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Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke) |
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| Reviews 2 |
Reviews of the Miramax English-language version -- Film: Reviews 21 through 40
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21). LA Weekly
The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 29, 1999, Friday By Ernest Hardy [...] The movie, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and
recast by Miramax with Hollywood celebrity voices, spins on questions of
moral culpability and spirituality, on layered musings about the
connectedness of all living things and the responsibilities that those
relationships demand. The film's strength lies in its refusal to paint
either its arguments or its characters in black and white: There are no
pure heroes, no clear-cut villains and no pat answers. [...] Miyazaki folds a host of timely, hot-button issues
into his tale: the plight of indigenous people and nature in the face of
unchecked business interests, the death of spirituality in the name of social
progress, misogyny in its many manifestations. Princess Mononoke is a
Zeitgeist potpourri, strung with late-20th-century fear and anxiety. [...] 22). Metromix (The Chicago Tribune) The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 29, 1999, Friday By Mark Caro [...] But the triumph lies in the whole more than the parts;
Japanese anime veteran Hayao Miyazaki has created a world simply unlike any
you've seen, a lush, ancient forestland where man and nature struggle amid
terrifying beasts, noble creatures and spritely forest spirits. As you watch
the carefully executed English-language version of this 1997 Japanese film
sensation, you're always aware that you're experiencing one man's unique
vision rather than a lavish cartoon assembled by committee to please anyone
5 years old and up. [...] The battling among the various factions becomes complicated,
and the action occasionally bogs down over the movie's 2 1/4-hour length. Yet
rarely does any film, animated or otherwise, immerse you in such a vivid landscape
and engage your senses so strongly. The climax is truly spectacular and scary,
and though the human characters look like they escaped from "Speed Racer," their
emotional resolutions have the kind of nuance you'd expect from a Kurosawa film. [...] 23). Daily Herald (Arlington Heights,
Illinois) The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 29, 1999, Friday By Dann Gire [...] It also has the distinction of being a magnificent Japanese
animated feature, one that has been surprisingly well adapted to Western audiences
unfamiliar with the conventions and histories of Japanese stories. (Some of the
scenes of an iron-mining town were inspired by the director's love of John Ford
Westerns.) [...] Even though this sounds like a typical good vs. evil plot,
"Princess Mononoke" never takes a black-and-white attitude toward its characters
or their situations. [...] 24). The Toronto Star The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 29, 1999, Friday By Peter Howell Princess Mononoke arrives in theatres today as both a
celebration and an experiment. A landmark of the lush Japanese animation art known as animé, the film
triumphed in its homeland when it was released in 1997. It broke $150 million
at Japan's box office (the only film besides Titanic ever to do so) and won the
country's equivalent of the Oscar for best picture. Its creator, animation icon Hayao Miyazaki, is revered in Japan the way Disney
is revered in North America. He has often been compared, understandably, to
legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa for his use of samurai themes and epic
battle scenes. Miyazaki's images are painterly and fantastic: the shape-
shifting Nightwalker spirit creature of Princess Mononoke is like a cubist
Picasso painting set in motion. [...] 25). Reel.com The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 1999 By Marc Fortier Those unacquainted with Japan's vast palette of animated
filmmaking will have a rare opportunity to see one of its masterworks on the
big screen with Disney's release (by way of art-house subsidiary Miramax)of
anime auteur Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke. Following the studio's
controversial announcement to "Americanize" the anime masterpiece with English
dubbing and script changes, the big "D" has surprisingly made good, acquiring
some of the West's biggest talents to produce one of the most skillful
translations of a foreign film yet. The result, while not a substitute for the
original, will still astound audiences with its mesmerizing vision. [...] 26). New York Daily News The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 29, 1999, Friday By Jack Mathews Hayao Miyazaki, the acknowledged master of the Japanese
