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Princess Mononoke

Princess Mononoke

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fantastic...
Review: Mononoke Hime is hands-down the BEST fantasy movie I've ever seen. I'm a big fan of Conan and Time Bandits and Star Wars and many others, but Miyazaki has outdone everyone this time. Character design, backgrounds and animation from this film are going to set precedents all over the animation scene; you can already see Disney grabbing at the cool sub-dappled shadows effect when they released Tarzan. Now if only American animation could see its way to delving into more adult and meaningful themes, perhaps it, too, would receive such acclaim instead of the spurning it usually gets.

The occasional splotch of computer animation was a little unexpected and seemed almost to have been pasted over the rest of the movie in places but such sequences are few and fairly far between. There was plenty of other artistic muscle-flexing going on to make up for it.

Intelligent dialog was another of the film's many joys. Though the battle sequences of the film are good (especially when Ashitaka is defending himself or attempting to avoid combat) they are not the focus of this world so richly created. The people are the point of the movie and every character has a distinct personality, voice and set of morals which govern his or her existence. The entire cast is a study in shades of gray and though some of them are clearly not of the highest moral character, neither do they come across and pungently evil or diabolical.

The script was translated by Neil Gaiman and follows the Japanese version almost to a T.

As many people already know, Disney was forbidden to cut a single frame or line of dialog from this film. And to that I say "HURRAH!" I shudder to think what might've become of Princess Mononoke if it had been through a grinder like theirs.

Musically, Mononoke Hime is a masterpiece. Jô Hisaishi has produced an epic soundtrack that fits brilliantly with the images portrayed in the movie. The American release is riddled by 30 tracks that chop the music up into a list that more closely follows the individual scenes while the Japanese release is a symphonic suite of themes from the film (minus one or two, including the vocal numbers).

All in all, you CANNOT go wrong with this movie, even with the violence. It's a groundbreaking work that will be one of your all-time favorites before you're even through watching it the first time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best All Around Movie I've Ever Seen!
Review: Everything about this movie is top notch. The story line is fantastic. The animation is the best I've ever viewed in an animated movie. The computer-generated effects flow smoothly with the hand-painted scenery. This one is definetly a keeper.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Mononoke in europe
Review: I first heard about this movie on TV, on this program about this art film festival all about Japanese movies, here in Holland (where I live). I got interested in it then when I saw the few shots that they showed. So when I found out that they where showing it at the Lowlands festival (witch is obviously more than a music fest.) I went and see it, and I loved it. I liked it so much that I went and seen it both the two times that they showed it (it was a 3 day fest so it did not take up all my time). It was by far the best anime and probably the best animated movie movie I've ever seen. The only problem is that it is considered to be more of an artmovie than a very popular animated movie (like Disney) over here, so I think it wont be on video here, but we can still hope. Anyway, I loved it and it gets 5 thumbs up, eh... stars.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Rent it, buy it, see it any way you can.
Review: A lot of Japanese animation is baffling to the casual American browser. It's good eye candy, but never makes much sense, zipping through futuristic scenes and strange fantasies with nary a pause for breath. Among these hyper-caffeinated tales of robots and nubile women, Mononoke sticks out like a chicken at a penguin convention.

Think "Dances With Wolves," only more epic in scope and universal in theme. Beautifully drawn and animated, Princess Mononoke explores the giant forests of feudal Japan and the effect of civilization on old gods. For 133 jaw-dropping minutes, Hiyao Miyazaki draws you into a complex tale that eschews the easy answers and obvious heroes and villains that Americans expect from animation.

If you can't get your head around the idea that this is a serious cartoon, think of it as an Oscar-caliber live-action script, forced into animation because the special effects budget would have been too high. That should get you past continental prejudices enough to lose yourself in the beauty and power of Miyazaki's imagery.

Bring your attention span and your brain, and don't miss this movie. You'll kick yourself for missing it in its limited theatrical release.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Princess Mononoke - Perfected Animation
Review: When I first went to see this movie I was skeptical, due to the minimal advertising, but my worries were swept away as I was introduced to the most spectacular japanese animated film I have ever seen. Strong themes of the struggles between man and nature, and the confused conflicts of man vs man propel the amazing story in this movie. The animation is superb, the music intense, and those forest spirit Kodama's are just so cool!

The film can get a tad gory at times, but fear not, there is strong substance to this film. Rampaging boar gods, and ruthless samauri factions, confronting each other, to the backdrop of an industrial revolution threatening the remaining primevil forests of ancient Japan create a powerful formula for this film.

Perhaps the thing that I found most compleling about it, was the reluctance the story had of identifying the true enemy of the film. You are not forced to agree with the bad guy vs. good guy scenerio that is so often forced upon us. You are left to form opinions of your own, and although you realize it's just a story, it leaves you with thoughts that can remain relevant so long as there's conflict in this world.

I anxiously count off the days until the DVD release, and you should too! One of the best animes ever, hands-down. Buy this movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Must-See For All Anime Fans! ^_^
Review: For all those viewers out there, this is an excellent movie. It is filled to the rim with beautifully animated characters, a broad and intriguing plot, and many mythical and legendary creatures and items from fuedal Japan that would make any Miyazaki fan flip their lid. I, for one, have been an anime fan for a while now, and this is a supurb example of the beauty of Japanese animation. The battle scenes took my breath away, and the mystery of who the true "bad guy" was brought me to the edge of my seat. Please take my advice and consider this movie to be one of the classics!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Film. . . period
Review: As someone who has seen a plenty of videos, I can safely say that this is one of the greatest of all time. It completely blows any diseny production ever created out of the water as well as most other videos I have seen. The plot is enthralling in that it is not clear cut good and evil: it is human (even though it's an animation). The artwork is very well done and the dubbing altogether excellent. Subtitles, in my personal opinion, would have only detracted from the nearly flawless beauty of this film. It is truely a great epic in an era of short attention spans and quick fixes. A story among muddles of pointless words.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An exciting adventure! Miyazaki's moral is a hit!
Review: In this epic adventure film, Miyazaki truly does come through. This movie does have a good amount of animated violence, but it does add a certain excitement to the film. The characters are well thought out, they are neither cold-blooded, no-good-inside bad, nor happy, never-does-wrong good. Miyazaki does an excellent job of mixes good and evil in this film. The movie i admit is somewhat hard to follow, and seeing it twice will much better help your understanding. The moral is a great one, which i will not give away. The animation in itself is excellent. I suggest this film to anyone who likes down-to-earth yet fantasy movies. One thing's right, this is definitely one of Miyazaki's best works...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best Movie Of All Time!
Review: I went to see this at the Maui Movie Festival and it was great! It was scary and blood here and there but it was great!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Princess Mononoke
Review: Princess Mononoke is a beautiful film. The is easily one of my favorite animes. This is must-ave for any anime fan or even for new comers into the genre. The film's story is never confusing (which unfortunatly some anime's have that reputation of being over confusing and a little to "artsy"). The movie's interesting characters and story continue to entertain the audience throughout the film. The film was dubbed quite nicely from its japanese counterpart, well known actors consist of Gillian Anderson, Minnie Driver, Billy Crudup, CLaire Danes, Billy Bob Thorton, and Jada Pinkett Smith. But where the film truely shines is the animation. Whith its lush backgrounds and original character art its reall a treat on the eyes. This personally is one of my favorite anime's, and I highly recommend this to anime fans and new comers alike!


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