Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

I recently rented Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds. It was a childhood favorite of mine, having all the essential elements: an adventure in an imaginary world, a mysterious forest, a butt-kicking yet compassionate heroine, and BUGS! But as a kid I had not appreciated what a strong anti-war message the movie has. More amazing is that though made well before 9/11, the movie makes chilling references to the error of starting an endless and unwinnable war, and to the folly of using weapons of mass destruction.



I was reminded of my surprise in finding similar messages against militarism and the often false pretenses for going to war where I least expected it. The following two films are also pre-9/11, seem on the surface as feel good action entertainment, but again tell cautionary tales of supposedly benign governments rallying their people to senseless war over false or suspicious pretenses:

Starship Troopers (1997)


Antz (1998)


Strangely, all three of these movies involve insects! An interesting coincidence.