school of animation known as anime, is on record as saying that his epic
"Princess Mononoke" — the second-most-popular movie ever released in Japan,
behind "Titanic" — should not be viewed by anyone under the age of 10. Ignore his advice at your children's risk. "Princess Mononoke," redubbed with English-speaking
actors for its U.S. release, boasts many elements of classic animated fantasy —
gorgeous drawings, fast action, inventive creatures, a courageous hero, a
beautiful, a defiant princess, an ethereal spirit and a monster who'd send
Godzilla screaming into the night. But the plot is far too dense, the violence far too gory
and the underlying theme — humanity's abusive relationship with nature — far
too sophisticated for small kids. Add a marathon running time of 2 hours and 13
minutes, and you're beyond the range of all but the most devoted adolescent and
young-adult fans of anime. [...] 27). MSNBC.com The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 28, 1999, Thursday By Leonard Klady (Reuters) Japan’s all-time box office champ, “Princess Mononoke,”
is a rich cartoon fable of bygone gods locking horns with man and with
industry, which threatens to unbalance the forces of nature. Though set in the
14th century, its ecological bias and feminist slant provide a modern
resonance. But the picture — steeped in Asian folklore — will require shrewd
translation to connect with Western audiences. FLYING IN THE face of popular Western animation,
“Princess Mononoke” is not a musical, nor is it primarily directed at preteens,
even if that group can readily embrace it. This “animé” film, as its format is
called, represents a bold experiment for director Hayao Miyazaki, whose earlier
work, including “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” “The Red Pig” and “My Neighbor
Totoro,” had more gentle, youthful themes. “Princess Mononoke” which has grossed more than $150
million in Japan, is not only more sharply drawn, it has an extremely complex
and adult script. [...] 28). MSNBC.com The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 28, 1999, Thursday By Bob Campbell (Newhouse News Service) On its 1997 Japanese release, the animated “Princess
Moonlike” pulverized all national box-office records. The two-year lead-up to
its opening in the United States reflects Miramax’s painstaking effort to
reframe this rapturous and violent fairy tale for Americans unfamiliar with the
“animé” form. THE KEY DECISION was not to cut its 132 minutes either
for pace or a kid-friendly rating. In Japan, animation constitutes a parallel
film industry with its own genres. Much animé isn’t aimed at children, and some
is strictly adult. Epitomizing the myth-legend subspecies of animé called
“sadi-wadi,” Hayao Miyazaki’s hand-woven screen tapestry hardly compares in
violence with 1989’s ultraviolet “Overfeed” duo or 1996’s sexed-up “Perfect
Blue.” But its swirl of human, animal and demonic vividness explains the PG-13
tag. The saga of a questing 14th-century prince and a forest
princess who literally runs with the wolves, “Princess Moonlike” is graced with
images of charm and phenomenal beauty. An anti-violence theme, however,
registers less vividly than spectacular battle scenes and incidental
beheadings. [...] 29). The Globe and Mail (Toronto) The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 29, 1999, Friday By Liam Lacey When a giant, talking boar god, covered with writhing
worms, goes insane, destroys a forest and attacks a Japanese feudal village,
the people know something is amiss. And the audience for Princess Mononoke
knows from the opening frame that they're not in Disneyland any more. There are
no cute sidekick animals, adolescent songs, or a chorus of fluttering
bluebirds. Japan's second-biggest-grossing film of all time (before
Titanic, its $160-million box office was a record) is built on a scale so
ambitious it makes North American animated features seem puny. The story -- of
a young man who must fight huge beast demons, save himself from a horrible
curse and make peace between a warrior queen and the spirit of the forest -- is
complex and filled with multiplying digressions. The imagery, ranging from
sublime mountain-smashing power to firefly delicacy (individual waterdrops
splashing on a rock) is exuberant and intoxicating. [...] 30). New Times Los Angeles The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 28, 1999, Thursday By Andy Klein Much like the religion that has swirled around the
Star Wars trilogy for twentysome years, the fanaticism evidenced among
American fans of Japanese anime remains a mystery to some of us. Writer-
director Hayao Miyazaki's megahit Princess Mononoke does very little to
cast light on this obsession: More's the pity, since Lupin III: Castle of
Cagliostro, Miyazaki's wildly loopy 1988 James Bond/Fantomas clone, was one
of the best anime features to be imported to the U.S. theatrically.
