Let me begin this review by saying I'm biased. Yes, you read correctly--biased, I say! I absolutely adore anything written, directed, and drawn by Hayao Miyazaki. Thus, it is very difficult to ever rate his material lower than a +3. He's a living legend, a genius, and a master storyteller. I respect and admire him for all the art he's brought into my life.
Now to continue with the review...it was a little difficult for me to watch Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. It wasn't because it was a bad film-- there was just too much tension and drama for me to handle! At times, I felt like I was watching episodes from the television show 24. Nausicaa and her Valley of the Wind people faced situations that kept looking worse and more worse. I often wondered how she was going to save the day. It looked hopeless. But let's not get ahead of ourselves...
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a beautiful story about a princess. She is not your traditional princess, though. Nausicaa communes with the lethal plants and giant insects (Ohmu) that live in the Toxic Jungles. The setting is very important to the story. The Earth is in ruins. Humanity is almost instinct. It has been one thousand years since the "Seven Days of Fire" that destroyed Earth's ecosystem, and humans still cannot learn to live in harmony with everything around them. First, there are the Toxic Jungles, called the Sea of Decay in the manga and subtitled version of the film. The humans are constantly trying to prevent it from spreading to the few points of civilization left, usually by burning the plants that produce toxic spores and killing the Ohmu. Second, the humans have to be careful what air they breathe because of the deadly spores from the Toxic Jungle plants. So, they almost always have to wear gas masks. Third, the humans are fighting among themselves for the last bits of resources available for survival. The main kingdoms introduced are Nausicaa's Valley of the Wind, the Kingdom of the Pejite, and the Kingdom of the Tolmekia. Lastly, there is Nausicaa, a young woman trying to understand the disharmony around her. For those who enjoy a good dystopia story, I highly recommend Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.
What fascinates me about this film is Nausicaa's passivity. Nausicaa, played by voice actor Alison Lohman, will not kill, not even in the name of justice. She loves the Ohmu as much as her own people. She would rather sacrifice herself than condone violence. Contrasting this gentleness and desire to understand is the villain of our film-- Lady Kushana, warrior princess from the Kingdom of the Tolmekia, played by voice actor Uma Thurman. She is angry at the Toxic Jungle and the Ohmu and has a desire for power that Nausicaa and her people can't comprehend. She is treacherous, and it's frustrating for the viewer to watch her get away with so many evil plans as the heroine of the story remains true to her philosophy of life.
In the English version, supporting characters included a wide array of big names from Hollywood:
- Asbel, a prince from the Kingdom of Pejite, played by Shia LaBeouf
- Lord Yupa, a great warrior and adviser of Nausicaa and her father, played by Patrick Stewart
- Obaba, a wise woman of the Valley of the Wind, played by Tress MacNeille
- Mito, a villager from the Valley of the Wind and a friend of Nausicaa's, played by Edward James Olmos
- Mayor of Pejite, played by Star Wars legend Mark Hamill
This is only a small list of a well cast American dub. Of course, I always recommend viewing the original Japanese versions of films with English subtitles. However, when I saw the amazing cast Disney included for the dubbed version, how could I resist? Patrick Stewart was reason alone to watch! In the end, I really enjoyed all the voice actors that were chosen from narrator Tony Jay to Nausicaa herself.
The acting was great, but what always makes a Hayao Miyazaki film are the story and artwork, all which excelled in this film. I loved Miyazaki's vision of a destroyed Earth and the interesting takes on toxic plants and the "scary" Ohmu. One of my favorite things about this film is Miyazaki's ability to show the viewer wind. From the windmills in the Valley of the Wind to the warships of the Tolmekia to Nausicaa's ability to travel long distances by "windriding," flying an advanced jet assisted glider, wind comes alive. I haven't been moved like this by the image and idea of wind since the Korean film Windstruck.
