Easier to get into than _Nausicaä_, this is a much more propulsive, adventurous film by comparison. The animation is more detailed and colourful, Miyazaki’s storytelling abilities improved by leaps and bounds (no more clunky exposition; bolder themes and messaging), the music is beautiful and there are a lot of scenes that are very entertaining in their own right. I like that the visuals put a strong emphasis on the aesthetic differences between both worlds (the industrial vs the ethereal), which reflects the main theme of the film. It’s a pretty refreshing narrative compared to the usual Hollywood films indulging in technophobia (let’s not forget that _The Terminator_ came out only two years prior to this), because here you have a film arguing that nature and technology can coexist if we allow them to. However, some of the character work isn’t all that great here. Sheeta and Pazu are fine protagonists, but the film should’ve taken more time to develop these characters as they’re both a little bland as is (especially Sheeta). I also didn’t care much for the pirate characters. They’re fun in their own right, but the campy portrayal doesn’t work in tandem with the rest of the film, and frankly they could’ve been omitted altogether.

7.5/10