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Princess Mononoke (movie)

Although only three (counting this one) have made it to the US, almost all of Miyazaki's works fall relatively neatly into an age spectrum: At the youngest end is My Neighbor Totoro, and then Kiki's Delivery Service. The midrange is occupied by Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and the former top was Nausicaa, now joined by Princess Mononoke. Miyazaki fans should note that this really does stand out as his most "mature" production; the themes are familiar, but there is a harder edge than even Nausicaa had, and the violence is considerably (and surprisingly) more graphic than any of his other works. American fans only familiar with his "childrens'" animation probably think of Miyazaki as a creator of beautiful, fanciful kid's stories, but this is most decidedly not a kid's cartoon. What it is is a serious allegorical tale that doesn't take any easy ways out and paints a more complicated picture than most movies that seem to try many times harder to do so.

Just because this is a large scale allegory doesn't mean that the story and characters are nebulous or broad; on the contrary, the feel is surprisingly earthy and the story is quite solid. Many of the characters are equally well developed: their motives are not superficial, and the distinction between who is good and bad, what is right and wrong, is neither clear nor simple--at times, it's not even readily discernible. On the surface, this looks like one of those evil mankind versus good nature stories, but it is thankfully not nearly that simple (much less so than Nausicaa, for one), and the telling of the tale is both engrossing and thought provoking. Don't just sit back and expect to have the lines drawn for you, because nothing is as simple as it is in most stories of this sort, and the comforting black and white answers that make things easy are nowhere to be found--the nature-destroying "bad guys" have lives and do a lot of good things, and the forces of nature are bitter and full of very human flaws.

I can really only find one flaw with the story (or the whole production, for that matter), and that's its lack of originality. Not originality in general--there are few movies like this anywhere--but originality for Miyazaki; it's immediately obvious that the basic story and theme is very similar to Nausicaa. Of course, that's not exactly a bad thing, considering how loved Nausicaa is, and the American public won't know that anyway. And even though it probably would have been interesting to see Miyazaki try some new subject matter, the very different take on an essentially similar story and characters clearly differentiates Princess Mononoke from it's predecessor--the feel is more down to earth, the action more gritty, and the situations and characters much more complex.

Artistically, Miyazaki fans need not fear; the story may be complex, but that doesn't mean that Miyazaki's unique talent for artistic beauty is lost or even dimmed--on the contrary, this is in many ways his most beautiful movie to date. It is different from his previous works in that the locations are much less fanciful, and the action is much smaller scale and more gritty. But he takes the simple, realistic locations of the countryside that the story is set in and draws a surprising amount of beauty out of them. The rendering of grassy fields, fertile valleys, and dark forests is a true work of art in and of itself, as is the almost-familiar architecture. Likewise, the characters, both human and animal, are also exquisitely crafted and rendered. Although the character designs are no stretch for Miyazaki--their looks are mostly taken from Nausicaa (though some of their personalities are quite different)--they are as pleasing as ever, and the character animation is top notch. As for action, don't expect many of the sweeping chases or breathtaking flyovers of past Miyazaki movies, but the action is equally impressive in a more down to earth way. One thing you might want to pay attention to is the very effective use of open space; the close-up action was always solid, but due to gunfire and arrows much of the action takes place at long ranges, and the sense of distance was very real.

One thing that has some hard-core anime fans a little worried is the coming tide of computer animation; not the 3D stuff, but computer coloring and compositing of traditional, frame by frame animation. It might seem like the harbinger of the apocalypse that Miyazaki, the master of cel animation, has begun using computer techniques and even 3D animation for some backgrounds in his newest work. Fear not--the computer techniques are only noticeable in that this movie looks as beautiful as anything. It maintains an artistic, handcrafted look while keeping with the times and utilizing computer animation where it is most effective--with subtle moving backgrounds that can be more smoothly animated with computers. And the result is both barely (if ever) noticeable and quite beautiful.

Having seen both the original Japanese version and the very high profile English dub that made the rounds in theaters, I can say that both are quite good. I honestly think the Japanese acting and casting were somewhat better, but you won't be disappointed by all the big name actors in the dub. Billy Kudrup (Ashitaka) in particular delivered a solid performance, and most of the other characters (even minor ones) were quite good as well. I was a little wary of the very different vocal take on the wolf god, but Gillian Anderson was good in her limited role. I wasn't terribly fond of San (she sounded a bit too modern), but the only character I was really disappointed by was Billy Bob Thorton; not only was he poorly cast and acted with too much indifference, but somehow an ancient Japanese monk with a Southern accent doesn't seem right. In all, though, you won't go wrong with the dialogue in either language.

This is essentially the first of the great anime productions to see broad, if limited, theatrical release in America (Pokemon does not count), and there couldn't have been a better choice. It might be a little hard for some in the general public to believe that a cartoon (by the maker of My Neighbor Totoro, at that) could be serious, realistically violent, deep, thought provoking, and a visual work of art on top of it all. Experienced anime fans, especially those who know Miyazaki's work, should have no trouble believing all that, of course, and it is in serious contention for the position of his greatest work (I personally preferred Nausicaa by a hair). In either case, believe me when I say although it was almost guaranteed instant anime classic status, it deservedly ranks among the masterpieces of the medium, and in my opinion of cinema in general. It may not be without flaw, but it's certainly close and it manages to be entertaining, mentally engaging, morally complex, and beautiful to behold in almost every way.

-Akemi's Anime World