Rating: 
Summary: possibly the best anime of all time
Review: This probably one of the best anime i have ever seen. It is really deep, and incredibly imaginative. In Australia, Princess Mononoke hasn't even come out yet. I saw it once at a remote cinema and have been trying to track it down ever since. I am one of the greatest anime lovers you will find, and this anime definently my favourite tied with Street Fighter 2, Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, Evangelion and Sailor Moon. This anime is different from any movie in any country i have ever seen. I cannot stand American movies. They are the most predictable in the world. This is the big picture of so many of them: The big bad guys are going to something big and bad, and the good guys have to save the world, get rid of the bad guys, marry some babe and live happily ever after. Anime is alot less predictable, but even they have a general picture about them. They are often set in the future: the world has been destroyed and now we have to fight with big machines to save what's left. Princess Mononoke is far different from both. There are no good or evil characters, and it isn't based on who's wrong and who's right, it's based on what is, and what people are really like. There was no happy ending, there was no soppy kissing scene at the end, and the movie is so easy to get absorbed into. I have never seen a disney movie, anime, or american film anything like this. I have only seen the japanese subtitled version, but i love it. I'm not sure i want to see the english version. Now to the critics. If you thought that this movie dragged on too long, and you would prefer to see a 'get to the point, predictable american film', then why the hel did you try and watch something that dared to be different? And for those of you who think that animated films are just for kids, you have no idea how wrong you are. Japanese films are not often for children, and they are alot less 'goodie goodie' than you think. For those of you who are put off by the gore, don't be so ignorant. That is probably what did happen back then, and we do have blood in us. When skin is broken, blood comes out. Get used to it. You can't have a realistic film where people get killed, stabbed, and generally wounded by weapons, and not be bleeding. So, i know there are plenty of people out there like me, who were truly touched by this film, and hold it to a very high respect. Miyazaki, you are a genius and my new idol. I love this film and am very sad i do not have a copy. I don't have a DVD player and finding the VHS format in japanese is incredibly hard. I can only remember and preach about it til i get a copy. The only thing in the film i would change is that the two main characters should have gotten together. Which reminds me, those of you who said there was romance in this movie well, where is it? Anyway, anyone who does not like this movie is either out of their mind or is just an all american film watcher(grrrrr). Do not miss the chance to watch this i am telling you.
Rating:
Summary: ~A truly eptical adventure from a 14 year old girl~
Review: Honestly, I think that this is a terrific film. Not only because of the pictures, but the plot really got me engrossed into it. It delivers the truth between humans and nature (i being a "tree-hugger" myself). The story touched my heart and I am positive that it will touch yours.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing Film Not Given It's Due By Disney
Review: It's been years since I watched an anime film. I was reading a current issue of Video Watchdog when I came across a review for this film/dvd by Stephen Bissette. I have always respected his choice of films and writing, so I decided to read on. For those of you who don't know Disney owns the rights to this film. They gave it a sorry theatrical release and in my and Bissette's opinion a poor release on DVD as well. Consider this, I bought Oliver Stone's Platoon and Salvador on DVD (New) for $15.00 ea. Both discs came with audio commentaries, a great deal of bonus features, and superb transfers. Now why is it that Princess Mononoke costs more for less? Disney bought the rights to this film (which was huge overseas) and practically buried it here because it puts their own releases to shame. Anyone see Fantasia 2000? PU. So after reading Bissette's article I rented the disc. I have not been this impressed by an animated feature since Watership Down (which has yet to be released on DVD). Something I found interesting which Bissette did not mention was the English dubbing versus the literal translated subtitles. I was disgusted to see how such a beautiful language was interpreted. Try it yourself, it's amazing how much the dubbing has been dumbed down and Americanized. Soon after this experiment I watched the film in Japanese with the subs on. Incidently, Bissette points out that there is no mention on the DVD jacket of a Japanese track. The fact that one exists at all was most likely a last minute effort put into effect after fans complained on various chat boards that the film was going to be released in English only. The jacket was already printed so they just slapped a sticker on the cover to note the various languages. See, it does good to voice an opinion. All said and done the disc looks and sounds very good. I just think it's a crime when a film as beautiful as this is treated so poorly. Disney should hang their heads in shame. They have never produced anything this good.
Rating:
Summary: blood,devastation,death,war and horror!
Review: okay, this probably isn't suitable for kids, because it is very violent. but, this is one of the best anime movies i have ever seen. it has a rich, thick plot, a great dialog and an insight into ancient japan on a small scale. in short, buy it buy it buy it buy it buy it!
Rating:
Summary: Definitely an instant classic
Review: I was skeptical at first because I have watched lots of different anime titles, and most of them are quite poor. But I went ahead and bought this based on the rave reviews it received. The first time that I watched it, I wasn't sure what to think because the story was so strange compared to the stories found in Western animation, but it really grew on me.
The animation is top notch...I have never seen anything so beautiful before. The characters are superbly drawn. This is definitely an instant classic that you will want in your collection.
Rating:
Summary: I can't find anything wrong with this movie!
