Princess Mononoke
Reviews
Andres Gomez
Probably the best movie from Miyazaki. A mixture of old Japanese traditions with the story about the conflict between the industrial human being and the preservation of the Nature.
tmdb79319797
Hayao Miyazaki's arts have always something to remember us that we are naturally harmonized with mother earth and existences. There is still a bond, if one is hurt another, it means the one suffer itself as well.
Niemand
Original title: Mononoke Hime The film is set in the 14th Century during Japan’s Muromachi Period. Young Prince Ashitaka, the last royal of his line, slays a wild boar that is about to attack his village. The boar, demonised because it was consumed by rage and hatred, infects the young Prince, who will eventually become demonised too. He leaves the village to find a cure in the form of Shishigami, a deer-like god. On his journey he realises that the latent rage and hatred within him, when it surfaces, gives him enormous power – proven when he slices off the arms of a Samurai warrior and decapitates another one. On his journey, he sees a travelling group of people attacked by a wolf pack. He saves two of the men who, it turns out, are from Irontown, run by the Lady Ishobi. He brings the two men back to Irontown, which is peopled by women who do the foundry-work and chores, and men who provide the security and protection, although even that is not cut and dried as the women are capable of defending themselves with guns being manufactured especially for them by the lepers to whom the Lady Ishobi provides food and dignity. There is much humour when the women verbally chastise their menfolk. I found those scenes hilarious. When Ashitaka brings the men back to Irontown he is welcomed by the Lady Ishobi. He also discovers that the wolf pack was led by the wolf god Moro, and the strange girl he saw help the wolves was San, the adopted daughter of Moro. San has the ability to talk to the nature spirits, and she is therefore known as Princess Mononoke (“Spirits of things”). Ashitaka is concerned that Ishobi is destroying the forest. It turns out that the Lady Ishobi and Moro are in battle because of the damage being done to the forest. To add to this, Ishobi has also recruited Samurai to help her in her fight, but the Samurai have two motives: one is to take the head of the Forest Spirit back to the Emperor, who believes it will give him immortality. The second is to take Irontown from the Lady Ishobi. That is an abstract of the plot. Miyazaki used computer-generated graphics in this for the first time, but most of the film was generated by hand. This I think is to its benefit. The drawing is breathtaking in places, and the depiction of such supernatural events as the Forest Spirit changing into the Nightwalker and the scene of the demon-possessed boar when it emerges from the forest for the first time are spectacular. I think it’s too scary and bloody for children, but a friend assures me that this sort of film is par for the course for children in Japan. The film is over two hours long, and it does pack a lot into that two hours. I found this film very interesting and watchable. I wanted to know what happened, and the plot was certainly not predictable. I believed in the world it depicted. I think in any film you have to allow it to draw you into its world (up to a point, some films are ludicrous and expect too much, this isn’t one of them). Part of the reason for the film’s ability to keep me interested is because the characters cannot be labelled “goodies” and “baddies.” Yes, Moro and his pack are attacking helpless workers, but they are destroying the forest and he needs to protect his way of life. Yes, the Lady Ishobi is destroying the forest, but she’s making a living for herself and is helping others: she has removed the women from servitude in brothels, given them security, work, and a home; some have found husbands or companions. She has provided shelter, home and work for the lepers, normally outcasts. Neither side seems particularly vindictive; Ishobi’s attempts to rid herself of the wolf pack are for self preservation, and her coalition with the Samurai to destroy the Forest Spirit is her attempt to remove the constant threat of attack. One can argue that if she took a more conciliatory view, maybe some sort of truce could be reached, but time and again members of the wolf pack merely say “they are humans, they must be killed” – to the point that even Ashitaki, who has helped the animals – is threatened with death if he does not leave the forest. In fact, one could argue that it is the animals who show a “racist” attitude here – demanding the death of the humans because they are humans. None of the humans in the film demand the death of the animals simply because they are animals. Their deaths, and the destruction of their habitat, are an unfortunate side-effect of the humans’ industrialisation, not a deliberate act. I hope that what you see from my analysis above is that the film is not goodies v. baddies. It’s nature v. industrialisation, and the compromise to that is not an easy one, and the film reflects that. You’ll be happy to know the film does have an upbeat ending, but thankfully it’s not entirely predictable, in my opinion. I thoroughly recommend the film.
