One of the first solo directing efforts for the master, Miyazaki, “Nausicaä” is a classic environmental monster fantasy epic concerning the usual Miyazaki themes. Of course the words “typical” and “Miyazaki” could never be used in the same sentence, and Nausicaä is a sheer precursor for future projects Miyazaki would embark upon. Your courageous martyr/heroine, the valiant humble hero, the mystifying figure, the wiser hero, and a government empire seeking to destroy the land. But it’s the way Miyazaki composes these arch-types that make his films worth watching without a doubt.
The original film–well it was far from original–I’ll say the first film, was quite possibly one of the most ludicrous slasher films I’ve ever seen. One thing is for sure, I’ve never seen a slasher movie so intent on being taken seriously, and I’ve never seen a slasher film so intent on posing as a murder mystery, but it was so filled with lapses in logic, that I could have gone on for pages on its sheer stupidity. Here’s a film that further widens the gap between fantasy and reality adding a “digital twist” to its story. Are these studios so dumb they use the digital angle as a fail safe? Need a sequel to “Mangler”? Add a digital twist. Need a sequel to the “Nightmare on Elm Street” series? Add a digital twist. It can happen.
