8.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.6 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.3 |
In the post-apocalyptic future, large parts of the world have been swallowed up by forests of poisonous fungi. The remaining humans live near the fungus and its monstrous insectoid inhabitants, trying to prevent its spread. One of the human kingdoms, the peaceful Valley of Wind, loves its gentle Princess Nausicaä and her father the king, but their peace is about to be broken, as they are swallowed up in the machinations of their larger, warmongering neighbours. However, Nausicaä has hidden potential, and may yet change the fate of the world.
Starring: Sumi Shimamoto, Gorō Naya, Yôji Matsuda, Yoshiko Sakakibara, Iemasa KayumiForeign | 100% |
Anime | 85% |
Fantasy | 49% |
Adventure | 38% |
Comic book | 13% |
Epic | 10% |
Sci-Fi | 9% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH, French
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Even in 2011, some twenty-seven years after its initial release, Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind stands as a masterclass in stirring hand-drawn animation, magnificent design and absorbing fantasy storytelling. Based on the first two volumes of Miyazaki's seven-volume manga of the same name, it's an unexpectedly moving cautionary tale and a startlingly timely indictment of war, environmental indifference and reactionary politics. It's also a sweeping, sky-splitting adventure sure to enchant the entire family; no small feat considering the depth and darkness Nausicaä embraces over the course of its two hours. Granted, it isn't an official Studio Ghibli production as its coverart suggests (Miyazaki and Isao Takahata didn't establish Ghibli until 1985, a full year after its debut), it doesn't carry the same cinematic clout in North America as it does in Japan, and far too many moviegoers have never sampled its wonders. Even so, it remains a timeless animated treasure and an incredibly important, poignant and powerful film.
"There's nothing to fear..."
Disney's exceedingly respectful 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer is almost as striking as the film's soaring visuals. Colors aren't as vibrant as some might expect, but there's a solemn strength, a sand-swept beauty and an organic restraint to Miyazaki's dusty watercolor palette that, in many ways, is far more evocative and arresting than the alternative. Detail is just as admirable. Every fluid stroke of the animators' lineart has been perfectly preserved, their ink-work is deeper and cleaner than it's ever been, and their hand-drawn backgrounds and airships are a stunning sight to behold. Moreover, the film's fine grain structure is intact and, despite its prominence, both consistent and attractive, lending each scene a filmic quality that only showcases the transfer's cinematic integrity. Yes, a number of soft shots pepper the proceedings, slight telecine wobbling is apparent, and negligible cel nicks and specks, as well as some minor print imperfections, appear throughout. However, each and every quote-unquote issue traces back to the original source and very few instances, if any, detract from the overall impact or authenticity of the presentation. The studio's encode warrants even higher praise. There isn't any significant artifacting, banding, ringing, compression anomalies, aliasing or, really, anything at all that might distract seasoned videophiles from Miyazaki's remarkable imagery.
To be clear: Nausicaä doesn't look as if it rolled out of an animation studio yesterday, a fact that will probably elicit apathy from viewers hoping for a water-into-wine redux. But as twenty-seven-year old anime classics go, Disney's reverent high definition transfer makes it that much easier to sink into Miyazaki's dazzling vision and float away.
Choices, choices. Unlike Ponyo, Nausicaä includes a trio of lossless options: a solid Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track, an equally impressive English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix and, for those it benefits, a comparable French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 offering. There are a few small differences between the three, the most notable being that voices in the original Japanese-language track are brighter but thinner than their English-dub counterparts. Be that as it may, it's important to remember Nausicaä's Japanese cast delivered their lines in 1984 while the film's American cast was recorded some twenty years later. Needless to say, every difference audiophiles will encounter is inherent to each version's original sound design, not varying quality among Disney's lossless tracks. Regardless of whether you choose Japanese, English or French though, dialogue remains clear and intelligible, effects are reasonably well-grounded, low-end tones are granted some relative oomph (despite the lack of any LFE channel support), Joe Hisaishi's score holds its own, and the whole of the soundscape, though dated, is entirely serviceable. I do wish a 5.1 or 7.1 remix were available, if for no other reason than to sweeten the pot, but I doubt many film purists or Miyazaki devotees will be sitting at home shaking their fists at the faithful options at their disposal.
Unfortunately, the Blu-ray edition of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind doesn't boast as much supplemental content as I hoped it would. What it does offer though -- a full-length storyboard presentation, a Japanese television documentary, two featurettes, a trivia challenge and other less notable goodies -- is worth watching, even if you have to pop in the 2-disc set's standard DVD to access some of the film's special features.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a classic in every sense of the word. As relevant and engrossing today as it was nearly three decades ago (if not more so), Hayao Miyazaki's sweeping fantasy epic is as touching as it is beautiful, as haunting as it is poignant, as captivating as it is unforgettable. Disney's Blu-ray release isn't as indispensable, but it is without a doubt worth owning. Its video transfer is faithful and proficient, and its original Japanese-language and English-dub DTS-HD Master Audio stereo tracks are superb. In fact, the only area that comes up short is the film's supplemental package, and it still has a lot to offer. Whether you've never seen Nausicaä or are intimately familiar with its majesty, add this one to your cart, share it with your entire family and prepare to revisit it again and again over the coming years.
風の谷のナウシカ / Kaze no tani no Naushika
1984
風の谷のナウシカ / Kaze no tani no Naushika
1984
ハウルの動く城 / Hauru no Ugoku Shiro
2004
ゲド戦記 / Gedo Senki
2006
となりのトトロ / Tonari no Totoro
1988
もののけ姫 / Mononoke-hime
1997
天空の城ラピュタ / Tenkû no Shiro Rapyuta
1986
紅の豚 / Kurenai no Buta
1992
崖の上のポニョ / Gake no ue no Ponyo
2008
サマーウォーズ / Samâ wôzu
2009
Suchîmubôi
2004
2013
1995-1996
鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST
2009
バケモノの子 / Bakemono no ko
2015
魔女の宅急便 / Majo no Takkyûbin
1989
借りぐらしのアリエッティ / Kari-gurashi no Arietti
2010
メアリと魔女の花 / Meari to majo no hana
2017
海獣の子供 / Kaijū no Kodomo
2019
Evangerion shin gekijôban: Ha
2009
レドライン
2009
千と千尋の神隠し / Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi
2001