Friday, June 8, 2018

Princess Mononoke (1997)


Princess Mononoke is a fantasy film produced by Studio Ghibli.  As with a lot of their films, it has a strong environmental message and feel to it.  It is a fantasy based in the period of Japan where samurai still roam the lands, and guns were just starting to be used.  It follows the character Ashitaka who becomes cursed after killing a forest god who was corrupted into a demon from destroying his village.  As a result, he gains strength but is destined to die and is banished from his village and travels west in order to find a cure.  He journeys to a section of the forest where humans are waging war against nature as they are removing the forests in order to mine the ironsand to create iron for their weapons.  Throughout the film, it never paints humans in as the villains but rather, just shows the negative impacts their actions have and how we should find a way to coexist with nature without wiping the other out.  The titular Princess Mononoke also appears as the daughter of the wolf god.  As expected of Studio Ghibli, the designs of the gods and other fantasy creatures creates wonder and mystique.  The plot grows into an emotional finale and you truly feel the damage that humans has done.  The soundtrack is moving and overall, Princess Mononoke is another fantastic film from Studio Ghibli.

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