Rating: 
Summary: A Good and Complete Story
Review: Princess Mononoke is a very well animated movie that is complete in itself. It has a theme of peace rather than violence, and a respect for nature, though I would definitely say it's gory enough (and so deserves the pg-13 rating). On the whole, I'd say it's a superior work in anime, and the plot is easier to follow than most. Good for those fairly new to anime as well.
Rating:
Summary: A Dazzling Epic for the Anime Novice
Review: I find most of it tiresome... Confusing or non-existing plots, thin characterizations, dialogue tangents that stray from the story, occasional surrealism to make even Salvador Dali go, "Huh?" Princess Mononoke doesn't suffer from any of these.Even if you're not a fan of anime, you should check this movie out. The visuals are stunning. One really can not praise this movie enough for its wonderful animation. From the wide shot landscape scenery to the tight action, Princess Mononoke offers the best there is in Japanimation. The story will make you comtemplative. The "bad guys" aren't truly bad, and the "good guys" aren't 100% good. It's all about shades of gray, like real life, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of morality lessons one can carry away from it. The English translation is well done by voice actors you will easily recognize, but I also recommend watching it in Japanese with subtitles. The Japanese speech has a beauty to its rhythm that isn't as present in the English dialogue. Also, there are some subtle differences in the subtitle translations versus the spoken translations. They're minor, but I found them interesting none the less.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best Movie I've Seen In Years
Review: I think that this is a excellent movie! And let me emphasize excellent! I was completely astonished by the greatness of it! When I first watched it I immediatly wanted to buy it! One of the best anomated movies I've ever seen!
Rating:
Summary: Great animation and Even Better Story
Review: I am a very harsh critic on Japanese Anime. Most of the hub bub surrounding Japanese anime is in part because of the violence in the "cartoon". Normally, at least in my case, the stories don't make sense, the characters have extremely exaggerated features such as huge eyes, tiny or no nose and tiny tiny mouths. Plus it's almost like watching cardboard, with the background moves as the characters are "running" (basically standing still in a running pose). Sometimes in anime they will only have a body part moving, like an arm or a hand picking up a cup of coffee, as if to signify the every day habits of people. Most of the time there is no depth to the characters, they don't cast shadows, the background is your basic squares and circles. The buildings are all the same, side characters are extremely poorly drawn and are mostly baboonish, basically lifeless around the main characters. The stories are illogical and they are missing the connections that get you from one scene to another. Having said all of that...
You get none of that in Princess Mononoke. It is by a wide majority not only the best Japanese Anime made, but ranks right up there as one of the top animation films of any country. Not only that it is one of the best films, outside of animation release. This film doesn't try to dazzle you with CGI (Computer Graphics) and it's not out to try to make the characters look as humanly real as possible. This film instead embraces animation and makes it an art. The characters movement are fluent and features are proportional, the background has depth and the story makes sense. Not only that, the filmmaker, knowing that he has a certain freedom with animation, creates these little clicking creatures which acts to the wonderment of this feature. The films is not only beautifully done visually, but the sounds and the music, which normally gets overlooked, are as good as any live-action feature. The director paid so much attention to detail that the best way to see this film is widescreen with a DVD. If you don't see it widescreen, because of the framing, you will be doing yourself a bit of injusted, I think. I don't want to describe what the story is about because I think this is one of those films that every little bit you find out for yourself makes the film that much more enduring to you. It's nice to let a picture without preview, fanfare or story description, unfold before your unknowing eyes. This film is rated PG-13 for images of violence and gore but I think 10 years old and up can handle it. If they can handles films such as Star Wars, Willow or other fantasy movies, they can handle this one. It's worth having in your DVD collection.
Rating:
Summary: Toe-to-Toe With Shakespeare, Vermeer, DaVinci, Even
Review: I seldom weigh in on these things but this is a work of such towering genius I can't hold my tongue. After hearing so much about Spirited Away (another work of staggering brilliance) I saw that and was hooked. I have started collecting Miyazaki films. This English language version of Princess M. is every bit as good as the fine Pixar/Disney translations of Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky, and Kiki's Delivery Service. If you appreciate real art, including the art of entertainment, you will love Miyazaki. Not necessarily for little kids, unless they are used to the hard facts of old-time fairy tales (giants, decapitations, soldiers fighting what have you). My 5-year-old loves it as much as I do, albeit for different reasons, I suppose. It deserves a constellation of stars.
