Princess Mononoke (1999) Reviewed by Eugene Novikov http://www.ultimate-movie.com Member: Online Film Critics Society
Featuring the voice talents of Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Gillian Anderson, Minnie Driver, Billy Bob Thornton. Rated PG-13.
Princess Mononoke, the latest Japanese anime export from the legendary Hayao Miyazaki (Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro) is neither a bad film nor the masterpiece so many are making it out to be (Roger Ebert, why have you forsaken us?). It's a fantasy adventure that has the frame of a deep, complex back story but never bothers to elaborate on it, give it anything more than pseudo-substance. It's impressive animation and fluid action sequences make it more than a passable two plus hours, but it never becomes the great achievement it could -- and perhaps should -- have been.
It begins with an enigmatic voiceover that introduces us to a "land of gods and demons" but doesn't go any further. We are immediately taken to the outskirts of a Japanese village, where young Ashitaka is gathering his people because the wise woman has called everyone back to the village: something evil's afoot. Riding along on his faithful elk (!), Ashitaka finally spots the cause of all the commotion: a fierce- looking demon covered in what seems like creepy-crawly worms. The thing gives chase but Ashitaka manages to escape, unscathed except for a wound on his arm where the creature touched him. When he gets back to his village the wise woman (what the hell is a wise woman, anyway?) tells him some grim news. Apparently, the wound on his arm is actually a curse, one that nobody knows how to take off. It will eventually spread all over his body and kill him; in the meantime, he must leave the village, go to the forests of the wests and search for a cure. This is his fate: someting he could not escape even if he wanted to.
So Ashitaka sets off and rides westward until he comes across Irontown; a mysterious and remote human settlement smack in the middle of the land that the gods and demons revere. The town is ruled by the discreetly malevolent Lady Eboshi, who's at odds with the gods (and I'm a poet and I didn't even know it) because of the forest she is occupying and destroying. As Ashitaka soon finds out, actually, Eboshi and the rest of her town are planning an all-out war on the gods of the forest (who, incidentally, take the form of wolves, boars and apes) for control of the forestg.
Ashitaka develops an affection for San a.k.a. the Princess Mononoke (translation: the wolf princess; could we be any more subtle here, folks?), a young girl raised by the wolf gods in a fashion that recalls all too vividly a certain story by Ridyard Kipling. She is obviously not about to side with the rest of the humans. Neither is he, but nor is he ready to completely abandon his race. His intention is to try to reach a happy medium: the character is nobility epitomized.
Well, the pictures sure are pretty: striking and rich in detail, utilizing the distinctive anime style to good effect. Indeed, I can't see the story working in standard Disney-style animation: it just doesn't seem right, perhaps because we're not accustomed to seeing serious stories presented in traditional animation. Then again, this isn't even a very serious movie, but it sure does pretend to be. There's a lot of dark mythology involved here, but it isn't sincere mythology, just something made up as a backbone, something to hold the movie together. There's not much more to it than a skeleton; the stories are shallow, barren. I'd be in favor of increasing the film's already lengthy running time in order to deepen the background.
I was never really bored, though my mind started to wander in parts. Fortunately the film gets its act together for a compelling climax, which is far and away the best part of the movie. There, it pulls through not because of our emotional involvement in the story but because of the visceral thrill it generates: the riveting score, gorgeous animation and able direction finally manage to give the viewer a rush, though by then it may be too little, too late. Then again, for some people, maybe not.
Ultimately, the movie settles in your head rather than in your heart. There are enough action set pieces and compelling visuals dispersed throughout to keep you awake and interested but not enough depth to the story to elicit a real emotional response. Too bad.
Grade: B-
©1999 Eugene Novikov
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