[...] Yet, while Mononoke is often gorgeous to look at
and has a far more sophisticated story than most Japanese animated features, it
still feels overlong and dramatically unengaging, at least in its American
incarnation. (Some of this may be the fault of the English-language casting and
direction.) Miyazaki sold the American rights only on the condition that the
film not be cut. While in principle this demand deserves our support -- and
Miramax deserves credit for agreeing to it -- the film, let us point out, is
more than two-and-a-quarter-hours long. [...] 31). Variety The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 29, 1999, Friday By Todd McCarthy After striking out in its attempt to foist an English-
dubbed version of "Life Is Beautiful" on the American public, Miramax will find
a friendlier welcome for its re-voiced "Princess Mononoke." Hayao Miyazaki's
exceedingly imaginative, beautifully realized animated epic adventure has been
adapted into English with tact and talent, which at least makes the film
theoretically accessible to U.S. audiences in a way that it never would have
been in its original Japanese. Nevertheless, it will take all of Miramax's legendary
marketing prowess to secure sure footing anywhere beyond the specialized
circuit, as the PG-13 film, while mainstream in its appeal, is too violent and,
at 133 minutes, too long for small fry, and departs from the anthropomorphic
and musical Disney conventions in so many creative, exciting ways. [...] 32). Entertainment Weekly The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 29, 1999, Friday By Ty Burr There's a hard, hard beauty to animation master Hayao
Miyazaki's hugely ambitious (and in Japan, hugely successful) epic. Princess
Mononoke is about, no less, the passing of mankind from pagan beliefs into a
complex, ruinous modernity. You don't need to be a scholar of feudal Japan to
dig this, though: The characters are straight out of the Joseph Campbell
playbook, from questing hero Ashitaka (the voice of Billy Crudup) to feral
princess San (Claire Danes) to trickster monk Jigo (Billy Bob Thornton) to
calculating Lady Eboshi (Minnie Driver). And the vast landscape through which
they journey -- of clashing battles, giant animal gods, and all-powerful forest
spirits -- is a fitting stage for archetypes. This is unquestionably not one for the kiddies --but
you'll know that in the first five minutes, when the worm-eaten boar demon
crashes out of the forest. Anyone else with a taste for sheer wonder (and a
willingness to overlook flat line readings from the miscast Danes and Thornton)
will be in heaven. A windswept pinnacle of its art, Princess Mononoke has the
effect of making the average Disney film look like just another toy story.
Grade: A [...] 33). E! Online The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 1999 (Author unknown) Myth, history and magic take shape in this epic morality
fable from amazing animator Miyazaki. This action-packed fairy tale tells of
gods, demons and humans struggling for control of a paradise-like forest (no,
this isn't about Hollywood). Mortally poisoned by a demonically possessed wild
boar (trust us, okay?), a young prince (Crudup) is forced to leave his village.
On his journey he meets a selfish upper-class industrialist (Driver) and some
of the spirits who guard the forest, which include a giant she-wolf (Anderson)
and the fiery Princess Mononoke (Danes). And she isn't any little mermaid. This
fanciful, violent world is filled with the kind of resonant images that usually
only come to us in our dreams. Not to be missed. 34). Slate The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 29, 1999, Friday By David Edelstein In the animated ecological epic Princess Mononoke, the
camera travels over landscapes with a clear, steady gaze, like a Zen hang
glider. The images have none of the comin'-at-ya pop-surrealism of American
cartoons, many of which have characters that spring out of the frame like jack-
in-the-boxes. The Japanese director, Hayao Miyazaki, who spent three years on
Princess Mononoke and is reported to have done 70 percent of its paintings
himself, seems to work from the outside in: to begin with the curve of the
earth, then the mossy hills, the watercolor foliage, the nubby stones, the
whorls on the wood, the meticulous carvings on a teacup. He captures the
texture of light and the currents of air. You could almost settle down in this
landscape. A view of nature that some would call "tree-hugging" doesn't feel
softheaded when the trees are rendered in such brilliant and robust detail. [...] 35). New York Post The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 1999 By Jonathan Foreman WITH the exception of "Titanic," Hayao Miyazakai's epic
"Princess Mononoke" is Japan's highest grossing film ever, and for good
reason. It's the "Star Wars" of animated features, a haunting,
beautiful film that holds your attention despite its length and its complex
plot, which is rooted in Japanese folk tales and animist mythology. [...] 36). Time Out New York The following are representative quotes only.
