Princess Mononoke is the greatest animated movie I have ever seen.

Rating: 10/10 (14 April 2016)

If I had to summarize this movie in a few words, I would say – Breathtaking, Magnificent, and Brilliant. It is one of my top ten favorite films. One of the many things that make this film great is the story. The film is set up in the Iron Age in ancient Japan when the humans used to live in harmony with nature. But the discovery of Iron and selfish nature of humans led to the mass production of weapons which altered this balance. Princess Mononoke is a movie about Nature versus Humans. It also takes elements from Japanese myths and folklore and shows us the great ancient Japanese culture.
The opening scene of Princess Mononoke is jaw-dropping. In the beginning, we see a strange creature and thousands of snakes (or whatever it was) coming out of his whole body. This strange creature goes berserk and tries to wreak havoc upon a nearby village. A young lad named Ashitaka tries to stop him from going to the village and send him back to the forest but things go wrong and Ashitaka kills the Creature. The strange snakes grab Ashitaka's hand and leave a mark before vanishing into thin air. It turns out that the creature was a giant Boar who turned into a Demon God. He was cursed and the curse of the Demon God was now transferred to Ashitaka.
They find a metal piece in the remains of the Boar and come to know that someone shot the boar with a gun and that is why his agony and hate for humans turned him into a Demon God. Ashitaka, knowing that he has only a few days to live, goes out on a journey to find the person who shot the Boar and was responsible for this heinous act. This journey leads him to the west. There he meets Lady Eboshi who rules a piece of land called Ironworks and was responsible for the Boar's death and Ashitaka's curse. She has thousands of workers working under her. She knows how to make gunpowder and weapons which were responsible for the Boar's death. She does not hesitate to kill anyone who tries to stop her. She wants to rule the forest but is she a bad person? You will have to decide for yourselves because Miyazaki does not let you judge the characters easily.
Ashitaka also meets Princess Mononoke or Mononokehime – a wolf-girl, born human and raised by wolves. She despises humans because she thinks that humans are filthy, selfish and pathetic creatures. She has vowed to kill the humans and take back the land of Ironworks that once belonged to the forest. She is always looking for the ways to kill Lady Eboshi and her people. Now what happens, you will have to watch that for yourselves. I am not going to spoil the film for you.
This is just the basic plot of the film and let me tell you that the storyline is much more complex than this. There are so many characters and subplots and all the characters are well developed. Ashitaka's character has the proper depth, warmth, kindness, wisdom and courage whereas San's character is developed as an angry soul who just wants revenge. Lady Eboshi's character is given different personalities so you won't be able to judge her. You will also get to see the Deer God AKA the Forest God, The Spirits of the Forest, Humans, Wolves, Villagers, Boars, Apes and other creatures. Princess Mononoke is a story about how messing up with nature can lead to devastating results and it delivers the message successfully. The story is epic and the scale is huge, but the storytelling is what makes it brilliant. Miyazaki takes you to this great journey where you can feel everything. Any other director would not be able to achieve such depth and beauty. Miyazaki had a great understanding of animated films and that is why the people at Pixar and Disney worship him and see him as their idol.
The animation work in Princess Mononoke is hand drawn and the result is breathtaking. The scenes that take place in the forest are outstanding. Each and every frame is having great details and beautiful colors. They pop out of the screen and make you want to live in the world you are seeing. At the top of that, the 3D rendering adds more depth and beauty to the handmade drawings. You don't just see the world of Princess Mononoke, you experience it and live in it during the whole runtime.
The score of Princess Mononoke is one of the best scores I have ever heard in a film (The Lord of The Rings and Princess Mononoke are my favorite). I have seen this film more than 5 times and I cry every time I listen to the Theme. Joe Hisaishi, you are a genius. Overall, Princess Mononoke is a once in a lifetime experience. I loved it the first time I watched it. Then I listened to the OST and watched it again and loved it even more. I love it more and more every time I watch it. So it is a kind of movie that grows on you after multiple viewings. I was not a lucky guy because I couldn't watch it on big screen but I seriously want to watch this in theaters even if it costs a hefty amount. You cannot go wrong with Miyazaki, can you? May his soul Rest in Peace.