Unreal Movie Vault: Princess Mononoke (1997)
After watching and being thoroughly impressed by Ponyo, I was interested in seeing more films created by Hayao Miyazaki. My wonderful readers have made some terrific recommendations in the past – most notably on Primer and Timecrimes – so it goes without saying that I’m always eager to check out what you guys consider great. From the comments I received on my Ponyo review, it appeared that Princess Mononoke was the consensus pick as Miyazaki’s best film, and so I was pretty excited when it arrived via Netflix a couple of days ago.
So what’s the verdict? I definitely enjoyed Princess Mononoke, and I’d even go as far as to call some scenes amazing. But the film is not without its flaws, and I think the praise Mononoke has received may be a tad bit overblown. Keep reading for my full review; there will be spoilers, as always.
One thing’s for sure – the beginning of Mononoke is as intense as any live-action movie I’ve seen in quite some time. Immediately, I was reminded of the gorgeous animation in Ponyo, although the animation in this film was significantly darker and more realistic, which was a good thing considering the subject matter. Ashitaka – the film’s protagonist – is startled by something sinister moving around the perimeter of his village and shows right away that he’s a badass of the highest order. The “something sinister” turns out to be a giant boar possessed by a demon, but Ashitaka shows no fear, drawing the beast’s attention and soon defeating it with an arrow to the eye in a sequence in which the animation can be described as breathtaking. The demon itself – represented by thousands of squirming, demonic snakes – was animated with the aid of computers, but it’s a seamless blend into the 2-D animation and not a distraction at all. In sort of an ongoing theme throughout the movie, I noticed a lot of aspects that have been borrowed – either intentionally or coincidentally – by video games. For example, I thought the demonic snakes that enveloped the boar looked a lot like a pissed off Alex in Prototype.
Anyhow, during the battle with the demon, Ashitaka suffers a wound on his arm. A woman in the village tells him that he’s cursed and that, soon enough, the curse will spread through his body and kill him. His only chance for survival is to head West, from where the boar came, and search for a cure. Ashitaka embarks on his journey accompanied by his great red elk Yakul, who’s loyalty and courage instantly made him one of my favorite non-human characters in any movie. He also gave me an idea for a future post, but that’s neither here nor there. Suffice to say, Yakul is friggin’ awesome.
On their way, Ashitaka and Yakul encounter some hostile samurai. Now, Ashitaka probably wouldn’t have too much trouble with these guys to begin with – he’s already proven his efficiency with the bow – but thanks to his new “demon arm,” he’s able to fire arrows so fast that they literally rip the samurais’ arms and heads from their bodies. I wasn’t expecting violence this graphic to be found in an animated film, but hey, I’m definitely not complaining. Back to that whole video game theory – the demonic arm reminded me quite a bit of Nero from Devil May Cry 4. I wonder how much video games borrow from anime.
Eventually, Ashitaka reaches a town in the mountains that seems to revolve around the production of iron. The leader of the town, Lady Eboshi, is determined to destroy the surrounding forest so that her town can expand and prosper and, as a result, is constantly warring with forest gods in the form of wolves. Ashitaka learns that the boar he killed was once a god, too. Additionally, a girl named San has aligned herself with the wolves, and the movie begins to take on an Avatar-esque theme of man’s exploitation of nature. San herself attacks the town and, just like the opening action sequence, it’s a marvel to watch. Soon enough, more alliances are formed, and the Forest Spirit enters the mix for what turns out to be a truly epic story.
The story in Princess Mononoke does indeed have an epic feel to it, what with gods in the form of wolves and boars, a supernatural Forest Spirit, and demons that truly look like the epitome of repugnance. But like I mentioned above, the movie is not without its flaws. It’s far from confusing – I really dig the story – but I found the pacing to be an issue. At times, Mononoke drags on, which is especially unsettling considering how terrific the action sequences are. My biggest problem with the movie, though, was the casting for the voice acting. I watched a version of the film that was dubbed over with American voice actors, and I think I would have been better off watching in Japanese with English subtitles. Nothing against Billy Bob Thornton, but using his voice for a major character was a terrible idea. It was a constant distraction, as hearing a sort of blue-collar, rugged American voice attached to a Japanese mercenary felt “off.”
Overall, Princess Mononoke is worth watching, if only for the incredible action sequences and brilliant animation. The story, too, is original and actually has some depth. All that said, the movie does tend to lag at times and probably could have been about 20 minutes shorter. The voice acting is another problem, although that’s not really relevant to the film as it was originally created. It’s far from a masterpiece, but Miyazaki did nothing to deter me from watching more of his films in the future.
3.5 out of 5 stars
I´m so glad you put this movie here. Its one of my favorited movies ever.
i just want to comment on your references of how certain parts take on avatar-ish themes! i mean you know the movie was made WAY back! it is actually a testament of how creative and innovative the director, script writer..etc are
also, it is always better to watch with japanese audio and english subtitles. i know it is annoying and distracts from the actual visuals, but it is very hard to have english dub to capture the emotion that was intended by the japanese director.
i hope you enjoy exploring more anime movies.