CinemaSerf
When a village is tormented by a wild boar, it falls to the young "Ashitaka" to sort it out. Turns out though, that it isn't an ordinary beast - and in the fight the man is afflicted with a curse that requires his journey to the great tree god to put right. His travels lead him to the unscrupulous "Lady Eboshi" who has developed a smelting process that enables her to make guns - giving her not only advantage against the other local clans, but also helping her on her quest to kill the gods and the wolves lead by the Princess Mononoke whom they have raised from infancy. The story is great, the colourful and detailed animation moves the fable along well and excitingly with plenty of solid characterisation and action a-plenty. As ever with Miyazaki, there is a moral to the story - and the last twenty minutes exemplify that beautifully. The English language dubbed version has a good cast injecting personality and an extra degree of emotion to the characters too. I did find the forest sprites just a bit too twee, but otherwise this is a great marriage of creativity and legend - and I really enjoyed it.
hamfaceman
This is my favorite movie from Miyazaki. The visuals are great. The characters are great. The voice acting (English version) is great. The animation is great. Music is great. The story is good. Everything about this movie is so cool and it's just really fun to watch.
Movie Recommendation
My Neighbor Totoro1988-04-16Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.More...
Howl's Moving Castle2004-09-09Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.More...
Castle in the Sky1986-08-02A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.More...
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind1984-03-11After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley engage in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity and Earth.More...
Spirited Away2001-07-20A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.More...
Kiki's Delivery Service1989-07-29A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.More...
Porco Rosso1992-07-18In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former World War I flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew's American ace, Porco Rosso enlists the help of spunky girl mechanic Fio Piccolo and his longtime friend Madame Gina.More...
Ponyo2008-07-19When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea.More...
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya2013-11-23Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthrals all who encounter her. But, ultimately, she must confront her fate.More...
Pom Poko1994-07-16The Raccoons of the Tama Hills are being forced from their homes by the rapid development of houses and shopping malls. As it becomes harder to find food and shelter, they decide to band together and fight back. The Raccoons practice and perfect the ancient art of transformation until they are even able to appear as humans in hilarious circumstances.More...
Whisper of the Heart1995-07-15Shizuku lives a simple life, dominated by her love for stories and writing. One day she notices that all the library books she has have been previously checked out by the same person: 'Seiji Amasawa'.More...
The Wind Rises2013-07-20A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A-6M World War II fighter plane.More...
Trainspotting1996-02-23Hilarious but harrowing, the film charts the disintegration of the friendship between Renton, Spud, Sick Boy, Tommy and Begbie as they proceed seemingly towards a psychotic, drug-fuelled self-destruction.More...
Grave of the Fireflies1988-04-16In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.More...
The Secret World of Arrietty2010-07-1614-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.More...
Wolf Children2012-07-21After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident, a woman must find a way to raise the son and daughter that she had with him. However, their inheritance of their father's traits prove to be a challenge for her.More...
My Neighbors the Yamadas1999-07-17The Yamadas are a typical middle class Japanese family in urban Tokyo and this film shows us a variety of episodes of their lives. With tales that range from the humorous to the heartbreaking, we see this family cope with life's little conflicts, problems, and joys in their own way.More...
From Up on Poppy Hill2011-07-16Yokohama, 1963. Japan is picking itself up from the devastation of World War II and preparing to host the 1964 Olympics—and the mood is one of both optimism and conflict as the young generation struggles to throw off the shackles of a troubled past. Against this backdrop of hope and change, a friendship begins to blossom between high school students Umi and Shun—but a buried secret from their past emerges to cast a shadow on the future and pull them apart.More...
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion1997-07-19SEELE orders an all-out attack on NERV, aiming to destroy the Evas before Gendo can advance his own plans for the Human Instrumentality Project. Shinji is pushed to the limits of his sanity as he is forced to decide the fate of humanity.More...
Back to the Future1985-07-03Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.More...
Similar Movies
Ronia: The Robber's D...
1984-12-14Ronia lives happily in her father's castle until she comes across a new playmate, Birk, in the nearby dark forest. The two explore the wilderness, braving dangerous Witchbirds and Rump-Gnomes. But when their families find out Birk and Ronia have been playing together, they forbid them to see each other again. Indeed, their fathers are competing robber chieftains and bitter enemies. Now the two spunky children must try to tear down the barriers that have kept their families apart for so long.2001: A Space Odyssey...
1968-04-02Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.Nausicaä of the Valle...