Some of my favorite scenes from the film include Nausicaa's gliding moments, when we are first introduced to the deadly spores as they fall around her like snow, and Nausicaa's memories from her childhood, along with the beautiful childhood singing. This was the most memorable music from the film, although there are some beautiful instrumental sequences.
As already described, I was very emotionally invested in this story. I was constantly on the edge of my seat hoping that Nausicaa would somehow give the villains their reckoning. Of course, events never turned out as I hoped, and I'm actually glad of that fact. Nausicaa wouldn't have been the peaceful and selfless princess that she was if she had suddenly started kicking some human ass. Of course, there was an early fight scene that demonstrated how capable Nausicaa really was with a weapon. It was nice to know that she had physical strength and the wisdom and compassion to not rely on it. I haven't come across a lead heroine that I've enjoyed this much in a very long time.
Overall, the English dubbed version of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is appropriate for a general audience. There wasn't as much violence as I expected. The worst scene was when Nausicaa lets anger consume her. Otherwise, the only thing young children might be frightened of are the large insect Ohmus. Personally, I didn't find them scary, and I can't stand bugs! I didn't even find them gross, again, another attribute I assign to most bugs. Miyazaki humanized the Toxic Jungle and the Ohmus through Nausicaa's unique perspective of her world. It was an amazing concept, and teaches important lessons about life that any viewer, regardless of age, would benefit from:
- The importance and strength imbued in practicing nonviolent means of protest.
- The futility of violence and war.
- It is greater to be selfless than selfish.
- The ecological connections between all creatures, great and small.
- The immense destruction that greed causes to the Earth.
- The importance of building friendships with all types of peoples.
- The value of forgiveness.
- Life is sacred.
The best aspect about these themes are that they don't come off as trite life-lessons or cliches. The messages are intrinsically woven into the story and plot. They are slowly revealed as the anime progresses. In fact, many of these lessons didn't make themselves clear until I started replaying key scenes from the film in my mind. This is a movie that will stay with me, and I highly recommend it to all peoples, even if you are not a fan of anime. You will especially enjoy it if you are a Hayao Miyazaki fan like myself. If that's the case, though, I recommend seeing the original Japanese version first and then the American adaption. I'm glad that Jason got us a copy of the film, and I look forward to the time when we can watch it again in Japanese. It's worth seeing multiple times in any language or format.
Thanks so much for the visit and the read. I'm so glad you enjoyed the review! This film has a lot of heart, so it was really easy to delve into it all.
Do you, Teri, or Rita watch animes? I think Rita would really enjoy this one!
I hope to visit you all in the near future with Jason after we've finished moving to the Santa Barbara area. I want to celebrate Rita's new job! You have to give her our best regarding it!
Aggression is never the way and as my parents love to say, it's much better to be able to give than to be given ;-) Keep on writing!!! :-)
Thanks again! And I will keep on writing. :)
o The importance and strength imbued in practicing nonviolent means of protest.
o The futility of violence and war.
o It is greater to be selfless than selfish.
o The ecological connections between all creatures, great and small.
o The immense destruction that greed causes to the Earth.
o The importance of building friendships with all types of peoples.
o The value of forgiveness.
o Life is scared.
Adrianna, I think you want to say that life is sacred . Was this a typo ?
Sincerely,
Joseph
And, I'm glad you like the layout of the life lessons. This is an anime I think you would enjoy even if you don't regularly watch anime. It's a very versatile and moving piece.
When you say Kon are you referring to Satoshi Kon? If so, I have yet to watch anything by him. Now I will have to, though, since you gave him such high praise!
Many thanks for reading my review, Frank!
I couldn't agree more! We sometimes watch the English dub first purely because we are too lazy to read the subtitles. Right now, we are watching on a rather small television, so the subtitles would have been difficult. The English dub is usually a good choice when children are watching.
I don't know if I have a favorite Miyazaki film...so hard to choose! I know Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, and Spirited Away were my top choices before seeing this one. I liked that Nausicaa had a happy ending. I was devastated by the end of Mononoke. :( Ponyo was cute, but it was another film met more for kids.