Princess Mononoke (The Ghibli Archive)

Princess Mononoke is held to be one of the best of the Studio Ghilbi films. I read online that it was supposed to be Hayao Miyazaki's last film back when he said he was going to retire. What the film is centered around is a Prince Ashitaka the last prince of his people who gets cursed defending his village from a cursed boar. He must leave his village and try and find a cure. When doing this he comes across forest gods and village that are trying to kill each other and thats the story.

Well to begin I am going to say this all the Studio Ghilbi films look amazing. This is like the Brave (be it a lot better) of the Studio Ghilbi. It has a lot of stuff work with like the landscape and the people it greats to create. It has great shots of mountain sides and it also has some really epic looking battle scenes. Now when it comes to the story this is a very good story with a really big and completely obvious message.  It isn't really much subtext to the theme of film. It is nature is good and man is good we need to work and live together and have no war. Miyazaki did a great job of balancing the two stories understanding were both sides come from. Now I will admit you feel more for the forest spirits like the humans are in the wrong, but that could be different from each viewing or who is viewing it. The acting in the film was good. I mean I enjoyed everyones voice, but I don't thing anybody brought anything to the role but it is still good. The tone of the film is amazing. The tone that is set by the film is this dark but very fantasy like world were everything has weight to it. The soundtrack is amazing. This my second viewing of the film. I really enjoyed it this time around. I thought it thought way to highly of itself. Now this viewing it wasn't as bad and a lot better.

My real only problem with the film is the pace. It is really action packed and really well made I think some scene just drag on a little. Not too badly, but sometimes I was like alright I get it lets move on please. I think if you are a person who things down on Anime or any from of Japanese film making this film should prove that it can very adult medium. This film can turn someone who things its just kid stuff to someone that is the total opposite. I mean this won the best Japanese film of the year at there "Oscars". I think more films need to be made like this.

RATING
3.5 out of 4 Ticket Stubs