The Gamera Heisei trilogy are known as some of the best Japanese kaiju films, right up there next to the original Gojira. The first film came out the same year Godzilla 'died' in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. This trilogy would set Gamera on the map, no longer as a Godzilla cash-in. Let's face it, I enjoy Gamera vs. Guiron as much as the next kaiju fan, but the Showa Gamera films really weren't that good. The ones post Gamera vs. Gyaos were really laughable. Gamera 'died' in Super Monster in 1980. So fifteen later, he was revived for a new series of films. The super turtle was back, and seventeen years later, the film series still shines. This review will be on the first one, Guardian of the Universe.
The story begins when a ship runs into something big. Soon after two people are attacked by something. One of them manages to send a message before being killed. Apparently they were attacked by a 'bird.' It is later revealed that this bird is a creature called Gyaos, the Shadow of Evil. The scary part is that there are more than one of it. All is not lost, however. Rising to the occasion is Gamera, the Guardian of the Universe. His mission: Destroy all Gyaos. His power will be put to the test when he battles the enormous Super Gyaos toward the end of the film.
Gamera was never big like his movie rival Godzilla. Sure, a lot of people heard of him as the super turtle, but that's it. Gamera was always treated as a joke back in the day. The 'hero to all children,' remember that? The Showa films are so outdated that it's almost not even funny. The Heisei trilogy changed everything about Gamera, starting with this film. What a great start, everything is established. Gamera has an interesting back- story along with Gyaos. They could have made him darker, but stayed true to his roots. Gamera is a heroic monster, and the film displays that well. One cannot forget to mention the compelling story and characters that go along with it.
One of the best scenes in the film, awe-inspiring
If the characters of this trilogy were flat, there would be a problem. The problem with the Heisei Godzilla films was that there were hardly any interesting characters to root for. The focus is divided between Mayumi, an expert on birds, and Asagi, a girl who gets linked to Gamera later in the film. First off, Mayumi. Definitely the best character in the film. Reminded me a bit of Miki from the Heisei Godzilla films. She's definitely a protagonist you could root for. Asagi, well, when you have a kid/teen as a focus, it could go either way with these type of films. If you've seen any post Gamer vs. Gyaos film, you would know what I mean. Thankfully, she's interesting enough. Granted her character isn't explored that well, she was good. The link between her and Gamera wasn't fully explored. So this thing got her to be linked to Gamera.....how does that work exactly? It's one thing that should have been explained better. Other characters such as Asagi's dad were well enough. The worst character was Inspector Osako. He was put for comic relief, but just fell flat, really flat. Besides that, the characters hold up the film well when there isn't any monster action, something the majority of the Heisei Godzilla films didn't do.
Let's get on with my favorite part of this review, the monsters. The Gamera suit is just fantastic. I will repeat, FANTASTIC. The detail is amazing, and the shell looks great. Gyaos on the other hand is more mixed. The prop looks really fake sometimes. Other times it looks really menacing and convincing, such as the cage break scene. The Super Gyaos is definitely an amazing sight to behold, but it's Gamera who shines in this department. The final fight between the two was climatic, a very good fight. It didn't rely on beams, (Heisei Godzilla era) but brought back the classic Showa slug-fest with a modern look. It's fantastic stuff. Thanks to modern special effects, some things really shine. Gyaos' cartoony beam from the retro days is gone in place of a more realistic one. There are some bad special effects sequences, such as the missiles, they looked way too CGI. Gamera's fireballs look fantastic however.
The soundtrack as expected was pretty good. Could have been better, it has nothing on any of the Heisei Godzilla films. The most stand-out theme was near the beginning, the Jaws-like one. The film succeeds in having a dark atmosphere, even horrific sometimes. (The scene where an unseen Gyaos attacked two men was amazingly horrific.) One must stare in awe at Gamera's first appearance in the city. It feels like a Godzilla film, but the overall destruction is better and more satisfying than the majority of Godzilla's destruction scenes. I like how it doesn't focus fully on the buildings getting destroyed, something a lot of the Heisei Godzilla films do too much.
Overall, Gamera: Guardian of the Universe was the beginning of what was to be known as the greatest Japanese monster movies ever. Gone are the days of being a mere cash-in to Godzilla, the turtle was now fully his own character. The film succeeds in having a dark, dramatic atmosphere, compelling characters, and excellent monster action. It doesn't feel slow or dragged out, it's a solid film. It's the weakest of the trilogy, but still the perfect start to reviving everyone's favorite giant turtle.
