In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Hayao Miyazaki's second anime feature film, NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND is an adventurous post-apocalyptic fable that presciently and astutely imparts us what will become humanity's ruination, humans. While Miyazaki's fatalistic outlook runs deeply in his works, he knows how to tell an intriguing story by putting a doughty protagonist in the cynosure, typically, a young girl ne plus ultra, possesses all the merits of human nature, against the worst-case scenario, in this case, the residual mankind is facing the aggression from giant mutant insects (called "ohm", resembling a trilobite decked with numberless eyes) peopling a sprawling toxic jungle as the aftermath of the Seven Days of Fire, a war has obliterated most of human civilization. Nausicaä, the princess of Valley of the Wind, an untainted Shangri-La covered by verdure and powered by pneumatic energy, becomes the linchpin to thwart this seemingly inexorable annihilation, even if this means she must sacrifice herself.But what becomes involute is Miyazaki's off-beat sensibility to seek transcendent beauty beneath (in its very literal sense) the overwhelming darkness and venom, perchance those ohms are not aggressors but protectors of the planet earth, the purifiers to detoxify it from human's undue contamination, this revelation strikes like a gut-punch to our anthropocentric conformity, and instantly gives this anime a rightly cynical yet self-examining heart that seminally elevates it to the stratosphere of this unique art form, apart from the artifact's sweepingly fluid craftsmanship of redoubling narrative integration and bizarrely awe-inspiring cel animation imagery, to say nothing of Miyazaki's vibrant palette that often exceedingly appeals to kids and adults like. As enterprising and edifying as any masterpieces hammered out under the brand of Studio Ghibli (in truth, the studio was founded in 1985, after the film's success), NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND might lose a modicum of plaudits for its rapid-fire agenda-divulging, viz., the motives behind Tolmekia and Pejite peoples are somewhat discombobulating for subtitle-reading first-timer, also the prophecy-fulfilling finale might crop up a tad slapdash and sappy if one is familiar with Miyazaki's other works. At any rate, quibbles do not obscure all the virtues of Miyazaki's thought-provoking masterwork, garlanded with Joe Hisaishi's synth-generated bravura and a humble reverence to the animistic existence, NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND is a timeless classic, indeed, not for anime aficionados alone.

Seriously, though: how did Miyazaki do it? So much originality. So much humor. So much commentary. So much action. This movie was made in 1984! While it was not my favorite Ghibli flick, it was fantastic nonetheless. Other than some awkward inner monologues at the outset, this was a post-nuclear wasteland film that really worked at both a character and symbolic level.

I'm a big Hayao Miyazaki fan and had not seen this one before, so I was fairly excited to watch this film on the big screen. However, I was a bit disappointed and would have to say this is the weakest of Miyazaki's films I've seen. The story of the young Princess Nausicaä, who has a connection to nature, is seeking peace between three warring kingdoms and wishing to restore the earth's environment seem like ripe Miyazaki fodder, but this film is slow moving and the pro-environmental message was preachy and heavy-handed. Miyazaki almost always has a pro-environmental message in his films, but this one seemed to hit you over the head with it. But the main problem with this film is a deathly slow second act. The film starts strong and has a reasonably good conclusion, but the middle section is pretty lifeless, which is exacerbated by a lack of interesting characters outside of the titular princess. Overall, I suppose this is worth watching for Miyazaki fans, but it's certainly not a good entry point for those new to his work.

Anime has been a favorite of mine for years, starting with dubs of Pokémon and getting better from that point. I have known, similarly, that Akira was among the first popular anime films in North America and thus opened the way to dubs of Studio Ghibli films. However, I have been wondering if maybe an attempt was made earlier than 1988, all the way back to after this film's release in Japan. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, being the founding film of Studio Ghibli, is quite easily an S-tier movie. The characters are complexly developed and can deliver both eerie calmness (like Nausicaä herself) and blowout action (like the Commando). This is supplemented by the pristinely elaborate story, giving us a glimpse of the post-apocalypse with depictions that seem relevant in a time when stories like this would only be told by conspiracy theorists. The relative lack of music doesn't hinder the film at all and actually helps it in areas when it is trying to feel realistic or get its message across. To match this is the animation, which I am actually surprised took only 9 months to complete; its drawings of various large objects like the airships and especially the Ohmu seem like they took so much more time to animate so fluidly in 1984. All I can say is, you will miss much if you decide to pass this film, even in favor of other Studio Ghibli films.