Rating: 2.5/5 Cursed Forest

The announcement of a live-action Princess Mononoke with Tom Holland as Ashitaka was met with equal parts excitement and dread. After watching Princess Mononoke Live Action, the dread was justified.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: Tom Holland tries. He gives Ashitaka a wide-eyed sincerity that works in the early scenes. But he’s simply too young, too boyish to carry the weight of a cursed warrior. The film looks… fine. The forest spirits are rendered with expensive CGI, and Moro the wolf goddess is majestic. But the beauty of Miyazaki’s original was in its hand-drawn soul; here, everything feels plastic and polished.

The script tries to cram the complex themes of industrialization, nature, and humanity into a two-hour runtime, and it collapses under the pressure. Lady Eboshi is reduced to a mustache-twirling villain, and San (a miscast newcomer) lacks the feral rage of the original. The romance between Ashitaka and San feels rushed and unearned. By the time the Forest God’s head is stolen, you’ll be checking your watch.

The Verdict: A visually competent but spiritually empty adaptation. It exists, but it shouldn’t have.

Final Thought: Some classics should remain animated. This is one of them.