Mononoke-hime (1997, Hayao Miyazaki)
Princess Mononoke is my sixth Miyazaki movie (after, in order of me seeing them, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, The Castle of Cagliostro, and My Neighbour Totoro), and I’m very sorry to say it’s probably my least favourite. I have been enchanted with all his movies so far, so maybe it’s fair to say my expectations were a bit high.
It tells the story of a boy called Ashitaka, who in the process of trying to protect his village from a demon, is stricken with a terrible curse. He journeys to a forest to find a god who can lift this curse, and in the process lands himself in the middle of a war. On one side, the animals who live in a forest. On the other, the human inhabitants of an iron mining town who seek to exploit the forest. Ashitaka is determined to end the war, and that’s when he meets a girl who was raised by wolves and is fighting the animal cause, Princess Mononoke.
I thought the story was wonderful, and the animation stunning — just as I expected. Every frame literally sings out a beautiful tune. In addition to the beauty at display, there are some very creepy and outright frightening images to behold here. This is definitely not a movie for young children. But it’s all wonderful to behold.
The theme of man vs nature seems like something that’s right up Miyazaki’s alley, and there’s no faulting the story here. I also really love the idea of these animal gods and demons; true fairytale material.
My main problem with the movie was that it seemed to drag a lot. It has a long sequence in the middle which doesn’t seem to serve any real purpose except prolong the wait for what is to come. And sadly, I got bored much too quickly. I was also confused from time to time; I felt like some of the characters and their motivations weren’t explained very well. I didn’t understand everything that was going on, and that annoyed me a lot and lessened my enjoyment.
Still, it’s definitely worth seeing, if only for some of the beautiful scenery.
I know talk of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli always sparks a lot of discussion, and I’d like to hear what you guys have to say about them. Which is your favourite, and why?
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