9.0
/10
Director:
Hayao Miyazaki
Release
Date: July 12, 1997
Running
Time: 133 minutes
Genre:
Animation
Synopsis:
Emishi Prince Ashitaka travels to far lands of the West in search of gods who
can cure his curse but what he finds there, is a battle between Princess
Mononoke and the villagers led by Lady Eboshi.
One
of the trademarks of Hayao Miyazaki's films is the representation of imaginary worlds
with mythical wonders. His films have a deeper message in them. This film is about the conflict between man
and nature but that doesn't limit its creativeness only to the theme. One can
conclude more and more from this epic tale.
Princess Mononoke (right) Vs Lady Eboshi (left) |
It revolves
around three characters: Prince Ashitaka, Lady Eboshi, and Princess Mononoke
aka San. Lady Eboshi, the leader of the villagers, manufactures iron. She's brave,
clever and ambitious but doesn't care very much about the men of the village. For
making iron they have to cut trees from the forest, due to which she becomes the enemy
of San who wants to protect the forest at any cost and doesn't care if she dies
in this fight. Raised by wolf gods, she considers herself a wolf too. Ashitaka
wants both humans and gods (nature) to live together in peace and try
everything he can to resolve the conflict.
Princess Mononoke |
Both San and Lady Eboshi are strong female characters and leaders of their respective groups but none of them is pure evil or pure good. This film is a perfect example of women's empowerment. Bollywood must learn about women's empowerment from this Japanese anime.
Cinematographer
Atsushi Okui has done a fabulous job. Nature
is very much alive in this film. It emphasizes the beautiful depiction of nature
with magical creatures and forest spirits, small villages, and gods of the forest representing
different elements of nature. Creators have paid huge attention to minute details
which ultimately results in an unforgettable watching experience. The scene
where the Dear god roams through the forest at night as a giant nightcrawler is so mesmerizing and visually satisfying.
In the time of live-action films, Japanese anime has shown that they are still more effective and captivating than most of Disney's animation films. There are no emotions that can't be expressed by the characters in Miyazaki's films. High-quality animation and effective and balanced portrayal of love & hate, modernization & tradition and gods & men make this film a masterpiece.
Dear God in Princess Mononoke |
In the time of live-action films, Japanese anime has shown that they are still more effective and captivating than most of Disney's animation films. There are no emotions that can't be expressed by the characters in Miyazaki's films. High-quality animation and effective and balanced portrayal of love & hate, modernization & tradition and gods & men make this film a masterpiece.
The ending of the film seems a little bit unsatisfactory. I was expecting a solid
conclusion. The film is more violent and complex than other Miyazaki films with
lots of war and fight sequences which makes this more suitable for the older
audiences.
Overall
Princess Mononoke is an excellent and brilliantly made film. It's very much
ahead of its time. A visual feast. A must-watch. To date, it feels so fresh
and powerful.
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