Firstly, I'd like to say I have never truly been disappointed by a Ghibli film. All that I have had the pleasure of watching so far have been nothing but great movies, classics that have endured the test of time. However, this was not the case with Princess Mononoke. But, this is Studio Ghibli we're talking about. They never fail in all regards. So here are some good things about the film.
Art: 7
The art and animation are top-tier for its time. Movement is smooth, visuals are stunning, and some character designs, such as the Forest Spirit, were not given little effort. Studio Ghibli has always had great animation quality, and Princess Mononoke is no exception. Nature was drawn amazingly in this film, from forests to rivers and cliffsides, each shot and scene felt epic to view. Angles were utilized well in the film as well. However, I can't give it a ten due to some boring character designs and the fact that the movie is older, and won't have the same animation quality of today's greats like Kimi no Nawa and Koe no Katachi.
Sound: 3
I don't have much to say here. The BGM was befitting of the mood of the scenes and the overall setting of the film, but it was nothing special. Now, before I begin to completely destroy this show, I will say that I watched the English dub. That could have an effect on my rating. Are you ready?
The voice acting and dialogue in this movie is god-awful. I found myself cringing in perpetual disappointment with each line delivered in the show. The VA's were seemingly incapable of emotion, and the sheer quietness of the VA's clashed heavily with the loud BGM and SFX so much that I found myself adjusting the volume in regular intervals to be able to hear the shitty dialogue while also trying not to go deaf from the speaker-blasting SFX and BGM. This was an incredible annoyance added to an already bad movie.
Story: 5
I'll give the story credit where it's due. The multiple conflicts in the show were portrayed well in battle, and the central theme of Mononoke is great. I interpreted it as a Man vs. Nature theme showing that technology and nature need not oppose each other, and that it is humans that cause the rift between the two. This is all too true in our modern world, and I think that Princess Mononoke did well in the execution of its theme. Studio Ghibli portrayed the push-and-pull relationship between man and nature in its usual magical and unique way, and that's how you can tell a movie is a Ghibli movie. The "antagonists" had morally just motives for their relatively morally unjust actions, and that gave the conflict complexity and realism that ordinarily would've allowed me to achieve a heartfelt appreciation for the movie's philosophical nature. However, the pacing of the film is erratic. Ashitaka is immediately kicked out of his village after saving their lives, and then we're rushed into the war between the Iron Town and the Forest Gods. Ashitaka saves a wolf girl for no reason, and then nobody can decide if they love or hate him for the rest of the movie. I don't think the overall story is bad, as the theme and conflict were well done, but I was just uninterested by how the story was told. Also, what was that ending? "Cool, we saved the day! Okay, bye!" How boring is that?
Characters: 2
Ohhhh-ho-ho boy, here we go. Every damn character in this movie is dreadfully one-dimensional and incredibly boring. Ashitaka had no thought put into his character. He is a traveling village boy who has the reflexes of a god and seemingly cannot die due to plot convenience. Pair that with a bad VA and a shit script and you're in for one hell of a terrible MC. San is just as uninspired. She spends the entire movie rambling about how humans are bad doesn't develop a bit. Her and Ashitaka's relationship to one another is left completely in the water and by the end you're not sure if they love each other, are just friends, or genuinely don't care either way. Their entire relationship arc was just boring and uninspired. As for the rest of the cast, they're all the same just with less screen time. Eboshi has one interesting thing about her, and that's the fact that she's using technology to save her people. She's not entirely a bad person, but perfectly flawed and human. Too bad she doesn't get any screen time. The gods of the forest are all the same.
How to be a Forest God in Princess Mononoke:
Step 1: "We hate hooman".
Step 2: *Cliche wise saying because we are gods*
Step 3: Die.
I did enjoy the second Boar god though, for his determination and conviction. The best character in the movie is Yakul by a long shot. All hail Yakul and his wonderful benevolence.
Overall: 4
As much as I wanted to love this movie, I cannot say I enjoyed it even a bit. My rating of 4 comes from nothing over than its reputation and few good qualities in its two-hour runtime. If you enjoyed this movie, that's perfectly fine, as I can see the good that could've come from this movie. However, the execution was just too poor. I am legitimately surprised that there aren't any low reviews for Princess Mononoke. I hope that my next Studio Ghibli film doesn't disappoint like this one did.
