--- title: "Princess Mononoke: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/princess-mononoke/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/princess-mononoke" critics_score: 80 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Princess Mononoke (1997): what the critics said Critics' score 80 from 8 reviews: 7 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Princess Mononoke, with praise clustering around its detailed animation, forest creatures and the scale of its action. The reviews repeatedly single out Miyazaki’s combination of folklore and environmental concerns, finding images of nature and spirits especially memorable. Several also value the complexity of the conflict between humans and nature: the characters have competing needs, and the film resists a simple division into good and evil. The reservations concern how clearly those ideas emerge and how appealing the animation remains across different subjects. The AV Club offers the strongest dissent, finding the ecological allegory muddled and the grand scale costly to Miyazaki’s offbeat charm, while still admiring the drawing. The Guardian is less persuaded by the animation style, particularly the human faces. Time Out’s reservation about the music is smaller, leaving a spread that runs from wholehearted enthusiasm to qualified admiration, with no outright rejection. ## Time Out — TR Rating 5/5. 22 July 2025. The critic praises this mythic adventure as raising Miyazaki to living national treasure status in Japan, highlighting its three-way conflict between humans, samurai and forest creatures arguing for coexistence rather than good vs evil. Superbly imagined and visually sumptuous, it is only slightly let down by the score. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/princess-mononoke) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 September 1999. The critic calls the film an amazing, intricate epic fable that is easy to see why it was a huge hit in Japan. Its breathtakingly rendered action and stirring use of nature, myth and history stand out as particularly special. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/27/movies/film-review-waging-a-mythic-battle-to-preserve-a-pristine-forest.html) ## Radio Times — Alan Jones Rating 4/5. This luxuriously animated legend of ancient gods versus mankind and industry over nature's balance is beautifully drawn with classic Japanese art inspiration and delivers a modern ecological message with feminist bias. Miyazaki expertly weaves folklore and contemporary issues with breathtaking designs, highlighted by the psychedelic Deer God. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ipk12i/princess-mononoke/) ## Variety — Leonard Klady Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 January 1998. The critic describes it as a rich cartoon fable of gods clashing with man and industry, with a complex adult script, full-blooded characters and the sweep of a romantic epic. Its ecological bias and lush visuals are noted positively, though it may need careful handling for Western audiences. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1998/digital/features/princess-mononoke-hayao-miyazaki-1200452449/) ## Empire — Mark Dinning Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film an imaginative and intriguing blend of environmental philosophy and action adventure that is worth the wait for UK audiences. They single out the breathtaking scale, mythical creatures and forest sprites for praise alongside the painstaking hand-drawn animation. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/princess-mononoke-review/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 October 2001. The film is a fervently inventive and imaginative legend about man’s collision with nature, featuring a medieval warrior allying with forest spirits against iron-age profiteers. The story has simplicity and force with captivating images, though the critic remains agnostic about the animation style, especially the human characters' faces. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/oct/19/culture.reviews5) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2002. The US release of Miyazaki's epic is visually sumptuous and features rapturous animation, but the change in scale results in a muddled eco-allegory and loss of the director's usual offbeat charm. It remains a formidable achievement thanks to its lush drawing style and magical imagery. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/princess-mononoke-1798195945) ## Eye for Film — Anton Bitel Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 May 2006. The critic praises Miyazaki's nuanced portrayal of the conflict between humans and nature, avoiding simplistic messages, and highlights the memorable scenes with the Spirit of the Forest and Kodama tree-deities for their mystery and awe. The film's graphic violence and male protagonist made it suitable for Western audiences familiar with more action-oriented anime. [Read the review](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/princess-mononoke-film-review-by-anton-bitel) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/princess-mononoke.md