8/10.
Sometimes in a trilogy the sequel is less popular than the first and third. Take the Gamera Heisei trilogy for example. When you hear about it, people usually talk about the first one and the third one, Advent gets left out. Why? Well, Gyaos was always the fan favorite, along with Iris. Somehow Legion never became a favorite, it's quite disappointing. Advent takes some new and old concepts to make a fantastic follow up to Guardian of the Universe. It's similar, yet completely different. Advent of Legion takes some of the faults from the previous film and improves upon them. No more bad CGI or fake looking props, we have a kaiju film with near perfect special effects, and a good story to back it up.
The story begins when a meteor shower comes to Japan. As expected, these aren't ordinary meteors. Soon in the sewer people are getting killed by one-eyed insectoid creatures. The military is sent in. What they find is something growing, and a bunch of these insectoid creatures dubbed 'Symbiotic Legion.' The soldiers are quickly taken out, and soon the building above is covered in a giant pod. Soon after Gamera rises out of the water to destroy the pod. After he destroys it with a fireball, the 'Big One' rises out of the ground. This adult Legion may prove too powerful for Gamera.....
The last time a kaiju film used insectoids was in the original Rodan film I believe. This time these insects are from space. Alien insects, that's a good combination. (You're probably thinking of Starship Troopers right now.) This might be a stretch, but I think Godzilla vs. Megaguirus borrowed some concepts from this film, such as all the smaller insectoids going all over the title monster. Anyways, this film is different than the previous one. Gamera has been established, and appears when there's trouble. The first fifteen minutes or so are painfully slow, but gets better later. This film has some of the best fights in any kaiju movie, a good mix of slugging around and projectiles. The final battle feels climatic, not slow, and just very well done. The characters once again do a good job carrying the film when there's no monster action happening, though I gotta say that I preferred the characters from the previous one.
Mayumi is replaced by Midori as the central human main character. While she can't compare to Mayumi, she's still pretty well-written, something the majority of the Heisei Godzilla films can't really say. Asagi returns, but got a smaller role than I remembered. She almost had no significance other than to reassure people that "Gamera is coming" and "Gamera is alright." The whole link thing still doesn't make much sense. Other characters are well enough, though Osako returns for another awful role. Truly the worst written character in the whole thing. I have to question some of the writing. In the third act, a commander says "Why should we help out a monster?" while Gamera is getting beat up by Legion. Besides that, the writing is solid.
Gamera is looking once again fantastic. It's just an amazing suit, truly one of the best from any kaiju film. It's just fluid, menacing, yet not too menacing, it still gives off his heroic demeanor. Legion is the new opponent here. Her design is one of the most unique I've ever seen, truly a highlight of the film. She has some really interesting abilities, and a cool, yet creepy roar. Something this massive could have been not displayed well, but the film does it, and does it well. The CGI sequences with it look fantastic, especially when she rises out of the ground. Its just a treat to watch this massive creature on the screen. The Symbiotic Legion soldiers are also very good, some of the best props I've ever seen in a kaiju film. Legion is probably one of the most underrated kaiju of all time, which is disappointing since she is the toughest opponent Gamera has ever faced.
The soundtrack isn't much different from the previous one in terms of quality. That' means it's a solid soundtrack, but could have been better. Granted, it has some thematic themes, but can't compare to any of the Heisei Godzilla films' themes. Even though this is a giant monster movie, there are some intense scenes with the humans This is probably one of the grittiest Japanese kaiju films ever. To this day I find the train scene near the beginning brutal. Whoever said Japanese monster movies can't be this hardcore hasn't seen Advent of Legion. Both Gamera and Legion have personality, it's good stuff.
Overall, Gamera: Advent of Legion does exactly what it set out to do: be a worthy successor to Guardian of the Universe. It took some of that film's faults, (some of the bad special effects) and improved upon them. It features one of the most interesting kaiju of all time in the form of Legion, fantastic monster fights, and a good story. Truly, this film is one of the best in the genre.
8/10.
Gamera: Revenge of Iris is regarded very highly in the kaiju fanbase. Even on the Blu-Ray cover, a quote from Stomp Tokyo's review is there. "...the finest monster movie made since the original Godzilla." This marks the final film in the Gamera Heisei trilogy. This is legendary, one of the most highly rated kaiju films of all time. After watching it again after all these years, I agree 100%. Revenge of Iris is a definitive kaiju film, one that you could look too and be supremely proud of. It's one that give a good name to the genre. This film has it all. A very compelling story, interesting characters and back-stories, excellent monster action, and just everything about it This film takes all the positives of the previous two films, and improves upon them. Revenge of Iris is a gem, an emerald gem.
