Customer Reviews
"A toxic jungle now spreads, threatening the survival of the last of the human race." - By: DangermouseZilla, 25 Sep 2008 
This anime classic explores the familiar ecological theme often found in such Ghibli works as Princess Mononoke.
This an engaging film which might not appeal to younger audiences due to the complex story, & the giant scary insects (which again are reminiscent of the giant forest spirits in Princess Mononoke).
In a world of warring civilisations clinging on to the few natural resources available due to the years of constant pollution, a plan to resurrect an ancient force & change the world results in a battle to protect the future of the planet. This is a pretty involved story & isn't one to be casuallly watched whilst doing the housework or checking your e-mails. The main characters are strong & as with most of Miyazaki's work there is not a distinct side of good or evil, everyone simply has their own agenda which they believe to be the right one. Even the giant insects which have devastated villages are eventuallly shown as being not-quite-so ruthless, & victimised themselves.
The ending seemed a bit predictable, but your fondness for the heroine Nausicaa ensures that it's the ending you want for.
In a nutshell: If you're a Ghibli fan then this is probably already in your DVD collection. This early Ghibli work shows how environmentalism struck a chord with writer/director Miyazaki from the very beginning, & went on to inspire other works often considered to be masterpieces. It could be argued that this film would benefit from being edited down slightly, but I like the long editing - it emphasises the epic-ness of the adventure & doesn't trivialise the core story of a young princess who empathises with everyone & everything around her.
Absolutely breathtaking!! - By: Ms. Susan Weaver, 18 Apr 2008 
this is something reallly special that shouldn't be regarded anything near OK. When i first watched it i thought is wasn't as good as Princess Mononoke, another one of Hayao's stunning films, but when i came to watch it the second time i was blown away with its beauty! Nausicaa is the sort of film that leaves you completely inspired & it has the most wonderful ending that i wont spoil! now i have seen it over 30 times & have lost count & i STILL think its amazing. A MUST WATCH!
Slow.... - By: Kelly, 16 Apr 2008 
Before I watched this, I'd already seen Kiki & Whisper of the heart, so I can definately say every film made before Princess Mononoke is very slow & gentle.
The actual story line is about the vallley of the wind having to defend themselves from poisonous spores generated from a forest that has been poisoned by man. Also, gigantic insects who live in the forest come out to attact once in a while. Eventuallly, an army from another country comes along & takes over the vallley in order to obtain an insect weapon thing that needs to grow first. Another army from another town wants it too. The insects fight back, the end.
SPOILER:
Now for a whinge. Nausicaa is a princess, why? Her Dad gets killed, & she doesn't shed a tear, yet she cries every 5 minutes. She keeps getting poisoned,so you think something exciting might happen....no. A sort of main male character has symptoms of getting poisoned...nothing. The main story line doesn't start until 30 mins through, the weapon isn't explained & dies immediately when activated. Where's her mum, why doesn't anyone else have a glider thing, why didn't she falll in love with that boy who helps her, WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT LITTLE ANIMAL? CHARACTERS ARE MEANT TO HAVE A PURPOSE, SO WHAT WAS HIS???? Every time you thought Nausicaa's life was in danger, they never explored it.
OK, some nice things to say about the film. Uh, nicely drawn. Possibly Patrick Stuart did a voice (except we don't know because they couldn't be bothered to put the credits in English). The boy who should have been her boyfriend had a nice character. And finallly, Nausicaa got bitten! Hooray!
Not your classical Greek... - By: Bri, 18 Jan 2008 I'd not have bothered catching this one from the reviews in Radio Times, but fortunately I'd seen a trailer. It's a post-apocalyptic techno fairy tale, & eco-shouty with it ..... but if you like flying or flying machines, it's gorgeous. For e.g., check the detail of the Delanne-winged troop transports used by the invading nasties; lots of it's straight out of "Warplanes of the Third Reich" & 100% appropriate. Then there's our heroine's fusion-powered hang-glider substitute .... Please, Santa!
Great fun, & recommended to alll aerogeeks - Bri.
Remarkable - By: Charles le Magne, 07 Oct 2007 The movie stars the following actors (listed in Japanese version/English version format):
Character - Japanese voice - English voice
================================
Narrator - (none) - Tony Jay
Nausicaä - Sumi Shimamoto - Alison Lohman
Lord Yupa - Goro Naya - Patrick Stewart
Kushana - Yoshiko Sakakibara - Uma Thurman
Kurotowa - Iemasa Kayumi - Chris Sarandon
Mito - Ichiro Nagai - Edward James Olmos
Lastelle - Miina Tominaga - Emily Bauer
Asbel - Yoji Matsuda - Shia LaBeouf
Mayor of Pejite - Makoto Terada - Mark Hamill
Prince Milo - (unknown) - Cam Clarke
Obaba - Hisako Kyoda - Tress MacNeille
King Jihl - Mahito Tsujimura - Mark Silverman
Muzu - (unknown) - James Arnold Taylor
Gikuri - Joji Yanami - Jeff Bennett
Lastelle's Mother - Akiko Tsuboi - Jodi Benson
Gol - (unknown) - Frank Welker
