Life-affirming art

Rating: Null/10 (23 November 2014)

The magnum opus of director Hayao Miyazaki and one of the if not the best animation movie ever made. A film that children can watch no doubt, but which still deals with the themes of loss, sacrifice, the non-existent line between good and evil, war, death and the dying state of divinity and spirituality. It's a heavy movie, yet it's never so excessively dark and brutal that you couldn't show it to a twelve-year- old.
For me, this is one of those perfect movies that you have the honour of coming across every once in a while. Because it's really hard to find any faults in this movie.
The animation? Superb, mind-blowing, unbelievably beautiful from the very first shot of mountains covered in mist to the last shot of the great forest reaching for the heavens.
The music? Haunting, soul-altering, beautiful beyond believe. The main theme has had a spot on my daily playlist ever since I saw this film.
The characters? Magnificent. Detailed, fluidly animated, easily having more depth than most live-action characters ever created. I also love how this movie has no clear bad guys. The clash between the spirits of the forest and the civilization of man is the central focus of the film, but you very quickly realize that neither of those sides is in the wrong. They both have reasons for their actions, for defending what they see as theirs. The methods of both are at the same time commendable and questionable. Name one other movie where you've seen anything similar. I bet you have to think about it for a while.
If you had to point fingers and say that those are the bad guys, you probably would go with the bounty hunters. But even they're rather likable as characters and are only doing what they're doing because it's their job. So yeah, not even them.
And sure, the movie has flaws. No film has not. The eponymous Mononoke is not all that central to the conflict and is easily the most boring of the main characters. The deer god does look silly. Don't act like he doesn't. Other things like that. But they're all really minor. Nitpicks, if even that. Because the film is just that good.
Princess Mononoke renews my hope for life every time I see it. It hasn't lost even a hint of its beauty, splendor and impact over the years. If you're ever going to see only one Japanese animation, see this one. Or Spirited Away.