Good Introduction to Revive Gamera Trilogy.

OllieSuave-007

This film is the first of the newer Gamera monster movies, revived from their 1960 counterparts. The Gamera movies are produced by Daiei Studios, a rival of Toho Studios, which produces all of the Godzilla films. Though I am a Godzilla fan, I have seen a few of Gamera's movies. This one serves as a great introduction to restart the series, bringing us terrific special effects and a chilling music score-nothing like the extreme cheese and camp effects of the kiddie Gamera films in the 1960s and 1970s. We see the suspense built up, bit by bit, as the monsters' origins are depicted in this film. Gamera first emerges from a mysterious rock in the ocean, while Gyaos rises from a remote island: suspenseful introduction to the two monsters. And, this movie puts in a little more element and depth we do not see in the Godzilla films. For example, when the threat of Gyaos emerges in Japan, we actually see the aftermath like stores being closed, the stock market plummeting, food and produce growing scarce and, of course, citizens fleeing for their lives. In addition, people actually freak out when famous landmarks are destroyed, like the Tokyo Tower. In the Godzilla films, human reactions are hardly depicted when famous buildings are crushed. Some downsides are that a few of the characters were pretty annoying, especially the "Mr. Saito" character, played by Hirotaro Honda. I just don't dig his hair-the way he combs it over! And, much of the acting was pretty cheesy.

In this film, we get to learn about the past of these two monsters, and why they end up in fierce battle. And, another notable mention is that the girl named Asagi, played by Steven Seagal's daughter Ayako Fujitani, is the direct link to Gamera's power. She possess this rock which is the source of Gamera's powers. They both also share the same physical feelings, for example, if Gamera gets zapped in the arm, so does she. This is a very interesting concept, and probably echos that of psychic Miki Saeguesa (Megumi Odaka) of the Godzilla "Heisei" series. Overall, a very entertaining film with non-stop monster actions.

Grade B

score 8/10

OllieSuave-007 13 June 2007

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1673732/