Princess Mononoke

Never knew feeding someone beef jerky could be peak cinema This is genuinely a perfect movie. Stunning visuals. Incredibly moving score. Balanced characters with a perfect foil. Excellent pacing. Complex thematic elements. This was my first Miyazaki and with such a strong first and second act, i was worried that the final act wouldnt live up to the rest of the movie. I was wrong. Instead, Miyazaki really creates an epic fairytale while subtly subverting the audiences expectations: there is no disney princess rides off into sunset with the prince kind of ending. no evil villain gets punished and pays for their crimes. And i love him for that. He gives us a truly balanced ending - where both protagonists return back to their respective worlds. Its touching and bittersweet, but realistic and believable. He leaves it up to the viewers to determine if this was a happily ever after ending. I also absolutely adored the classical sound of the score - its so fitting for this timeless fairytale.