The story begins in a village where a dead Gyaos lays. It turns out that the birds are back, now evolved into 'Hyper Gyaos.' Gamera's on the scene to eradicate all he could find. The military is getting fed up with the damage he causes however. Meanwhile, in a cave hidden in the woods, a pod has hatched. Inside crawls out a creature dubbed 'Iris.' Eventually this cute creature grows into an evil giant monster. This mutated Gyaos may prove just too powerful for the Guardian of the Universe....
Wow. That's the first word I thought of once the end credits started to role. I was very impressed with this film, more so than the first two times I viewed it. It has that cinematic feel, it felt 'down-to-earth.' Some scenes really reminded me of Cloverfield. This is probably the most realistic kaiju film I have ever seen. One of the most fantastic scenes you'll ever see in a kaiju film was when Gamera battled Gyaos in the city. It was just amazing, the angles and scope of it all. Director Shusuke Kaneko really knew what he was doing, it was great to see the super turtle showing off his true power. And once again, the human characters prove to be an interesting force when there's no monster action.
Mayumi returns from Guardian of the Universe. Again, she is the best human character in the whole thing. A protagonist you could root for. However, the central focus is on Ayana. This girls makes a bond with the title opponent, Iris. (She names it that by the way.) Her backstory on why she hates Gamera is actually interesting and makes sense, it isn't a generic revenge thing. Asagi returns for an even smaller role than I remembered. Truly, her character and link to Gamera should have been explored better in the three films. Osako returns once again. Granted, he isn't as bad as in the previous two, but is still the worst written character in the whole thing. (He was given a major role later in the film, but then written off as if he didn't matter at all to the story anymore.) Then we have Kurata and his girlfriend. Kurata was written pretty well for the most part, but his death toward the end came kinda sudden, then it felt like he had no significance in the film. Those two characters could have explored better, I really didn't get what they were trying to accomplish. They had an interesting plot, but needed to be explained better.
The next paragraph will be talking about how amazing the kaiju were this time. First up, Gamera. Alright, he looked AMAZING. This might be the greatest and most realistic suit I've ever seen in a kaiju film, it's an improvement over the already great look from the previous two films. He looks fierce, he just means business. See, suits could work in modern day film-making, this is a prime example of that. Iris is the new opponent here, it looks just fantastic. Truly a unique and 'cool' appearance. The CGI, when used, is fantastic. See, this film doesn't rely on CGI that much, and doesn't look fake when it does use it. My only complaint is the backstory. Iris is never truly explained, or its intentions after it was going to fuse with Ayana. Besides that, a fantastic 'final' opponent for Gamera. Oh, and some Gyaos appear. A major improvement over their Guardian of the Universe counterparts, they look really realistic. (It's also great to hear their classic roar.)
The soundtrack is actually an improvement over the previous two films. Dynamic, especially the opening theme. And the theme that plays when Gamera battles Iris is very dynamic also. First of all, the monster fights are just fantastic. One of the best scenes in the film was the aerial fight between Gamera and Iris, it was amazingly well-done. This also might just be the most emotional and dramatic kaiju film I have ever seen. I still get goosebumps at the scene when Gamera destroys his own hand to save Ayana and destroy Iris. The final battle is just intense, and pretty bloody. Probably one of the more violent kaiju films out there, and also was part-horror sometimes. When Iris does away with its victims, the remains are are pretty horrific. (I remember being creeped-out by those scenes when I was way younger.)
Overall, Gamera: Revenge of Iris is a great film. It succeeds in being something everyone can enjoy. This film has it all. A compelling story, good characters, excellent monster action, near-perfect special effects, and is just an all-around great film. It brings the Heisei trilogy to a climatic close, it's just dramatic and dynamic from the beginning to the very end. I'm a huge Godzilla fan, but the Gamera Heisei trilogy are some of the finest in the genre. Seventeen years later, and these films still hold up. Revenge of Iris is thirteen years old, yet it features better special effects than some of today's movies. (Journey to the Center of the Earth.) There's not much else to say about it, if you haven't seen the trilogy, buy the Blu-Ray triple feature off Amazon. You will not be disappointed.
9/10.