Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best Anime you'll see, 7 Sep 2006
Channel four recently put a Studio Ghibli film into its 100 films to see before you die, and it was Princess Mononoke, which is a great film, but in my opinion this is the film that should be there instead. Credited as a Studio Ghibli film is was not made by Ghibli, but by the people who would eventually become Ghibli when they made the second film, Laputa. First seen in the west as a butchered film called Warriors of the Winds, it sank beneath the waves until the recent interest in Ghibli with the release of Spirited Away and it was released in an uncut form with new voice talent. It is based on a Manga that Miyzaki had been writing for 13 years until he bought it to the screen.
It shows a world devastated by mans folly 1000 years before in a war in which burnt the world. Survivors now live in isolated communities seperated by the Sea of Decay, a poisonous forest inhabited by giant insects, chief of which are the Ohmu. Nausicaa is a Princess who lives in The Valley of the Winds. A peaceful place until it is shattered by a aircraft from the warlike people of Tolmekia, which crashes into there valley. Closely followed by a resuce party from Tolmekia it is discovered that the crash ship carries a weapon left over from the old world, with which the Tolmekians plan to destroy the Sea of Decay and reclaim the earth for man. Needless to say it goes a little pear-shaped.
The film, despite being made in 1984, is beautfully drawn and is superior to anything that Disney produced at the time. Its plot could be confusing to younger children, but the action keeps flowing and the storyline is intelligent to keep the adults engrossed. A great film for both young and old alike, as it show that animation is not just for children.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
As fresh as a daisy, 23 April 2007
After being blown away by `Princess Mononoke', `Spirited Away', `Howl's Moving Castle' and a couple of other Studio Ghibli movies, I was really looking forward to viewing this earlier offering from that same studio. And in only a couple of ways does this film show its age and mark `Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind' as being one of the first films in this studio's collection- (1) The soundtrack is pure 80's techno, which I found to be the perfect accompaniment to the ecological/adventure plot and (2) Not only is the story as originally scripted as you would expect being one of Miyazaki's first stories, but it's also a fantastic adventure to boot. Somewhat surprising is that the animation is not one of the areas where this film appears dated- as I watched I found it incredible that this film could have been animated over twenty years ago. I don't know whether it's been digitally re-mastered, or if it's simply the transmission on DVD, but the animation is truly superb.
If you wanted to be brutally honest you might say the occasional scenes involving movement are a little flatter in comparison with some of this director's most recent works, but in truth it's eye-poppingly glorious to view throughout and I especially marvelled at the insect creatures brought to life by the animators (the ominous `Ohmu' are particularly powerful). Strangely the DVD credits make no mention of the English speaking actors, perhaps because these voices were dubbed in 2004 with the release of this DVD, but still I would have expected some reference to their participation, especially since they're so proficient and well cast- Uma Thurman, Patrick Stewart and Alison Lohman stand out among them. A nostalgic breath of fresh air, unashamedly enjoyable.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ageing like a fine wine. Miyazaki's best finally on R2 DVD., 19 Feb 2006
Whilst not a genuine Studio Ghibli film (it was made before the company was formed and it was this film that led to the formation of Ghibli) this is certainly one of Miyazaki's best.Although made in 1984, Nausicaa's animation is top notch (although understandably it does seem a litle dated when compared to the likes of Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle) and the storyline engrossing, exciting and magical. There is certainly a lot more action in this film than in any of the later Ghibli movies. This includes tank and plane battles and a horde of 'Ohmu' laying waste to various cities. All of this is shown tastefully and never goes over the top. Musically, the film does show its age as the soundtrack is comprised of a lot of 80's electronica. However, the composer was Joe Hisaishi, the man responsible for the composition of many other Ghibli soundtracks including Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle as well as great non-Ghibli anime such as The Venus Wars. Fans should probably check out the Nausicaa soundtrack if they haven't already! I would probably put this as my favourite Miyazaki film with Spirited Away a very close second. It is certainly more enjoyable than the, at times ponderous Princess Mononoke. Whether you are an anime fan, a Miyazaki fan or just a lover of good films the Nausicaa is a film that you should not be without. It is truly an amazing achievement in every sense of the word.
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