Review of Princess Mononoke (1997) by Kenikki — 27 Jun 2013

Visually, Princess Mononoke shines right off the bat. The design and movement of the demonic boar god is among the most impressive bits of animation I've come across. In addition to the fluid and gorgeous animation, the action is done so well it will immediately pull you in. And we will witness several more sequences of this caliber before the end.

Fortunately, it’s beauty and action are merely the outer shell of it’s brilliance. The most impressive aspect of Princess Mononoke is its ability to display each side of every conflict and how well it all ties in with the movie’s core theme: Man Vs. Nature. We understand what both the people of Iron Town and the inhabitants of the great forest fight for and why. We sympathize and even root for both sides to win. Even Jigo the main antagonist is given clear motivation for his actions, not to mention a likable personality.

When speaking of the characters in Princess Mononoke, it has to be mentioned how great the performances are in the English dub. Best are Minnie Driver as Lady Eboshi, Keith David as Okkoto and Billy Bob Thornton as Jigo.

Our hero is one of the reasons why this story works as well as it does. He is our viewing platform. We observe everything through his perspective and follow his ideals since he is our hero. He is neutral so we become neutral. If he would have been fighting solely on one side, the film’s ultimate message; man & nature needs to function more cohabit-ably together, or all will perish would have differed greatly.

In the end I'll simply say that Princess Mononoke is one of the greatest animated movies ever made. I urge anyone and everyone to watch this movie and see for yourselves what a gem it is.

Full review: http://kenikkiscorner.blogspot.se/2013/06/anime-movie-review-princess-mononoke.