and `see with eyes unclouded (meaning essentially to find out what is wrong and help fix the trouble).' She tells him that perhaps, if he is succesful in his quest, he will find a cure for his curse in the land of the Deer-God (the god of the forest), which is where the boar he slew came from. So he heads out with Yakul to the land of the Deer-god to meet his fate.
I really would feel a little guilty going on too much about the plot, but to be general, it is a tremendously unconventional film in a number of ways.

Ashitaka later encounters the ferocious young woman of the title, San Mononoke (the word Mononoke I believe is translated from Japanese meaning `spirit of the beasts') who was raised by a wolf-god, and (I imagine you can guess this anyway) he begins to find himself loving her after a while, and she also falls in love with him. Their romance is unusually convincing - it never falls into the hokey `I love you, John, you big masculine hunk! I love YOU, Jane, you hot thing!' trap. They both know they love one another, and they respect each other as much as they love one another. The ending is bittersweet in a very original and believe it or not, thought-provoking manner.
Another important and unusual element of the story is the industrious Lady Eboshi, a beautiful woman with money on her mind who is determined to tame the land and overthrow the gods of the forest. Her iron-foundry and the muskets of her soldiers virtually rape the serene natural habitat of all its beauty, but garner her great wealth and power. The fascinating thing about her is that she is essentially a good individual. She has given lepers work, hired peasant men, bought out the contracts of brothel girls, and given them work and her respect. She is simply blinded by ambition to the fact that she is causing havoc with her destruction of nature. She is a very realistic and dramatically effective character.
The entire story is excellent and thematically rich, but probably the most astounding aspect of the film is its staggering visual splendor. I have watched films, analyzed films, written reviews of films for newspapers, and studied film techniques and history for a while now, and I tell you, in all seriousness, that this is the most astoundingly (hand-drawn) animated film I have ever seen. The fantastic sights such as the Night-Walker, a giant ethereal god, would not be able to be brought to the screen any other way than through animation. The animation is so good you would swear it is computer assisted, but every source I have checked says it is not. The visual style, artistic use of color, and camerawork are all superior to any other animated film I have ever seen, capturing the epic, contemplative, and often fast-paced nature of the film. The cinematography (yes an animated film can have `camerawork') and film editing are not only without peer in the world of animation, but would hold up fine to the classics of cinema, such as The Godfather, Seven Samurai, or Citizen Kane. As for the soundtrack, the score is incredibly evocative, and the sound effects and especially sound editing are grade A-1. The original Japanese voice-acting is more natural and is superior to the well-done English-dubbing. The original dialogue is more poetic and epic than the good but often modern sounding dialogue of the dubbed version. This is one of those movies that has to be seen letter-boxed as well. Hayao Miyazaki's direction is superb, handling the pacing of the film flawlessly, timing the key scenes perfectly, and contrasting life-giving nature with man-made artificiality. The film is a monumental achievement and easily one of the 100 best films I have ever seen. See it.