I wasn’t expecting violence this graphic to be found in an animated film, but hey, I’m definitely not complaining. Now, Ashitaka probably wouldn’t have too much trouble with these guys to begin with – he’s already proven his efficiency with the bow – but thanks to his new “demon arm,” he’s able to fire arrows so fast that they literally rip the samurais’ arms and heads from their bodies. On their way, Ashitaka and Yakul encounter some hostile samurai. Suffice to say, Yakul is friggin’ awesome. He also gave me an idea for a future post, but that’s neither here nor there. Ashitaka embarks on his journey accompanied by his great red elk Yakul, who’s loyalty and courage instantly made him one of my favorite non-human characters in any movie. His only chance for survival is to head West, from where the boar came, and search for a cure. A woman in the village tells him that he’s cursed and that, soon enough, the curse will spread through his body and kill him. For example, I thought the demonic snakes that enveloped the boar looked a lot like a pissed off Alex in Prototype.Īnyhow, during the battle with the demon, Ashitaka suffers a wound on his arm. In sort of an ongoing theme throughout the movie, I noticed a lot of aspects that have been borrowed – either intentionally or coincidentally – by video games. The demon itself – represented by thousands of squirming, demonic snakes – was animated with the aid of computers, but it’s a seamless blend into the 2-D animation and not a distraction at all. The “something sinister” turns out to be a giant boar possessed by a demon, but Ashitaka shows no fear, drawing the beast’s attention and soon defeating it with an arrow to the eye in a sequence in which the animation can be described as breathtaking. Ashitaka – the film’s protagonist – is startled by something sinister moving around the perimeter of his village and shows right away that he’s a badass of the highest order. Immediately, I was reminded of the gorgeous animation in Ponyo, although the animation in this film was significantly darker and more realistic, which was a good thing considering the subject matter. One thing’s for sure – the beginning of Mononoke is as intense as any live-action movie I’ve seen in quite some time. Keep reading for my full review there will be spoilers, as always. But the film is not without its flaws, and I think the praise Mononoke has received may be a tad bit overblown. So what’s the verdict? I definitely enjoyed Princess Mononoke, and I’d even go as far as to call some scenes amazing. From the comments I received on my Ponyo review, it appeared that Princess Mononoke was the consensus pick as Miyazaki’s best film, and so I was pretty excited when it arrived via Netflix a couple of days ago. My wonderful readers have made some terrific recommendations in the past – most notably on Primer and Timecrimes – so it goes without saying that I’m always eager to check out what you guys consider great. Horrified, he attempts to create peace and befriend the Wolf Clan.After watching and being thoroughly impressed by Ponyo, I was interested in seeing more films created by Hayao Miyazaki. However, because of the forests destruction, nearby animal clans seek revenge led by a human girl of the Wolf clan called San.When Ashitaka comes to Iron Town, he discovers the area consumed in battle. Through the clearing of the surrounding forests, Iron Town produces large amounts of Ironsand, used for gunpowder and other machinery.

Following his village's traditions, Ashitaka is exiled and becomes a wanderer, looking for a solution to the curse before it engulfs him.Iron Town is a fortress under the leadership of Lady Eboshi. During the battle, the boar bites him on the arm, leaving it blackened and cursed. Description : A calm village residing in the mountains comes under attack from a demon-possessed boar one day.Ashitaka, a young man and prince of the tribe, engages the creature in an attempt to save his village.

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