Rating:
Summary: Good movie, . . . very good.
Review: What a great anime film. I don't have many words. It's the music and the great detail in the action and juxtaposition scenes that portray a realistic, but knowingly not real feel.
Sounds weird, but every time I see it, I'm swept away into this strange state of transcendentalism. But, in conclusion, it has a pretty sound plot and lots of cool things and ideas that are thrown here and there.
Rating:
Summary: Good movie, . . . very good.
Review: What a great anime film. I don't have many words. It's the music and the great detail in the action and juxtaposition scenes that portray an realistic, but knowingly not real feel. Sounds wierd, but everytime I see it I'm swept away into this strange state of trancendentalism. But, in conclusion, it has a pretty sound plot and lots of cool things and ideas that thrown here and there.
Rating:
Summary: A slice of beautiful complexity
Review: It is difficult to be profound about a movie that has been written about so much. Much of which has been written is rather obvious. Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke, although it is an adult oriented film in terms of complexity, it has something for everyone. Princess Mononoke is appealing on many levels because much like other anime features like Armitage III, Ghost in the Shell, and Akira, Princess Mononoke also confronts the issue of technology head on. However, what is unique here is that Miyazaki problematizes the duality of man vs. nature really expanding the problem to man within nature and calling for a sense of co-operation. Again, While other movies like Armitage III, Ghost in the Shell, and Akira are a shade darker than most, Mononoke is laced with hope and reconstruction. Based on our epistemological framework we are looking for good vs. evil. We are always trying to set things up in a space of binary oppositions. Most viewers are looking to make things "simple." Juxtaposed against our longing for the simplistic, Miyazaki doesn't make judgements about good or evil. Miyazkai simply asks many questions. It is really unfair to make any direct comparison but the reason this genre is appealing to a wider audience is that this genre and the movies that are produced within it are more "realistic" than the more common Disney animations offerings. Another sub-theme is the healing power of nature which is superior to the human need to conquer and control. Susan Napier writes: "At a more complex level, films such as Princess Mononoke actually works to resist and even confront certain public stereotypes, inspiring huge numbers of moviegoers to look at some of the myths of modern Japan in a more critical way." The movie zeroes in on ecological issues, a far cry from the stereotypes we have of Japan as a giant impersonal machine. Along this same lines, the big four (listed previously) warn us just as much about the march of modernity and technology. In Princess Mononoke, it seems like Miyazaki is setting up a battle between man and nature. My sense is that it is man in nature. No doubt, this is a complex movie. The interplay between Asitaka, Mononoke and Lady Eboshi is not a simple one. Within the confines of the story, no one character is all bad or all good. All the characters are multi-dimensional and not one character is a caricature. A pivotal character is Lady Eboshi. Lady Eboshi's involvement with Iron Town is not be dismissed as trivial. How is the viewer going to reconcile Lady Eboshi's agenda and altruism? The beauty and wonder of Princess Mononoke is not so much that it provides answers but that it poses deep questions. For this reason alone (and there are many) Princess Mononoke can be classified as a work of art and it will survive the ravages of time. Miguel Llora
Rating:
Summary: A "Real" Anime
Review: This DVD was the first time I saw a "real" anime, probably about when it came out. By "Real" I mean that it isn't about people play card games, raising kiddy monsters, or getting so constipated that your hair turns yellow. This was the first anime I saw that showed me what anime was really like. Anime doesn't have to be bad plots and animation. It can be awesome animation and stunning plots that can make you watch it again and again. If you are a Yugioh, Pokemon, Dragonball (especially), etc. fan, then get this DVD and make a bag of popcorn, because this will make you realize how great anime can be.
Rating:
Summary: Princess Mononoke is a Wonderful Film
Review: I must say that this is a mindblowing film for the world of not just anime yet movies in general. Master film maker Hayao Miyazaki has truly proven that anime is an incredible art that is best for a good story-telling. This film is more than just for looking at from a technical point of view. It tells a touching story of the battle between machinery and nature. You witness this from the two complex main characters, Asitaka and Mononoke, who are caught in the midst of the horrible struggle. This is definately worth picking up so buy it and give anime a try.
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