Ladies & gentlemen, I hope everyone here on this blog site, and everywhere else has been doing well! Today, we are going to go into the world of Studio Ghibli, an animated film company that was acquired by John Lasseter back in the mid-2000s, and was no longer part of Disney as of recently, when certain drama occurred between Lasseter, and Disney. As some of you at least on Facebook know, I have watched at least a few Studio Ghibli films already. Well, today, we shall talk about one that I watched last week after hearing so many good things about it. So now, without further ado, let’s talk about a Studio Ghibli film from over 20 years ago called Princess Mononoke.
Plot: When a tyrannical female ruler named Lady Eboshi (Minnie Driver), and her citizens of a place in Japan called Iron Town begin to destroy all of the forests nearby, including an attempt to destroy a very sacred part of the forest, a young warrior named Ashitaka (Billy Crudup), a female warrior named San (Claire Danes), and a pack of wolves, and other creatures try to do whatever they can to stop her. Will Ashitaka and them succeed, or will Eboshi eliminate them, and get her way in the end?
First off, I would like to begin this review by confessing that I remember seeing a poster of this film in the movie section of the newspaper, and being somewhat shocked that this cartoon was rated PG-13. I mean back then, I barely recalled hearing of any animated film being given such a rating. Heck, when the DreamWorks film, The Prince Of Egypt, was first released the year before, I was shocked to see that film being given a PG rating. However, after finally seeing Princess Mononoke for the first time last week, I am honestly not surprised that this film was rated PG-13. In fact, this film is not for kids in the slightest. Sure, there may be one, or two elements, like certain creatively made creatures, that kids might like. Other than that, this film is most definitely for the teen, and adult crowd. I must say that Hiyao Miyazaki, who also directed other Studio Ghibli films like Spirited Away a few years after this film, for instance, does a really good job of combining realism with fantasy. I mean on the one hand, you have character with guns, and things like that, while also having fantasy elements (i.e. magical creatures, and talking animals) thrown into the mix as well. Joe Hisaishi also does a phenomenal job with the score. If I recall correctly, he also composed the score for 1986’s Castle In The Sky. I must say that in movies like that, and this film, he seems to truly understand that music in a movie can help engage the audience. Truth be told, words probably can’t even describe how both beautiful, as well as haunting the music can be at certain points. Next, the world building is very good. I mean from the towns, to the forests, it wouldn’t be surprising if one wouldn’t at least want to go into a forest with special water, and having special friends if he/she were to get transported into this fantastical world? Additionally, need I mention some really amazing action sequences that could have easily been used in a live-action martial arts film? Not to mention that this film itself could have easily been made into live-action. However, it was probably best in this case that this film was animated/anime. The reason being is because back when films like this, and Spirited Away were released, they both seemed to serve as good examples of animated films that could do some things that, more often than not, couldn’t (except in the cases of films like Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings, and Harry Potter, that is). Another thing to like about this film is that even if this film can feel somewhat like Fern Gully, and Avatar, Princess Mononoke also does a good job of being different enough that it doesn’t quite end up being too familiar with movies like those. Finally, Princess Mononoke does a really great job of teaching potentially good lessons about how one should love enemies even when uneasy yo do so, and being willing to do the impossible even when others say that you might be unable to.
While these are all good things, there are a few areas where the film falls. First off, some of the characters, while many of them are likable, there were also others that seemed okay, but not quite as likable as maybe they could be. Not to mention that one, or two characters that were a little confusing at points, especially when they take certain courses of action that one might not expect them to take. Another fault of this movie was that there were a couple plot holes that could have maybe been explained. I remember watching a couple scenes, for example where I found myself wondering why this certain thing ended up happening, or that situation occurred. Finally, the ending, while okay, there are certain aspects of it that could have made it better in the end. Don’t get me wrong, certain aspects of it are good. It just could have maybe been a little more than it ended up being in the end.
And that’s my review for Princess Mononoke. I spite of it having a few faults, it is an overall very enjoyable film. The world building is creative, some of the characters at least are likable, the musical score is fantastic, there are some good lessons to be learned from this film, and it’s a very cool, and mature film. I would say definitely go check it out, and see what you think of it. You may yet find yourself surprised by it.
Final Grade: B+
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 