Review of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a mishmash of story elements from the manga of the same name which leaves something to be desired, but remains one of the most memorable anime movies ever made. The post-apocalyptic setting with several different warring factions is intriguing on its own, but meshed with the environmentalism that is Miyazaki's signature, it becomes a story that is greater than the sum of its parts. The way that the environmentalism, the love of humanity and the impact of war all come together in this setting is a grand accomplishment. While the story is a fraction of what isin the manga, Nausicaa manages to explore most of its themes to the satisfaction of the viewer. The Joe Hisaishi soundtrack is dated and one of the songs is a copy of Handel's Sarabande. The animation during the titan attack on the Ohms is an industry standard, as is much about this movie. It was hugely influential on a lot of creators that became big names in their own right.
Nausicaa is a fantastic movie despite telling an incomplete story and comparing weakly to the manga version. This is to the credit of the manga rather than the detriment of the movie.