Review of Princess Mononoke (1997) by Asgars — 25 Jan 2010

Maybe I was spoiled by the hype around the movie, but I failed to enjoy it and I still think it's not one of Miyazaki's best works. The best thing about the film is the fantastic music by Joe Hisaishi - 10 out of 10 for the score.

The animation is beautiful as well, but not outstanding when compared to other works. The violence depicted (cutting of arms and the like) does not seem to serve any purpose but means that it's not suitable for children, which is sad, because they might enjoy it more.

The story and the characters are bland. The storytelling is careless at best. Many plot lines are dropped and never readopted. One example of this is the hero's love interest who gives him a pendant as he is forced to leave.

She is never mentioned again. Character's motives aren't explored and seldom a character reflects on his deeds. I often read that it's great that the film does not try to answer the question of which characters are good or evil, but this aggravates the problem.

It's also the explanation why many of the character's decision seem so indiscriminate. The film's pacing doesn't help here, as it is so slow to leave much time for thinking about all the gaps in the story.

In conclusion: A beautiful picture with promising topic and setting which is ruined by sub-par story-telling and characters.