October 28, 1999, Thursday By Andrew Johnston Princess Mononoke was the biggest
homegrown hit--animated or otherwise--in the history of Japanese cinema, and
it's not hard to see why: It combines the epic sweep of Kurosawa's samurai
movies, the shameless melodrama of PlayStation game plots and the pure
weirdness of cultural phenomena such as Iron Chef and Pokemon. Yet the same
factors that led Japanese audiences to embrace legendary animator Hayao
Miyazaki's most ambitious project to date could well leave Americans scratching
their heads. As baffling as Mononoke sometimes is, though, it's undeniably one
of the most extravagantly beautiful animated films ever made. [...] 37). CrankyCritic.com The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 31, 1999, Sunday By Chuck Schwartz IN SHORT: A fantastic, breathtaking animated epic.
Not for single digit kidlets. I've written many times before about the eventual coming of an animated film
for grownups. Word of mouth among other 'toonheads indicated that it might come
from Japan, a 1997 creation of Hayao Miyazaki called The Princess
Mononoke. Disney/Miramax went to great efforts to keep copies of
Mononoke away from the American market but, if you knew where to look
(as I did), you could get your hands on a subtitled copy. Which I did. Even
with complicated and unfamiliar character names, the Japanese Mononoke
was epic in scope, a magnificently animated, complicated story heavily infused
with Japanese fantasy, mysticism, culture and legend. I know that for a fact
because I couldn't understand the culmination of the flick. Miyazaki's
distribution deal allowed no editing of any of his flicks, which meant that
whoever adapted the film might have a devil of a time translating Eastern myth
into Western story. That man would be Neil Gaiman, a fantasy writer of the printed page,
the television screen, and more to the point, renowned for his creation of The
Sandman for DC Comics, a transcendant work which proved that the term
"graphic novel" was not an oxymoron. Anyone familiar with Gaiman's
work knows that Miramax's choice, based on a recommendation by Quentin
Tarantino, was perfect. Virtually all the symbolic content that confounded me
in subtitles was clear as a bell in the English dub [and making that cultural
translation was the first thing Gaiman and I talked about when he sat for
CrankyCritic®
StarTalk]. [...] 38). Fandom The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 29, 1999, Friday By Steve Biodrowski [...] One of the most consistently entertaining auteurs working
in Japanimation is Hayao Miyazaki (LUPIN III: THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO, LAPUTA:
CASTLE IN THE SKY). While much of anime’s notoriety in this country is based on
the more outrageous, adult aspects (including X-rated sex and violence)
Miyazaki’s work has always been closer (in a relative sense, anyway) to the
Disney aesthetic. (In fact, Buena Vista Home Video has been releasing many of
the director’s older works on tape, including KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE). Not
that Miyazaki ever directed animated musicals aimed at children, but there is a
pastoral beauty to his films that has a somewhat familiar feel comfortable to
Western audiences. Nevertheless, his work always struck a PG tone, with action
and adventure that would appeal to teens and young adults, as well as to older
audiences impressed with the artistry. With PRINCESS MONONOKE, his first film to receive
substantial theatrical distribution in America, Miyazaki steps up to a whole
new level of achievement. The beauty and adventure of his previous works remain
intact, but gone is the light-hearted humor of KIKI and MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO,
replaced by an epic tone that reaches mythic proportions. [...] [...] 39). The Boston Phoenix The following are representative quotes only; the full
text is available online at: October 28, 1999, Thursday By Peg Aloi This myth of chivalry and environmental activism set in
medieval Japan rises above the typical anime fare seen in the US.
