Nausicaa of the Valley Wind - Anime Review
October 21st 2007 23:47
Information:
Alternate Title: Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä
Licenced by: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Length: Movie
Year: 1985
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Science-Fiction
Synopsis: Nausicaa is a princess of the Valley of the Wind.. a small enclave protected from the poisonous pollen of vegetation from the waste lands... they live somewhat in harmony with their surrounds keeping to themselves and away from the many giant insects that inhabit the wastelands until one day a mysterious plane carrying a secret cargo crash lands in their lands.
Anime Review:
I have to say, though Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are brilliant, this did not leave me as happy as I had expected it would. Oh, sure, it is really quite good, but in the end, I was relatively dissappointed as I was comparing it to the manga.
However, on its own, it makes quite a good film, though not Miyazaki's best.
From an animation point of view for a hand drawn work from 20 years ago, this truly is a remarkable piece of art. The coloring and sheer detail of the backgrounds were spectacular.
The characters, too, were very well done.
The music in this movie was well chosen. Everything seemed to move together in the story, with the music fitting in with every change in plot and mood.
The character development was alright. I felt that they were underdeveloped, perhaps a result of not have enough time in a feature length movie. I might also be prejudiced from the manga, but I left the end feeling like so much of the character's roles and motivations were left unstated.
Oh, certainly there were various reasons given throughout the film, but I felt that something was missing from the entirety of the context, not just the microsm in which the film is set.
Again, I am probably prejudiced by the manga, but I felt that, as with the characters, the story was missing a feeling of fitting in with the whole world. Also like the characters, in film reasons were presented as to why things happened, but I could not escape the feeling (brought on by the manga) that there was so much more left untappped, like the forest.
Viewing the film objectivly, it stands very well on its own, with a story better than almost every Hollywood movie I have ever seen, though that isn't saying much. If you do like the story, please read the manga. The film doesn't really give anything away for the rest of the story, which is very expansive. From the midpoint onward, the film deviats almost entirely from the manga story, which incorporates many more characters and plot elements.
In the end, this is quite a good piece of animation.
Grade: A - Miyazaki movies are good and should be watched by all. Another proud presentation from Studio Ghibli.
Alternate Title: Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä
Licenced by: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Length: Movie
Year: 1985
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Science-Fiction
Synopsis: Nausicaa is a princess of the Valley of the Wind.. a small enclave protected from the poisonous pollen of vegetation from the waste lands... they live somewhat in harmony with their surrounds keeping to themselves and away from the many giant insects that inhabit the wastelands until one day a mysterious plane carrying a secret cargo crash lands in their lands.
Anime Review:
I have to say, though Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are brilliant, this did not leave me as happy as I had expected it would. Oh, sure, it is really quite good, but in the end, I was relatively dissappointed as I was comparing it to the manga.
However, on its own, it makes quite a good film, though not Miyazaki's best.
From an animation point of view for a hand drawn work from 20 years ago, this truly is a remarkable piece of art. The coloring and sheer detail of the backgrounds were spectacular.
The characters, too, were very well done.
The music in this movie was well chosen. Everything seemed to move together in the story, with the music fitting in with every change in plot and mood.
The character development was alright. I felt that they were underdeveloped, perhaps a result of not have enough time in a feature length movie. I might also be prejudiced from the manga, but I left the end feeling like so much of the character's roles and motivations were left unstated.
Oh, certainly there were various reasons given throughout the film, but I felt that something was missing from the entirety of the context, not just the microsm in which the film is set.
Again, I am probably prejudiced by the manga, but I felt that, as with the characters, the story was missing a feeling of fitting in with the whole world. Also like the characters, in film reasons were presented as to why things happened, but I could not escape the feeling (brought on by the manga) that there was so much more left untappped, like the forest.
Viewing the film objectivly, it stands very well on its own, with a story better than almost every Hollywood movie I have ever seen, though that isn't saying much. If you do like the story, please read the manga. The film doesn't really give anything away for the rest of the story, which is very expansive. From the midpoint onward, the film deviats almost entirely from the manga story, which incorporates many more characters and plot elements.
In the end, this is quite a good piece of animation.
Grade: A - Miyazaki movies are good and should be watched by all. Another proud presentation from Studio Ghibli.
| 31 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
