One of the most beautiful films in cinema that can stick with you for the rest of your life.

Rating: 10/10 (3 February 2008)

For those who have never heard of this, or any of Hayao Miyazaki's works, please do yourself a favor and offer the courtesy of checking out his works.
Forget everything you know about animation, if all you've experienced is the mind-numbing, lowest-common-denominator American money-maker cartoons. If you think all animated films are for kids (Disney films), or for very low-minded adults and teens (Adult Swim cartoons), prepare to be proved wrong. Hayao Miyazaki is a legend in animation that revolutionized the craft in his storytelling and imagery.
Princess Mononoke is a film of a journey, of war and peace, of character perseverance, and of balance. Set in a mythological Japan, it tells the tale of a warrior on a journey to fulfill a destiny of which he doesn't know yet. He has to endure demons, villagers, warriors, and forest spirits, both good and bad. And Ashitaka, the hero, is a peaceful mind unlike any other seen in films. He never waivers between what's good or bad, and only has the intention of peace and prosperity between all living things.
Before you go thinking this is a preachy medieval warfare yada-yada film you've seen a thousand times before, please trust me in that this film still deserves a viewing to even those with no immediate interest.
First, a warning. Ignore everything negative you've heard about this movie. I'm not saying this as a "fanboy" who gets irate when people give negative reviews on stuff I love, but because this film simply deserves a chance. It took me 3 times of seeing this before it overtook me and I fell in love with it.
So what makes this film so amazing, anyway? First of all, the obvious: the writer/director and animator: Hayao Miyazaki. Known for revolutionizing the animation world with his non-conventional children's films (Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away), this is his most mature film, and I don't just mean in terms of content. Yes, this film is PG- 13, violent, and probably not meant for the younger kids, but it's beside the point. The story is dark and deeply personal. Miyazaki had stated that after all his more family-friendly films were out, this was the film he felt "he just had to make". And there is an air of deep seriousness that comes with this film that's hard to miss.
Please remember this, most of all: Miyazaki's films ARE NOT ANIME. Let me repeat: MIYAZAKI DOES NOT MAKE ANIME FILMS. The number one prejudice people will have going into his works will be their view on the strange, typical "Anime" world and their views on it. I am NOT an Anime fan, I'm generally neutral towards it. A few shows are entertaining, and one or two films, but I would never consider myself a fan. Miyazaki is completely different in style, animation, texture and story. The one thing that angers more than anything are the people who bash this film because they don't like Anime. I beg of everyone who hasn't seen this film to take that into consideration.
Miyazaki's paints a world like no one has ever seen, and always beautiful and fascinating. But what really brings his films to life is the music. Half of what makes his films so beautiful is the score of Joe Hisaishi, perhaps the most gifted musician in movies of all time. His music is intriguing, mysterious and impossible to look past. With films like this, I get to thinking his music was made for Miyazaki, and Miyazaki's films were made for Hisaishi. They balance each other perfectly and work marvelously.
Now, many people may not think much of this film the first time they see it, and I was no exception. I was a huge Miyazaki fan already when I saw it for the first time, and I was expecting to love this the same. But the first time I saw it, my feelings were neutral. So a few months went by, and I decided to give this another try. The same thing. It didn't strike me. So another few months go by, and another whim comes over me to give it one last shot. And it finally worked. I was swept away in the story for the first time, and it overtook me.
So if you see the film once and are not immediately in love with it, you may just need to try it again in due time. But please, don't think that I'm trying to make you feel that something's wrong with you if you don't like it. I know some people just won't like it, and some people even strongly dislike it. This review is my opinion and love of the film, and I'm just trying to do my part to help other people have their lives enriched like mine has been.
All in all, Princess Mononoke is one of the most amazing films ever made. Easily, it's probably the most well-made animated film, but the animation world aside, this film conquers a HIGH percentage of all films and sets a mark on all cinema. The sad thing is it will most likely be ignored because, A, it's Japanese, B, it's highly unknown, and C, it's marked as "Anime" and will probably never go past that categorization.
But at least take some of these many dragged on comments I have made into consideration if you haven't seen it. Most of you may be let down by it after reading how much I have praised it, but if there's at least a few who are affected by it as I have been, than I will live that much more in content. May Miyazaki's legacy live on through the rest of time.