Review of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

For one of Miyazaki's earliest works, Nausicaa holds up incredibly well. Unlike some of later Studio Ghibli movies, which were more whimsical and more obviously oriented towards children, this is a pretty mature and dramatic story. The main plotline offers a pretty straightforward environmentalist message, but is filled with somewhat ambiguous characters and deadly conflict, in which Nausicaa usually hold the moral high-ground, but also has to show her warrior side to survive and save what she holds dear. The realities of movie adaptation means a lot of nuance and story threads from the original manga are cut, but the end effect is still verycompelling and quite an emotional rollercoaster.

As always though, the main selling points are the imaginative setting, beautiful animation and a great soundtrack. The giant insects and the deadly mazes of the Forest of Decay offer a really unique aesthetic and are wonderfully contrasted with the serene beauty of the Valley of the Wind. And then both are confronted with the industrialized might of the Tomurekian invaders. While maybe not as detailed and polished as some of Miyazaki's later work, it's a lush and mesmerizing world that after close to 40 years is still a joy to look at and tells just as much with its style as it does with action and dialogue. For this reason alone, I'd consider this movie a must-watch for any anime fan – even for a jaded viewer such as myself, who got to watching Studio Ghibli movies incredibly late, its charm was impossible to ignore. 9/10.