My favorite Miyazaki is Spirited Away.
Talk about a movie taking you out of your own reality for a minute. And his drawings are so detailed. I loooooove his work.
I love this movie. I can understand your thoughts on the flaws, though I had no problem with Thorton’s voice acting, maybe it’s because I haven’t seen a lot with him in it.
However, in my opinion, “Spirited Away” is just a notch better than “Princess Mononoke” (and to me, that ‘notch’ is only a millimeter wide). Give “Spirited” a chance. I’d love to read about your thoughts on that jem of a movie.
Agree with the other comments. Spirited Away is Miyazaki’s masterpiece.
dude, you’re always better off watching subbed not dubbed
@ Nick
Yes, that’s pretty much the rule of thumb. My own fault.
@ everyone
Well, looks like Spirited Away will be next on the queue. Thanks for the suggestion.
I do have to agree with Nick, watching Miyazaki’s movies subtitled is MUCH better. Spirited away was amazing, Howl’s Moving Castle is fantastic too.
Awesome post. Can’t wait for your review on Spirited Away!
If you liked momonoke you have to see spirited away. Definately watch with English subtitles.
3.5 stars?
While I enjoyed spirited away it was almost completely lacking in narrative. There just wasn’t a lot of story there, mostly a series of events.
I couldn’t even tell you what Howls Moving Castle was about. That one was a big let down for me.
Mononoke is still my favorite by far. The voice acting, save for Billy Crudup, is pretty terrible but if you can get beyond that, or put on the subtitles, it really stands out as his best work imho.
@ Stenerman
Yeah, well, voice acting isn’t something to nitpick; to me it’s a pretty big deal. I probably would have given it 3.75 or 4 with better voice actors or if I was smart enough to watch with subtitles.
@ xtheenderx
Thanks for reading. I will absolutely review Spirited Away after I watch it. I’m looking forward to it.
I’ve gotta say it.
Laputa: Castle in the Sky is by far my favourite Miyazaki movie. Maybe it’s because it’s the only one I had growing up, but I really do love it.
why is my comment not uploaded…
Spirited Away & Howl’s Moving Castle definitely get my vote. I almost always prefer the original voices with subtitles, but Howl’s Castle has great English voice actors (I’m not sure if I’ve ever watched it in Japanese!) If you’re looking for something more gritty and dark, check out Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (written by Mamoru Oshii of Ghost in the Shell fame.)
agree, agree, agree, uh yeah sure agree. i liked howls moving castle because it was just a simple departure from the norm. yeah some of it didn’t make sense but some of this stuff is for the pure fantasy of itself. same with spirited away. its from the child’s view of so there isn’t going to be much narrative or a massive amount of intelligent insight. spirited away and princess mononoke are some of the best anime movies out there i think.
Madison
agree, agree, agree, uh yeah sure agree. i liked howls moving castle because it was just a simple departure from the norm. yeah some of it didn’t make sense but some of this stuff is for the pure fantasy of itself. same with spirited away. its from the child’s view of so there isn’t going to be much narrative or a massive amount of intelligent insight. spirited away and princess mononoke are some of the best anime movies out there i think.
Madison
watch the movie akira and then play fear. there are some weird spooky alignments that only hit me after watching this. another bit of movie anime and video game connections that bewilder me are metal gear solid games and snake pliskin movie like escape from new york and escape from la. check em out.
Hey, i read your review. Its good that you like Miyazakis movie, but duuude, get real. Something your wrote if totally off. Princess Mononoke is a Masterpiece. But to compare it to Prototype and Avatar…i hope you see the meaning behind the movie, as well as all other Studio Ghibli Movie…btw you totally left out the music part…music/audio is 50% of the movie 🙂 Joe Hisaishi FTW
@ ankei
I think you need to read a bit more carefully and see where those Avatar and Prototype comparisons were made. There were aspects of the film that reminded me of Avatar and Prototype, and I’m well aware that Mononoke came out before either of those. It was just an observation, and I thought it was pretty clear as to what I was saying.
Thanks for reading.
@Madison
If you ever decide to watch My Neighbor Totoro, one of the earlier Miyazaki’s, and one of my favorite childhood films, DO NOT ORDER IT FROM NETFLIX. The version they carry is they new re-dubbed Disney version with Dakota Fanning as the main protagonist. If Billy Bob disappointed you in this, then avoid Disney’s Totoro. Look for the Fox version of the film. It’s still dubbed in English, but it’s much better than Dakota Fanning or Billy Bob could have ever been.
Also, I know it was said, but really, “Avatar-esque”? A film that was produces more than ten years earlier cannot be a representation of the latter.
@ ChetG
Thanks for the heads up.
As for my term “Avatar-esque,” everyone int he world has seen Avatar, so instead of using an entire paragraph to explain the man vs. nature themes that arise, I can use that term and everyone knows exactly what I’m talking about. I certainly didn’t mean to link the films in any other way.
