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Princess Mononoke
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Editorial Reviews:
Claire Danes (THE MOD SQUAD), Minnie Driver (GOOD WILL HUNTING), and Billy Bob Thornton (ARMAGEDDON, SLING BLADE) head a cast of hot Hollywood stars who lend their talents to this exquisitely animated, overwhelmingly acclaimed adventure epic! Inflicted with a deadly curse, a young warrior named Ashitaka (Billy Crudup -- WITHOUT LIMITS) sets out for the forests of the west in search of the cure that will save his life. Once there, he becomes inextricably entangled in a bitter battle that matches Lady Eboshi (Driver) and a proud clan of humans against the forest's animal gods, who are led by the brave Princess Mononoke (Danes), a young woman raised by wolves! Also starring Gillian Anderson (THE X-FILES) and Jada Pinkett Smith (SCREAM 2), this monumental struggle between man and nature will have you transfixed as stunning artistry blends with epic storytelling to create a uniquely entertaining motion picture!
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Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Fun
Comment: This is everything you would expect from a Hayao MIYAZAKI film. A gem for the Studio Ghibli fans ^_^
Any film from Hayao MIYAZAKI will be anime at it's finest!
Customer Rating:
Summary: THE best anime I've ever seen.
Comment: Okay, so I've just gotten into anime, and have only seen about 30 anime movies, but this is by far the best I've seen to date. I bought Howl's Moving Castle a while back and decided to get everything I could involving Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli and I was a amazed that I liked this movie even better than Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away. I'm a nature lover too, so this movie really hits the right note with me.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Good movie...
Comment: I was a little unsure of what to expect from the title of this movie, but it certainly wasn't about a princess. The plot of this film was very good. I have yet to watch it with subtitles and I expect that it will be much better with them. Billy Bob Thornton is terrible, plain and simple. Minnie Driver seems out of place in her role as well. Let's face it, the English voiceovers completely lack conviction. At least some of the other anime films with English dubs that I have seen sound like they actually give a crap about what they are doing. The main character, however was excellently voiced IMO.
As far as the plot goes, it is excellent. You may want to read up on some Japanese tradition/legends before watching as most westerners brush off a plot about nature as hippie rubbish. This film has a good message and should be embraced, with or without the crappy dubs.
The animation is top notch for the time period that it was released. The opening scenes are some of my favorite and I am sure you'll see why.
All in all, the film is like a violent disney movie with an actual message that should be received by most kids 12 and older (unless you cottle your kids and could nag the paint off of the walls, in which case go and sit your kids down in front of Handy Manny or something while you wait for Sex and the City to come out on DVD (if you found that offensive, you know in your heart that it is true, so stop lying to yourself already!)). I would not recommend this film to children that are any younger than this age due to the eerie violence that ensues at some unexpected parts. Oh come on, just pay the 15 bucks and see it. You probably won't regret it. I didn't.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Climax of Ghibli (Volume 1: Part 11)
Comment: Studio Ghibli had been belting out movies since the early 1980s. They delt with everything from epic fantasy to coming of age films. But, nothing would have prepared the world for 'Princess Mononoke'. Not only is this film the 2nd highest grossing film in Japan, it is also the film that finally gave Studio Ghibili notice in the United States.
'Princess Mononoke' shows the epic battle of man against nature and how the constant motion of human evolution has the ability to destroy the purity of nature. Though there are no physical elements of good against evil the true villans in this film are greed, power and anger. You see characters like Asuyaka, who comes from a race of humans that have strong bonds with nature. Lady Hiboshi who wants to move the human race forward with science and technology only to create the perfect human utopia. Then you have Princess Mononoke, a girl who was tossed by her parents to the wolf gods out of fear, but only to be raised as a daughter of nature and learn the magic of the ancient ways. These characters clash for the purpose of moving forward, but also for the chance to co-exist. I feel that is what makes this film so appealing because of the similariteis in life. The topics of polotics, science and religion always cause a stir in us eventhough there can be ways to have them all work united.
This was a diffenent film for Miyazaki, but you still manage to see the magical elements that make his signature work. It is a film rich in detail and emotion. You get lost in the vast landscapes and the relationships of the characters you sometimes forget you are watching an animated film. Though this movie may not be for everyone because of the PG-13 rating for the epic battles and language, there are still elements that bring out Miyazaki's true colors and this film is a marvel worthy to be seen.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Wicked Masterpiece
Comment: As a huge fan of Miyazaki's work, this was far from disappointing but truly worthy of praise. It excites the mind and the imagination with the story and captures a truly fascinating world unlike any other I've ever encountered in fantasy. It is beautifully animated even if in only 2-D, it is fluid and fanciful all the way through. However, concerning Miyazaki's other pieces, this one is more graffic and includes some more vicious demon work than other so-called demons in other pieces. Creatures and people are slaughtered or wounded and although blood doesn't gush, some might squirm. I felt a tad of revulsion, but not at the story itself. It thrills. It inspires. It's worth watching again and worth every penny. The dubbing is well done and I love it all.
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