Princess Mononoke
Composite Score: 83.13
Starring: Yôji Matsuda/Billy Crudup, Kaoru Kobayashi/Billy Bob Thornton, Yûko Tanaka/Minnie Driver, Tsunehiko Kamijô/John DiMaggio, Yuriko Ishida/Claire Danes, and Hisaya Morishige/Keith David
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
Genres: Animation, Action, Adventure, Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for images of violence and gore
Box Office: $170.01 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Princess Mononoke is Hayao Miyazaki’s film about a prince who comes under a curse while protecting his village and must then seek a cure for the curse in exile among the spirits of the forest who are warring with a mining colony led by the cunning Lady Eboshi. The film is one of Miyazaki’s best, telling a captivating tale of nature vs. industry and spirituality vs. realism all against the backdrop of Miyazaki’s brilliant artistic vision. The visuals remain gorgeous, grounded in reality but with so many of the flights of fancy that make Miyazaki’s works so iconic. By the end of the film, you will understand why it has made its way to the top of so many lists of the director’s best works.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
Princess Mononoke is certainly (at least in my mind) the most visceral of Miyazaki’s works, featuring stronger violence than the rest and a mildly less optimistic take than his others as well. This by no means disqualifies the film from greatness, it is just a far cry from the whimsy of My Neighbor Totoro and Ponyo or even the slapstick violence of Porco Rosso and The Castle of Cagliostro. On some level, Princess Mononoke even feels like Miyazaki’s version of a samurai film (not just because it features samurai), but thematically as well. Again, I don’t think that makes the film bad, it just might shock some viewers who come in expecting a childlike sense of wonder and get a guy whose arm is scarred by demon worms and can shoot the heads and arms off of invaders with a bow and arrow.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Like everything that Miyazaki has made, Princess Mononoke presents themes to make its audience reflect on themselves and to seek betterment. In this case, Miyazaki presents the conflict of the film in the form of ideals represented by physical forces – nature and spirituality represented by San (Mononoke) and the spirits of the forest fighting against industry and realism represented by Lady Eboshi and the hunters and samurai. In familiar fashion, Miyazaki leaves some room for interpretation by crafting complex characters on both sides of the conflict and placing the film’s hero directly at its center, interacting with and allying with both. San is on the one hand a ruthless killer, but she only does so to feed her adopted wolf family and defend the forest from destruction by the miners. Lady Eboshi saves girls from prostitution and gives them jobs and protection, but she is also fully willing to kill a god and any other forest spirit creating obstacles to her militaristic expansion. Okkoto is the proud leader of the boar tribe, noble in the way he protects his family, but his stubbornness and pride get the majority of his family killed and nearly lead to the death of the entire forest. Jigo/Jiko is a knowledgeable and helpful guide, opposing the encroachment of the rogue samurai, but he turns out to be just another greedy human looking to receive a reward from the emperor for the trick to immortality. All of these complex characters provide the audience with plenty of rooting interest on both sides and provide a fitting commentary from Miyazaki on the dangers of fanaticism and of selling out to corporatism/industrialism.
By providing a rich tapestry of characters rich with flaws and merits, Miyazaki’s beautifully animated film Princess Mononoke engages audiences with discussions on progress and tradition and the dangers of adhering to closely to one while ignoring the other against the backdrop of a compelling narrative about war and curses and princes, finding its way into a deserving spot among the Greatest Films of All Time. Though its content might surprise some fans of Miyazaki with its intensity and violence, the film remains true to the filmmaker’s overall style and message and is sure to leave you impressed and contemplative. It is currently available to stream on HBO Max for those interested in checking it out.