Review: This movie has to get through a lot of barriers to American audiences: it's animated, they think "kid's stuff," and so they automatically think it's stupid and/or are dismayed by the violence (which really isn't all that bad, it's really glossed over, considering the warfare going on). And there's also the environmental message, which makes people roll their eyes. But Princess Mononoke avoids all the traps and is just an artfully written, beautifully illustrated story with the background of myth and modern-day issues. The film avoids being preachy and just shows what happens when people try to conquer nature instead of being a part of it, as well as showing that the problems the hero faces aren't because of demented evil, but people (or gods or animal spirits, as the case may be) trying to get by and get ahead. Other notes: there is great voice work in Princess Mononoke (some people complained; they must not watch anime dubs very much) especially by Minnie Driver as Lady Eboshi. The dialogue also lacks that bad-translation feel and is actually in synch with the character's mouth movements. (seriously, this is saying a lot). There is no reason why you shouldn't see this movie, unless you need shoot-em-up action, a sappy romance, or predictable comedy to enjoy a film.
Rating: 
Summary: the story is lacking
Review: I was rather disappointed with this film! I think the story was lacking. The art work was spectacular, and I loved the spirits in the forest. But it seems that the villian learns their lesson a bit too late. Rather disappointing. And the story is a bit slow too. There are no dramatic changes of the characters in the story, except, of course for the forest spirit.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, insightful and moving
Review: I loved this film. I saw it having seen little or no anime before, and was most impressed. The visuals are absolutely stunning at times and the characters expressively drawn. Not only that, but it has a well-crafted story which bravely avoids the trap of a cliched 'Hollywood' ending where the 'bad guys' get beaten and the 'good guys' kiss and live happily ever after. The characters and factions in the story are much less black and white than pretty much all animation (and live action for that matter) that I've seen. All 'sides' in the central conflict of nature versus technology have legitimate motivations, and all of them also have something to learn. The ending is quite ambiguous (perhaps leaving room for a sequel?), leaving behind the moral that conflicting points of view can exist together without one having to destroy the other. I only had a couple of gripes. Firstly, I thought the two central characters could have done with a bit more meaningful dialogue to develop them and their relationship. This may be a symptom of the second problem, which was that the English adaptation of the script was a little disappointing. I've only seen the film in English (I'd like to see it in the original Japanese with subtitles, which is possible with the DVD), and I thought the 90s American voices jarred somewhat with the mythic Japanese setting. Some of the voices fitted the characters quite well (Gillian Anderson's character, for example) but others just seemed out of place, like the warrior monk who sounded like Hank off King of the Hill! However, overall I enjoyed the film very much and appreciated its lessons. It addresses contemporary issues without detracting from its status as an exciting mythic tale.
Rating:
Summary: Best Animated Film Ever
Review: This is the greatest animated work of all time. The story is extremely well written, the characters seem "real" and the animation is awe inspiring. When I first received this item in the mail, I had known there was a lot of buzz surrounding it so I was greatly interested in watching it. I put the disc in my DVD player and after the menus were finished, the movie started and then... my jaw dropped to the floor. The animation was beautiful. It almost looked like I was watching an animated oil painting! One of the things that really impresses me about this film is the backgrounds. EVERYTHING is animted. Whereas Disney would put a stationary background and have people running around in it, this film has trees swaying in the wind, little bugs flying around and multitudes of other little subtleties that will make you want to go back and watch again just to see what you missed. In a world where Disney can create nearly idnetical copies of Japanese Animation and get away with it (search the internet for the Lion King/Kimba the White Lion and Atlantis/Nadia shams), this is quite a unique story without talking pet animals. It touches on "real world" problems of people destroying the environment and not thinking about how it impacts the rest of the Eco System. Trust me, it's way better than I make it sound. There are a couple of audio options on this disc and I am glad the fans were able to convince Miramax (Disney) to put the English and Japanese (there's also a French track) tracks on here along with English "closed captioning" and a direct translation of the Japanese script. The other thing that really impressed me was that if you watch the Japanese audio version, you are treated to all of the original Japanese text in the opening and the ending (credits) and if you watch the English (or French) version, you have English text. Even the other big Anime companies don't offer you this, usually they have English overlays on the Japanese text to cover it up. They even left the Japanese ending song in the Japanese verision! I love this film and highly reccommed it to anyone who enjoys a good animated film.
Rating: 
Summary: NOTHING BUT A BLOOD AND GORE SHOW!
Review: THIS IS THE WORST FILM I HAVE EVER SEEN, I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING GOOD ON IT, I ONLY SAW ARMS FLYING AND HEADS!, MAJOR JOKE!, I LOVED THIS FILM!, IT'S FULL OF ACTION, WELL EVERYTHING, YUP, THE FILM IS A BIT SLOW AT THE BEGIGING BUT LATER ON THE FILM BECOMES MORE FAST PACED, ALSO THE STORYLINE IS GREAT, THE ANIMATION IT'S ALSO, I RECENTLY READED THE ONE STARRED REVIEWS, AND I CANNOT BELIEVE THOSE PEOPLE WHO RECOMENDED "NINJA SCROLL", OH MY GOD!, THAT FILM HAS A LOT MORE OF BLOOD, GORE THAN THIS ONE!, A NOTE TO PARENTS, I RECOMMEND THE FILM FOR KIDS 10 YEARS AND OVER.
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