Acclaimed animator Hayao Miyazaki's heart-stopping art direction helped his
film break box-office records in Japan -- it's second only to
Titanic. [...] Its setting reminiscent of C.S. Lewis's Narnia or
Tolkien's Middle Earth, Princess Mononoke resonates with quiet truths
rarely channeled by Hollywood. 40). Rolling Stone The following are relevant quotes only.
November 11, 1999, Thursday By Peter Travers [...] PRINCESS MONONOKE is not your father's cartoon fun. Every
Disney doodler will tell you that Hayao Miyazaki is the man when its
[sic] comes to Japanese anime. And this work of extravagant
beauty and savage grace, dubbed in English by the likes of Claire Daines,
Minnie Driver and Billy Crudup, shows why Miyazaki is so influential. Scenes
of humans doing battle with forest creatures -- the princess runs with the
wolves who raised her -- go beyond anything you've seen in animation. Just sit
back and behold. [...]
http://www.laweekly.com/ink/99/49/film-hardy.shtml
Animating the Century
Princess Mononoke taps the Zeitgeist
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http://metromix.com/top/1,1419,M-Metromix-Movies-Home!ArticleDetail-5462,00.html
'Princess Mononoke'
'Princess Mononoke' has lush animation, unique vision
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http://www.dailyherald.com/timeout/movies/moviereviews/2fullreview.htm
'Princess' an enthralling tale of man vs. nature
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http://www.thestar.com/back_issues/ED19991029/entertainment/991029ENT05_MO-MONONOKE2.html
Animated feature a bit dark for kids
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HTTP://www.reel.com/reel.asp?node=intheaters/reviews/princessmononoke
Princess Mononoke
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http://www.nydailynews.com/1999-10-29/New_York_Now/Movies/a-45452.asp
This Dark 'Princess' Isn't for Kids
To Disney fans, Japanese anime feature may seem
anemic; it's also gory
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http://www.msnbc.com/news/328788.asp
A rich and rewarding cartoon fable
‘Princess Mononoke’ has grand sweep of romantic
epic, ecological theme
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http://www.msnbc.com/news/328491.asp
Gorgeously made ‘Mononoke’ casts an uneven
spell
Violent ‘animé’ format has vivid grace and
nobility, but narrative style is repetitious
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http://www.globeandmail.com/offsite/Arts/19991029/TAMONO.html
Japan's animated eco-fable is not a trip to
Disneyland
Beneath the kitschy grandeur lies a true work of
art
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http://www.newtimesla.com/issues/1999-10-28/film2.html
Of Gods and Demons
An agile teen battles the forces of evil in the
surprisingly stodgy Princess Mononoke
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http://www.variety.com/filmrev/cfropen.asp?recordID=1117757474
Princess Mononoke (English Version)
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http://www.pathfinder.com/ew/review/movie/0,1683,926,princessmononoke.html
PRINCESS MONONOKE
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http://www.eonline.com/Reviews/Facts/Movies/Reviews/0,1052,73733,00.html
Princess Mononoke
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http://www.slate.com/MovieReview/99-10-29/MovieReview.asp
Machines in the Garden
The sublimely animated Princess Mononoke
culminates in a powerful vision of ecological apocalypse
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http://www.nypost.com/movies/17194.htm
A VERY PRETTY 'TOON
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Princess Mononoke
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http://www.crankycritic.com/archive99/princessmononoke.html
Cranky Critic® Movie Reviews: Princess Mononoke
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http://www.fandom.com/Master_Site/Editorial.asp?action=page&obj_id=18474
PRINCESS MONONOKE: The New Standard in
Animation
Review: Miyazaki`s masterpiece reaches American,
intact!
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http://www.bostonphoenix.com/archive/movies/99/10/28/PRINCESS_MONONOKE.html
Princess Mononoke
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Boos & Bravos [short reviews]
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