One of Miyazaki's best!

Rating: 8/10 (1 March 2015)

This is absolutely my 2nd favorite Miyazaki film, the first being Spirited Away. It's definitely one of the more adult animes I've ever seen, and I'm a huge fan of those. I love animes with dark and gritty themes that explore the realms of fantasy, which this film has covered.
When a prince from a village is infected with a curse by a demon, he must travel to the West to find a cure, only to find a war being waged between the Gods of the forest/San, the wolf woman of the forest, and the mining town of Irontown, led by Lady Eboshi.
Although the themes are centered around the environment, it doesn't include the typical "man is evil" message from every other Dances with Wolves or Pocahontas film. Lady Eboshi is likable and reasonable. San is strong willed and protective of the forest, but she has her own faults as well. It's simply about getting over differences when both sides are at fault. It's more about controlling hate and willing to compromise to keep the peace. Even though some of the dialogue kind of forces it in your face, it's still a natural feeling in the end.
The animation is fantastic. The lighting and colors are elegant, and the camera angles on certain scenes is stunning. The animation in Miyazaki's films have stylistically evolved over the course of his career, and it shows.
The film has a strong emphasis on fantasy. Although it takes itself very realistically and adult, the forest elements involving spirits are not only beautiful, but very powerfully introduced and used. With that said, the fighting scenes are incredibly realistic and entertaining to no end, mostly because of the amazing animation that goes with it.
The story is told very quickly, sidestepping when necessary and getting right down to things, which is what I love about it. It doesn't drag, it's long, but very entertaining. There's no bs in this film whatsoever.
It's a must see, there's nothing else to say. I recommend the dubbed version for Billy Bob Thorton's voice, it's irresistible. It's not as good as Spirited Away, but it's right there, one of the best animated films of all time.