Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)

Hero on the Half Shell!

Gamera was given a much needed make-over in the 1990's. This Gamera was not only deadly but also a guardian created by an ancient race. Good thing, because just as Gamera was awakened so were a flock, gaggle, murder, probably the latter, of people eating bat-birds, the Gyaos. In their original 1960's confrontation, Gyaos was referred to as a bat, here she was referred to as a bird.

When the humans decided to lure the ravenous bat-birds to the new baseball stadium so that they could trap and weaponize, I mean study them, Gamera wasn't having it and came to eradicate Tokyo of the dangerous creatures. Like the original Gyaos, this bat-bird could emit green sonic rays that could cut through almost anything.

Gamera could hold his tusked head high in comparison to 1990's Godzilla. This time around there was no annoying child which helped my viewing experience enormously. There were the requisite scientists, condemnations of pollution and nuclear waste, inept leaders and military, and the special child who communicated telepathically with Gamera. The thing Gamera gets right is that the monsters were never far from the screen. The battles were big as were the stakes. The shadow of Jurassic Park could be seen occasionally but that's a small quibble. The rubber suits and primitive CGI are not drawbacks in these Kaiju movies, but part of their charm. The miniatures were quite good as well.

This was a popcorn movie simply designed to entertain. Though darker than most previous Gamera movies, it was still a giant turtle who could fly by burning off his own methane excretions. And that's something you don't see every day. If you are a fan of Kaiju movies, this might be one to try. And if you are a Gamera fan, this one should certainly be on your list to watch. It was worth seeing Gamera given the respect and story he deserved.

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[ Rewatched/Reviewed on Letterboxd 5/07/2021]

Shusuke Kaneko and Kazunori Itō were given the monumental task of reimagining what was largely considered a “Godzilla knockoff” (and a cheap one at that) aimed at children, and getting a 90s audience to buy into the idea of a giant turtle monster fighting prehistoric (manufactured) birds of prey.

For everything Daiei Films’ "Gamera: Guardian of the Universe" had going against it (including its director being a Godzilla stan dying to direct a "Godzilla" film), Kaneko and Itō craft an origin story that capitalizes Gamera’s relationship with children (a teenager in this case) without becoming an overly confectionery narrative (ah-la "Gamera The Brave").

The movie balances the tones of humor, horror, and drama and features some of the best set and suit design for a mid-90s giant monster film. This is the kind of reboot "Godzilla 2014" wanted to be for Godzilla, but never achieved.

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The Start of the Greatest Movie Trilogy of All Time

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe is what happens when you take the traditional structure of a kaiju movie and add nuance, depth and passion to it. Shuske Kaneko is a master at making Kaiju movies a shown with this whole trilogy.

The story paints a dark picture of humanity. Like the Atlantians, we have created disasters and poisoned the earth for the worst. However, Gamera comes in as he represents hope. He (as well as the people of Atlantis) may not have been able to prevent the Gyaos from destroying Atlantis, but that doesn't mean he can't prevent the Gyaos from destroying Earth centuries later. It manages to tackle all of this in an incredibly sophisticated and thought provoking way without being preachy as fuck.

We also learn and experience how much these monster fights and rampages effect people. The economy is fucked and similar to modern times, items of value are being fought over and people are buying them in bulk. It's hauntingly realistic and something we don't see much in Kaiju movies.

The characters are also very fleshed out. Asagi is a selfless person that understands how Gamera is important through the bond they share thanks to an amulet she received. She shares Gamera pain psychically and mentally and is willing to go through it so Gamera can stop the sinister Gyaos. The rest of the cast is just as great, being extremely likable and incredibly interesting.

I really dig how the government here is handled here. They have such a warped view of everything that isn't too far off from how mot governments work. They are so willing to disregard facts as fairy tales, shoot at Gamera who is helping, fake sympathy for the people they govern and despite Gyaos being against them, view him as ally against Gamera, who is the actual savior. The only reason they are even protecting the Gyaos is because they believe it is some rare and endangered species that needs saving.

The Gyaos are a great update of their admittingly silly original versions. They are now a terrifying living weapon that constantly consume and feed off of the destruction of earth. It is also an extremly clever an deceptive kaiju to boot.

Gamera, as stated previously, is a symbol of hope. He is the atlantian's last effort to stop the Gyaos from destroying the earth. he is also extremely protective of people and willing to get hurt to protect those who are about to be killed by the Gyaos. Unlike the Gyaos who are souless killing machines, Gamera is incredibly compassionate and caring.

The thing that really makes this work are the effects, Cinematography and music.

The effects are top notch, especially for the time this came out. Gamera has a realistic look to him, yet has big expressive eyes that gives him some extra humanity. the execution of Gamera is simply marvelous as it is incredibly life like and detailed. The animatromics are also top notch and work perfectly.

Gyaos is more unnerving not only how it looks, but how it moves. It is shaky an erratic, giving him an other worldly nature to him. I also must give heaps of praise to how they handled the laser beam of gyaos and the fire effects for Gamera. Especially in a time where not even the Godzilla movies got that perfectly down yet, The execution here is seamless. The miniatures and explosions are also intricately crafted and flawlessly handled.

What really makes it work is the cinematography and music. The trilogy has the best I have ever seen in movie history. every shot, movement, framing and angle is done to complete perfection. there were many times were I stared in awe of how it was filmed. I felt the impact and scale of Gamera and Gyaos as they smashed thorough buildings flied in the sky and most importantly, I felt as small and tiny as the humans in the movie against these massive titans. The Music is gorgeous and elevates every scene it is. compared to the low rent drivel the mcu farts out, This music is incredibly impact and very memorable. It adds to the experience and is not random background noise to be simply brushed off.

To conclude, Gamera: Guardian of the Universe is a spectacle and I use this and the rest of the trilogy as the gold standard which I judge Kaiju movies by.

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