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Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Director: Hayao Miyazaki Number of Items: 2 Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen Format: Color, Widescreen, Animated Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Running Time: 118 minutes Studio: Buena Vista Home Vid Region Code: 1 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2005-02-22 Buy from Amazon |
 "Action, Adventure, Fantasy, and Drama - all rolled into one!"I had only seen one other movie of Hayao Miyazaki, "Spirited Away". I fell in love with that movie, so my friend recommended me to watch "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind". After watching Nausicaa, I am glad to say that my admiration for Hayao Miyazaki's movies has only become stronger. The story is about Nausicaa, the princess of the Valley of the Wind. The human civilization is near extinction, because there is a toxic plague spreading in the air, killing everyone. These poisonous fumes come from the spores, which are protected by giant insects called "Ohms". The villagers of the Valley of the Wind are safe since the air of their land is protected from this poison. Nausicaa, the fun, loyal and courageous princess of the Valley of the Wind, feels that everything can be solved without resolving to violence, and tries to find a cure to this poison. However, as their land is invaded from Tolmekians, who feel that they have another solution to saving the human race, even if it resorts to bloodshed, it is up to Nausicaa to save the people, even if it means putting her own life on hand. While this movie starts off with a simple storyline (a girl trying to find a cure for the fumes of the sea of decay), it slowly introduces more characters along with more plot lines, making it an adventurous rollercoaster ride for the viewer. We get to see how people turn against one another during hardship, how things are not always what they seem, along with a girl who shows courage, bravery, trying to spread peace and love by ending a war, convincing people, while risking her own life in the process. It is clear to see that Miyazaki's imagination is flowing throughout this movie. We get to see new gadgets, a new world, with strange looking creatures, as well as a steady storyline to keep us focused. I am surprised at the wonderful quality of this DVD. When I saw this movie, I had no idea it was a 1984 movie until I came online to write this review. There is an audio track to listen to the movie in Japanese as well as in English. Along with this, we also get to see original trailers, and two featurettes of the movie: Behind the scenes of the English voice recording, where they interviewed the cast of the English version of the movie (such as Patrick Stewart and Uma Thurman), as well as a "Birth of Studio Ghibli" featurette, where, being a newbie to Miyazaki's movies, I learnt a lot about Miyazaki's works in a chronological fashion. This is a wonderful movie that a person of any age will enjoy watching. Therefore, I recommend you to get the movie and watch it, because you will not be disappointed. "Inspiring Relevant Epic "The is one of those rare movies that uses incredibly imaginative characters, story, and setting to convey an extremely important message of environmental awareness. The scope is enormous, and at times hard for western minds to comprehend. The message is universal and so strong that is just adds to the beautiful animation and deeply artistic story.  "Good, but far from great...."The VHS "warriors Of The Wind" was an excellent exposition of anime filmwork. The new DVD is anything but that. The DVD is geared toward those 12 and under. It is made and structured for a younger (much younger) crowd. The VHS was made for a slightly older crowd, with those overtones. If you liked the VHS, directly transfer it to a DVD. Dont buy the new remake, its made for kids. "The best ever"Hayao Miyazaki has directed many great films this one though I must say, (because I've watched it a total of 11 times-in the past 4 days,) that It is the best in the world, a great story from beginning to end, it was great. To tell you the truth, "great" is just not good enough for it. In fact I looked it up in a thesaurus. "Excellent, Splendid, Grand, Top-notch, Favorable, Noble, Superior, Fit for a King" all this and more. I bet I could watch this over and over without getting bored. In this movie Hayao Miyazaki included it all, action and drama, magic and war, peace and understanding. "He surely got it all and stuffed it in one darn wonderful story", as one of my best friends would say. For all you people who haven't seen it, I'll try not to spoil it for you. In this movie "A courageous princess leads her people in the struggle against a powerful insect race determined to take over their land." -the back of the Blockbuster case. At the beginning of the film this line is said by Patrick Stewart-"A thousand years have passed since the collapse of industrialized civilization, a toxic jungle now spreads threatening the last of the human race." (So many big words) In my words, "Princess Nausicaa must defend her people from giant bugs trying to destroy everything."-Me, Laurah Spencer, It's just easier that way, you see. If you are like me and like action and drama, war, guns and tanks and all that stuff you should see this movie. (But always remember to remind your RAT it's only rated PG) (RAT stands for Responsible Adult Type) If you are also like me and like magic and peace, love and all that mushy crap, you should see this movie. (Even if you have to close your eyes and plug you ears during the tragic parts) (That was not me closing and plugging, it was my seven-year-old sister) "Not An Expert's Review"I can't wax poetic about how wonderfully artistically and technically this film is - but as a layperson I can tell that it is so. While I have to admit that there's a definite common thread to Miyazaki's movies' themes, this is yet another one of his works that has effortlessly blown me away. Casual Film Buff's Verdict: Breathtaking, with a degree of depth often lacking in America's popular cinema |
