Princess Mononoke

Princess Mononoke lives up to the hype. I'll be damned if I'm not in total amazement of this pulchritudinous film. I'll be honest with you folks, I really don't care for Anime. Princess Mononoke isn't just a spectacular animated film though, it's a great film.

Hayao Miyazaki's Mononoke Hime is the biggest Japanese film of all time. The American name of the film is, Princess Mononoke and features the voice talents of Gillian Anderson (X-Files), Billy Crudup (Almost Famous), Claire Danes (The Mod Squad), Minnie Driver (Return To Me), and the great Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade). Many of the devoted fans might prefer the original Japanese voice cast, but I think the new voices are quite admirable.

Princess Mononoke is a film that made Roger Ebert's top ten list, at the time I couldn't believe it. But now I'm in total agreement. I'm joining the herd of it's many enthusiasts. I didn't even really want to see this film. I rented it about a week ago, as soon as I was done watching it, I knew I would end up buying the DVD. Now I finally have my own copy, and after a second viewing I love the film even more.

Never have I seen an animated film with such a complex plot and characters. You wouldn't dare compare this film to an American cartoon. That would be an insult. Don't expect to see a Disney film while watching this film.

Billy Crudup is the voice of Ashitaka, a warrior who rides a pet Elk. The film starts off when a wild boar demon attacks his village. While fighting the demon and eventually killing it, Ashitaka is cursed by it. A curse that will eventually kill him. The demon touch not only curses him, but gives him a super human like strength. He leaves his village and encounters a mining town in the forest. Lady Eboshi (Minnie Driver) is in charge of this town. The town is in the middle of a war between the animals of the forest. Some of the animals are actually Gods. There is a wolf clan, who San or Princess Mononoke is in charge of. The film is really hard to explain. The story isn't as easy to tell as it is to watch.

The story is very enchanting. Maybe because I'm American and not familiar with Japanese culture, but I was blown away by the story. I found it to be fascinating. While the story may be great, the real reason to see this film is for its visual beauty. The film is gorgeous, it's like watching a painting come to life. Beautiful colors.

I think the thing that I really love about this film, is how it takes you to a whole other world. A world I've never seen. I loved the fact that Ashitaka rides an Elk. I loved the way the demons looked when they turn evil. They walk through the forest with evil snake like things slithering on their body. I loved how damn gory this film can get. Many arms are ripped off, you never see that in Disney films. I loved all the little creatures in the film. Like the night walker, or the little while skeleton things that live in the forest, their heads spin and chatter. Oh, and of course the ape tribe who plant trees. It's weird, I know. I have never seen anything quite like this.

As far as the voice acting goes, Minnie Driver and Billy Bob Thornton are the best out of the bunch. Lady Eboshi is a very interesting character. In most American films, she would be the villain. She is destroying the forest for her mining town. Not in Princess Mononoke. All the characters are treated fairly. The good guys, if you can call them that, have good traits and bad ones. Same goes for Lady Eboshi. Sure she wants to kill the Gods and destroy the forest, but she is doing it because in her position that is the best thing for her people. All the characters are treated very fairly, as if they were real complex people. Even the animals have personalities.

Now I haven't seen a lot of animated films in my day, but I doubt if I will ever see one quite like this again. This film is pure magic. Don't be mistaken though, it's not a kids film. I'm sure they will love it, but this film was made for the adults. Easily the best animated film I've ever seen.

Really the only complaint I have is the dialogue. I'm sure it's the translation. But a lot of the dialogue is quite laughable. Other then that, I can honestly say that this is a perfect film.

The DVD:
Sadly, the DVD doesn't have too many great features. It has a small behind the making of, and theatrical trailers. The film is still worth having in any DVD library.