@Madison
I understand your reasons, it still just irked me a bit. I also forgot to mention that this movie probably deserves higher than a 3.5. I can’t justify it losing that many points over Billy Bob.
This is a masterpiece, one of my favourite films of all time. Also I really recomend you watch my neighbour totoro, the most innocent film I have ever seen.
“Avatar-esque” I think what is so irritating about the comparison is that the studio ghibli films are works of art where as Avatar is a coldly calculated ego booster and money maker. Even to use it as a short cut instead of just saying “man vs. nature” is a smack in the face.
How do you attack the voice acting? Sometimes it can be difficult to sync the new dialog to the old lips and retain the original meaning. Plus this was before disney got a hold of ghibli movies and put real money behind them. Don’t forget without those celebrities who lent their voices we would not have gotten to see this film when we did.
fuck avatar. and prototype that game sucks and fuck you for not knowing what you’re talking about.
@ clint
Thanks for the intelligent comment that added so much. Really.
Mononoke is really better watched after you have seen the more accessible Miyazaki stuff. I consider it basically flawless, but I didn’t watch it until after I had seen several of the other Miyazaki films and already had a taste for them. I am sure that the things you are saying about parts being slow or whatever are probably true for a general audience, but I don’t see anything in it that needs to be cut.
I’ll just mention one of the many things about this film that are awesome.
People like Eboshi and the monk that are in moral gray areas (Eboshi is committing a horrible environmental crime but she rescues women from brothels and gives them, as well as lepers, a new chance at life), and the fact that Ashitaka, who is pretty much morally good all the way takes this in stride and works with everyone where they are. This is a common theme in Miyazaki’s work (and other Asian or Asian-influenced stuff I’ve seen) and strikingly different than what you see in most of what comes out of America, where we tend to have unambiguously clear cut good guys and clear cut bad guys. It’s very interesting to watch a film like mononoke and think about the moral issues with these good people working with the people who are somewhat morally ambiguous.
The relationship of the mother wolf to Ashitaka is another good example of this–she has no use for humans but raised one and ends up helping Ashitaka.
The complex relationships happening in and through all the action/etc give the film depth and make the replay value really high. They’re both fun to watch and fun to think about, and that’s a pretty rare combination.
@ mike
That’s a really, really good point, and something I hadn’t considered. You’re right, and this put Mononoke in a more positive light for me.
Thanks for reading.
@Mike
Thanks for saying everything I wish I could have said. Your comment makes me want to watch this movie right now.
Howl’s Moving Castle is by far his best IMHO but this movie is nothing short of spectacular.
Japanese language, and english subtitles is how this kind of movies must be seen, its a shame how you let your opinion of english voices affect the overall note for this amazing movie.
Blame the dubbers, and blame you, as you should have seen it with only english subs from the start.
you have to understand the japanese have a completely different approach to animation than, say, hollywood. check out akira for some old school gore; or the first episode of Elfin Lied for an example of what they show on broadcast t.v. (tits and dismemberment= <3)
Thank you Mike for putting in words everything I wanted to say about Princess Mononoke vs. typical U.S. fare and why I was so intrigued by the complex characters in this film. Like Madison, I rented this film via Netflix just a few days ago after being advised by several people that if I loved Ponyo, I must watch this one next. Unlike Madison and others, including some who commented on Netflix, I had no trouble with the dubbing, and truly believed that Billy Bob Thorton’s voice was coming out of the monk/mercenary’s mouth. Same for Claire Danes as San. Maybe when watching animation that is so compelling (as it was in the old hand drawn Disney features), I revert to my childhood and suspend all disbelief, accepting all the characters as real living breathing entities with their own unique voices. At first I thought I preferred Ponyo because Princess Mononoke is so dark and disturbing by comparison. But for days afterward I found myself pondering the conundrum that, while I wanted to hate Eboshi for her wanton destruction of the forest and its creatures, I admired her for her strength and the kindness she showed to two usually maligned groups – lepers and prostitutes. One thing I have noticed recurring in the two the Miyazaki films I have now seen, in addition to the already mentioned man vs. nature theme, are the presence of strong female characters, an unbreakable bond between a young boy and girl, and wisdom offered by older community members, many of whom are women. Most likely what I am noticing is the contrast between Asian and American cultural influences. Early on I was amazed that a film made ostensibly for or, at least intended to include, child viewers would have characters from a brothel. But I noticed this probably unknown word sailed right over the heads of my teenage stepkids, one of whom first saw this movie when he was a child. Still I loved the pluck and earthy humor of the former prostitutes. And I loved the presentation of characters who are not so easily categorized as all good or all evil. What a better way to introduce children to the complexity of life. I also wondered whether the Japanese, the only people on the planet so far (and hopefully forever) to have experienced an atom bomb blast, have something very important to tell the rest of us about co-existence with nature and acceptance of one another.
in my opinion,next to nausicaa and castle in the sky,i think mononoke is a damn good film
reely? u gave princess mononoke a lower score than ponyo?
i could barely stand ponyo, and i thought this movie was a total masterpiece.