Exiting With A Flourish

 Princess Mononoke (1997) – A young prince leaves his people to fight an evil that is spreading across the land and threatens his own life.  He arrives to a war between humans and those who live in the great forest.

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki Starring (voices only)- Billy Bob Thornton, Gillian Anderson

Why I Liked It – The usual attention to both detail and storytelling by the master.

This was to be the legendary director’s last movie.  Miyazaki decided it was time to step away from Studio Ghibli.  So we may forgive him for the length of this one (2 hours 14 minutes).  He was paranoid about people messing with his movies, as happened with 1984’s “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”.  There’s a classic story about him locking horns with Harvey Weinstein, who had the North American distribution rights.  The (now infamous) producer got a Katana sword with the words “No Cuts” engraved on the blade, and Miyazaki got to see his movie released the way he wanted.

All the things you expect from Miyazaki films are on display here.  Visually, the movie is stunning.  You can get lost in the beauty of the scenery, caught up in the story and characters.  This is classic animation at the pinnacle of the art form.  Add in that the English script adaptation is by Neil Gaiman.  What more could you desire?

I have to admit that this movie didn’t grab me the way I expected from a Miyazaki film.  First is the length.  The story doesn’t require that much time.  I don’t care what the iconic and revered creative genius thinks.  The movie sprawls a little more than is good for it.  Plus, it felt like several characters get just a quick pass when it came to depth.  Both Thornton’s Jigo (a casually cynical monk/sword for hire) and Minnie Driver’s Lady Eboshi (think wealthy business person who is willing to rape the land for their profit) get lost for me.  Lady Eboshi is central to the story but feels underdeveloped.  She appears mysteriously with an army of soldiers with primitive firearms, and tears down the forest to mine iron ore that she turns into iron and sells to the highest bidder.  That’s the entire character description you get.  Even villains should be better filled out than that.  Also note: there’s some stuff in here that might be scary for younger viewers.

If the intention was to allow the great director to bow out with some flair, it feels like a miss to me.  It also turned out it was NOT his final movie.  He’s made a bunch more since then.  I call myself a Miyazaki fan.  When someone asks me for a title to explore his work, this will not make the top cut from me.  Once you appreciate his work, then I think you will enjoy it.

(OK, now I have to make some recommendations, don’t I?  Top three, in no particular order, “My Neighbor Totoro”, “Porco Rosso”, and/or “Howl’s Moving Castle”)

Rating – *** Worth A Look (think of this as a ***+ rating)