World-Building: Awesome
Characterization: Great
Plot: Awesome
Nausicaa is one of my favorite of Miyazaki's films. It's more of a science fiction epic than a fantasy and as usual it has a very strong female lead and strong messages about war and about humanity's connection to the environment. And of course, it wouldn't be a Miyazaki epic without flying machines.
There have been devastating world wars and a toxic jungle grew on top of the destruction and dead bodies left by the battles. This toxic jungle is spreading and it's full of gigantic, frightening insects that everyone is afraid of. Nausicaa is a young princess who, atop her glider, ventures into this jungle on a regular basis to get Ohm shells - the discarded, and very strong, shells of a gigantic bug that everyone fears. She feels at home in the jungle and has found ways to survive in there without being attacked by the menacing insects or killed by the toxic spores. A devastating war soon threatens her kingdom and she is thrown into a fast-paced adventure.
The world is vivid and engaging and the characters are awesome. Though Nausicaa's glider and her skills make her seem a little like a super-hero this never goes overboard and she's surrounded by very real people with very real weaknesses. Even the bad guys in this tale are three dimensional once you get to know them and they have real motivations. The "good guys" don't always necessarily agree on everything, either, and Nausicaa's job isn't just to win a war or save the world from a physical threat, she also feels that she needs to change their minds and the way they see and fear the toxic jungle.
Some of Miyazaki's other female heroines, while very strong, aren't so much internally motivated as they are thrown into a situation they have to deal with. Sheeta in Castle in the Sky, for example, is kidnapped and hunted and this is what drives her story. But with Nausicaa there's a sense of a strong internal motivation and a vision that she's striving for even before she's thrown into this adventure.
What I loved about this story most was the world-building. It is haunting and awesome and real and unique. You discover the world as the story progresses and as Nausicaa herself discovers more of its secrets. The toxic jungle is haunting, but it's also quite beautiful, in an eerie sort of way. Even compared to other Miyazaki works it stands out a little bit in its tone and style. Everything down to the soundtrack is awesome!
I found the tentacle bug things a the end a little strange and somewhat disturbing being far from an insect lover myself, and I didn't really like the "Lalalalalala" sections of the music, but these tiny nitpicks are nothing when you think about how awesome this story is!
If you're new to Miyazaki this movie is an excellent place to start and if you've seen any of his other films this is one you won't want to miss.
Have you seen it? What did you think of it? Did you see the original Japanese version? (I only saw the English dub myself).
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