My journey through the Miyazaki complete feature collection continues! His first feature was certainly not quite as deep or epic as what we’re used to from the japanese animation master’s “golden age,” but wholly moly was it fun and visually impressive. Nausicaa is another one I know virtually nothing about. I don’t even think I’ve ever seen the movie poster for it. I went into it wondering if I’d see more of that Miyazaki epic quality…and yes. Holy crap yes.
THE BLURB:
Far in the future, after an apocalyptic conflict has devastated much of the world’s ecosystem, the few surviving humans live in scattered semi-hospitable environments within what has become a “toxic jungle.” Young Nausicaä lives in the arid Valley of the Wind and can communicate with the massive insects that populate the dangerous jungle. Under the guidance of the pensive veteran warrior, Lord Yupa, Nausicaä works to bring peace back to the ravaged planet.
WHAT WORKED:
It’s Miyazaki’s first true epic. This movie is rather breathtaking in its scope. Not so much in following a ton of different characters around; I mean much more so in the world building, and how the movie feels by the time you’re done watching it.
I loooooved the post-apocalyptic setting. It easily one of the most imaginative, exciting, bad-ass post-apoc worlds I’ve ever seen, actually. There are three main parts of that we see: the toxic jungle, which is a fantasy world of giant insects, fungi and mold-like spore plants, and even an underground section full of tree trunks and water; the wasteland, which is your par for the course post-apoc barren desert; and then the valley of the wind, which is an idyllic swatch of greenery nestled at the end of a narrow canyon where it meets the sea. And that last bit, the valley of the wind, is DOPE super super thought-through shit because the toxic jungle is thought to spread through its spores (which are toxic to humans and pre-apocalypse plant/animal life)…and that headwind coming in from the ocean coupled with the narrow canyon means that the spores never reached that area. It’s naturally protected. SO COOL.
The creatures also have to be mentioned. The design on them miiiight be the highlight for me of the entire film, look-wise. Particularly the Ohm Beetles, the house-sized guardians of the toxic jungle. But, there are dozens more. Giant centipedes that fly through the air and remind me of the alien monsters in movies like Avengers, flying beetles like the featured image for this review…they really highten the fantastical element of a post-apoc world that could so easily be drab and boring.
There are also these ancient warriors, who its very, veerrryyy briefly referenced landed on earth hundreds of years before and they were the agents of destruction that wasted everything…and we find out (minor spoiler), that one of the more war-like remaining bands of humans has kept in stasis for all these years. THOSE guys, and their brief sequence really reminded me a lot of the “angels” in Evangelion…and then after reading some of the production notes was not surprised at all to learn that one of the lead animators on this feature went on to work for Gainax, and helped create that very series! 🙂
The main character, ALL of the characters, really, are very fully fleshed out and likable. Miyazaki *clearly* understands characterization. Nausicaa in particular is a fucking badass, created in a time where that was not the norm at all. Yes, we do get several peaks under the edge of her skirt whenever she jumps up on her very Moebius-inspired jet-glider…but it’s not to the point of objectivification, at least I didn’t feel that way. And that bit of titilation also really underscores that this is not a KIDS movie. It’s adult, without question. There’s nothing that makes it unsuitable for kids, per se, but it is DARK at times, violent, and intense.
Speaking of intensity, Miyazaki really, really knows how to create an action sequence. The battle scenes in this movie, both ground, in the air, and in the toxic jungle, are breathtaking. Particualrly the last big battle with thousands of giant bugs called Ohm Beetles. Ooof. The design on those guys, with their myriad eyes that glow red when they’re angry, and their size…they are Miyazaki’s embodiment of the power of the earth, and its rage for what has been done to it.
The themes of an earth tainted, attacked, and abused by human-kind is very, veeerrrryyyy prevalent in this film, something I know Miyazaki visits over and over again. Same with the military; Miyazaki’s villains are always military officers, and groups with over-sized killing machines they use to roll through and destroy the country folk. Already, from just these first two movies (and what I know continues in later films), I can say those are the two main themes I see Miyazaki dealing with: the abuse we inflict on our planet, and our warlike nature. We even saw the latter in Lupin: the bad guys have all the big guns. And how prescient those two themes continue to be, huh?
Those themes are well couched in an explosive, engaging, and thrilling film, something accomplished through a take-charge heroine who’s biggest super-power is that she understands the truth about the toxic jungle, and coexists peacefully with its inhabitants. And again, that last battle is something to see.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK:
Man, not much. I’m a bit hard-pressed to think of anything as I sit here a few days after watching it. Perhaps the movie’s running time, and how rather relentless it is with its intensity? I mean, epics are kinda supposed to do this, but you do feel rather exhausted after watching the movie.
Oh, and I guess the only that I’ll I can still see him figuring out are his scripts. It may be the translations–after all, its his golden age movies that get the royal treatment in that regard, not necessarily the early stuff–but the dialogue can be a bit basic from time to time. Ah! And the soundtrack was very, veeeerrryyyy early 1980s, sometimes distranctingly so. It’s very, very dated…but some people may really enjoy that, you know? It’s certainly a style.
All in all, this film is a MAJOR step forward for Miyazaki. It’s not quite the epic that Princess Mononoke became (with very, very similar themes), but it’s still a very, very well-made movie. I loved it.
9 out of 10 – a must-see for Miyazaki fans, and an incredible introduction to him or more adult-animation at large