1984-03-11After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley engage in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity and Earth.Gladiator
2000-05-04After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.Spirited Away
2001-07-20A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.Death for a Unicorn
2013-08-01Little Billy’s life is tormented by his scheming aunt who drags him daily to the cemetery and forces him to clean his uncle’s headstone. There Billy meets Myrtle, a little girl ghost stuck between the worlds of the living and the dead. Freeing Myrtle means losing the only friend Billy has ever had.A Spot for Frog
2022-06-01Locked out of the school art room, a creative non-binary teen named Frog grapples with anxiety as they seek a new place to eat lunch. Imagination blurs with reality in this hybrid work of live action and animation about finding a place to belong.The Horse Whisperer
1998-02-01The mother of a severely traumatized daughter enlists the aid of a unique horse trainer to help the girl's equally injured horse.The Matrix Reloaded
2003-05-15Six months after the events depicted in The Matrix, Neo has proved to be a good omen for the free humans, as more and more humans are being freed from the matrix and brought to Zion, the one and only stronghold of the Resistance. Neo himself has discovered his superpowers including super speed, ability to see the codes of the things inside the matrix and a certain degree of pre-cognition. But a nasty piece of news hits the human resistance: 250,000 machine sentinels are digging to Zion and would reach them in 72 hours. As Zion prepares for the ultimate war, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity are advised by the Oracle to find the Keymaker who would help them reach the Source. Meanwhile Neo's recurrent dreams depicting Trinity's death have got him worried and as if it was not enough, Agent Smith has somehow escaped deletion, has become more powerful than before and has fixed Neo as his next target.The Matrix Revolution...
2003-11-05The human city of Zion defends itself against the massive invasion of the machines as Neo fights to end the war at another front while also opposing the rogue Agent Smith.Inazuma Eleven GO The...
2011-12-23The Raimon team has been invited by Fifth Sector strangely to a soccer camp. When they agree, things go out of hand since it was revealed that Fifth Sector wants to eliminate them once and for all in the island called God Eden. Now, the Raimon team needs to train harder, to be able to show that they have the strength to fight back and prove Fifth Sector's doings wrong.Pretty Cure Dream Sta...
2017-03-18A mysterious girl named Sakura escaped after her fox friend, Shizuku was arrested. When he managed to escape, she fell to the Human World only to be found by Ichika Usami. Sakura says she is from "Sakuragahara", a world based on ancient Japan that is in danger because a mysterious evil figure named Karasu Tengu has taken over and stolen all the beautiful things in her world. She is also looking for Pretty Cure that represents Sweet, Jewels and Keys. Ichika says that she found the KiraKira PreCure team, which represents sweets. As two Karasu Tengu servants arrived in the human world looking for Sakura, the other members of the KiraKira team were ambushed, only to be saved by Maho Girls PreCure! Team, which represented Jewel and Go! Princess PreCure Team, which represents Key. When they gathered together with Sakura, the three teams had to dare Sakuragahara to save Shizuku and free her world from the evil hands of Karasu Tengu.Ao Oni The Animation
2017-02-11Based on the horror game Ao Oni by noprops. Five members of the cultural anthropology club at an old western-style school are trying to come up with ideas for their presentation at the school's culture festival, when they find a collection of folk tales gathered by a student in their club 40 years ago. They realize that the mysterious Bellflower Oni that appears in the folk tales may be the basis for the popular free game Ao Oni, and decide to make that their theme. They manage to make contact with the author of the Ao Oni game, but he dies mysteriously soon afterward. The club members become suspicious at the author's death and began to investigate on their own, but encounter a secret they never should have touched: a secret underground prison in the school. For some reason all the fire doors at the school are locked, and they are trapped in the school. The sound of the strange footsteps they hear soon turn to their screams...A new tragedy of the Ao Oni is about to begin.Black Butler: Book of...
2017-01-21Ciel learns of a "Aurora Society", that is rumored to be researching how to bring the dead back to life. Their next meeting is scheduled to be conducted on the ship Campania, voyaging across the Atlantic Ocean. Much to Ciel's dismay, Elizabeth "Lizzy" Midford, is taking the same ship, thus leaving him with no choice but to get aboard as well.Space Battleship Yama...
2017-10-14Theatrical release of episodes 7-10 of Yamato 2202.Constantine
2005-02-08John Constantine has literally been to Hell and back. When he teams up with a policewoman to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister, their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exists beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles.Dances with Wolves
1990-03-30Wounded Civil War soldier John Dunbar tries to commit suicide—and becomes a hero instead. As a reward, he's assigned to his dream post, a remote junction on the Western frontier, and soon makes unlikely friends with the local Sioux tribe.Kanamewo
2015-11-04A young, unnamed woman, while biking home from the bank she works at, happens upon a weakened tree goddess whose native shrine is being demolished for construction work. She rescues her and brings the goddess home with her. The two form a relationship, but what will happen to the goddess as the construction progresses?Tracing the Gray Summ...
2001-08-18Animated film about the Seveso disaster, which took place north of Milan, Italy in 1976.My Hero Academia: You...
2024-08-02In a society devastated by the effects of an all-out war between heroes and villains, a mysterious giant fortress suddenly appears, engulfing towns and people one after another. Then, a man reminiscent of All Might, the 'symbol of peace', stands in front of Izuku and his friends...