Review of the 1984 film 'Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind'

In the post-apocalyptic world, the sea of decay sweeps the land, devouring everything in its path and leaving the air toxic and unbreathable. In the Valley of the Wind, they stave off the spread of the sea of decay, but they otherwise let it be. Then people come from another land where they are trying to beat back the sea of decay with technology. Nausicaa, the princess of the valley of wind, resolves to stop them from destroying the world she has known and loved.

Nausicaa is one of the first Hayao Miyazaki films, and is considered to be the first film produced by Studio Ghibli (of Spirited Away fame). It has shades of some of their later works, and while it is not as polished or finely detailed as some of them, it is an excellent film, and I very much enjoyed it.

As a science fiction, there is an interesting world created in the post-apocalyptic waste. It is plain to see what they have lost from the time before. The world-building reminded me a bit of Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines series of books, in the way it alludes to what happened without making a focus of it. The focus is, instead, around the people living in this world, and the ways they have found of coping with its hardships. The creatures that live in the sea of decay are wonderful expansions, and enough within the realms of possibility that I found it easy to suspend disbelief.

The plot is brilliant and dramatic. It was based on a manga, which clearly had a significant imagination, as well as story-telling skill behind it, though I don't know precisely how much was borrowed. It was beautifully told and brought to life, with the possible exception of the ending, which I thought slightly rushed.

The environmental message that leaks through in so many of Miyazaki's films (perhaps just because he likes producing that kind of film) was very much in evidence. It wasn't too heavy-handed, though, which is good... and the message was both a vehicle for the plot and part of the plot, without detracting from the struggle that the characters were going through.

The antagonists and protagonists alike all have their strong and weak points, making it very realistic in terms of how people deal with situations. Nausicaa herself is nature-loving and kind, but she is strong, proud and determined. In all, she is one of the strongest female leads I have ever seen in an anime. She wasn't whiny or defensive; she was proactive, and well-loved by the people around her. While I don't normally tout the feminist card, especially in reviews, it was a refreshing change from some anime films I've seen with female leads who basically provide moral support and screaming.

Visually, the film is good, but not brilliant. With a more detailed animation style (such as that used in later Ghibli films), and with a higher frame-rate, this could have been a much more visually arresting film. As it was the power was in the story, which is good in some ways, but disappointing in others. However, the characters were all drawn expressively enough to carry the emotion of the film, and the plot lost nothing by its slightly primitive animation style.

While not the best Miyazaki film I have seen, Nausicaa was an excellent film. I would definitely recommend it to all anime fans (though I'm told the manga is better).