Chiisaki yûsha-tachi: Gamera

I was able to catch one of the last showings of Gamera this week in Hachioji, Tokyo, and I can say that the experience was a good one.

In 2004, as many already know, Toho announced that the king of kaiju, Godzilla, will be taking an indefinite vacation. This of course has happened before, but in Godzilla's absence someone needs to take the reigns. So, like before, the torch was passed to Godzilla's younger brother/rival Gamera.

Gamera took the torch, and ran with it. Hard. Here are some of the good things about this movie:

-Characters: The main human is a young boy (as always, after all, Gamera IS the friend of children). His mother is dead, and he lives with his father on an island fishing community. Gamera has a history on the island, so when the boy finds a fast-growing baby turtle which flies, some eyes are opened immediately... Other characters include a female neighbor with heart problems, the boys' friends, his father, and some evil government people. All are likable (or hateable), and the acting as far as I could tell was spot-on.

-Story: Its there, so this is not just the full-on kaiju fightfest that characterizes many Godzilla and Gamera movies. But we do have full-on kaiju fighting...

-Full-on Kaiju Fighting: This is probably the reason most people will see this movie, and it doesn't disappoint. The enemy monster this time around is a man-eating dinosaur named Jidas, and while he is not as charismatic as some of Gamera's other foes, he exudes evil and you will be rooting for the big-eyed turtle the whole time. The special effects are absolutely top-notch, in fact I think Jidas is one of the most convincing dinosaur suitmations I have ever seen.

-Music: Powerful when it needs to be. Exactly what it should be in a kaiju movie: it aids the awe that someone should feel when watching 30-story monsters duke it out.

Why I didn't give it a ten: The only thing that disappointed me about this movie was the fact that they replaced Gamera's signature roar with a stock roar, which I believe has been previously used for various incarnations of King Kong. But, this is a very minor complaint. Go see this movie when you can!

I was looking forward to seeing movie and at long last have. After Shusuke Kaneko's Gamera trilogy, as well as the Shinsei or Millennium Godzilla films, one was left wondering where Gamera had once more gone. Then came this movie, and anyone who's seen Kaneko's Gamera movies knows there's a lot to live up to. 90s Gamera was dark, bloody and very nihilistic in its tone and this film kind of veers away that. Like the classic films, the movie's central characters are children, but unlike the terribly campy 70s Gamera the acting here is more than solid enough. The story is emotionally strong, despite being slow at times but I rather enjoy the journey.

And the special effects are just top notch thru out. In an era where CGI is over-taking everything, this movie blends the old wit the new quite well. The opening pays tribute to "Gamera 3: Awakening of Irys" quite nicely, while also paying tribute to the vintage kaiju era. The monster designs are quite awesome, myself loving the new monster Zedus, who himself was inspired by Barugon of that classic 1966 film "Gamera vs. Barugon". Gyaos appears briefly in the beginning, but looks pretty damn awesome. One of my few complaints is the removal of Gamera's trademark roar thru much of the movie in favor of the 1976 King Kong roar. To begin with, I do not really care for the 1976 King Kong starring Jeff Bridges, but that's a whole nother review in itself (which I have reviewed if you want to check it out).

Anyways, definitely check out "Gamera the Brave".

I was never a fan of this flying turtle in the old days. However, they have completely repurposed him for the 21st century and the results are stunning.

Silly effects are supported by a strong, but simple, story and a little depth of characterization. The visual style of the film is what really shines. The Director's skillful use of camera moves and angles and a strong sense of composition really raises this film.

I would love to see what this Director could do with Godzilla (if he ever returns).

For once, a film's title accurately describes the film's content.

This movie is made as the 40 th anniversary movie of the Gamera series. The movie is made by Kadokawa Herald movies instead of the now defunct Daiei movie studio that made all previous Gamera series movies.

In 1973 Kyosuke (Kanji Tsuda) witnessed Gamera defeating a herd of Gyaos by exploding itself. People at the time thought Gamera sacrificed its own life to save the people. 33 years later, Kyosuke is a recent widower with young son Tooru (Ryo Fujioka) who is in fifth grade. One day Tooru sees a red glow on the neighboring island. When he gets there, he finds a sea turtle egg. The egg hatches and he finds a small turtle inside. He names it Toto and raises it secretly in his bedroom. One day little Toto is found flying above his father's head. The suspicion arises that Toto is actually another Gamera. Soon Toto disappears from Tooru's home. In the mean time, there are mysterious shipwrecks in the ocean. The culprit turns out to be a monster called Jidas. Jidas comes ashore and threatens Tooru's home town. Toto reappears, now grown into a monster sized turtle, battles Jidas to protect Tooru's family.

The movie was conceived to appeal to preteen audience, and the team work between Tooru and his friends and Toto becomes the central theme of this movie. Tooru backs Gamera saying "Toto is still a baby. So I need to give hims support.".

In this 40th anniversary movie, Gamera goes back its roots as friend of little children. Watch the teamwork between the children and Gamera to fight their nemesis Jidas. There're more emotion in this movie compared to the "Heisei Gamera Series (1995-1999)" and the battle between Gamera and Jidas is not the central theme, but communication between Tooru, his friends, and Toto becomes the focus of this story.

This movie is more story driven than any of the previous Gamera series movie, and is recommended for viewing.

I must say, this was an unexpected twist to the famous giant turtle. After having his successful run with the 90s trilogy, Gamera seemed to have taken a break. He returns in 2006 while his older brother/rival Godzilla is taking a vacation that ends in 2012. An all-new storyline is created for Gamera, once again gearing towards kids but with a more serious tone.

About thirty years after the first Gamera destroyed a flock of carnivorous Gyaos by blowing himself up to save humanity, a young boy named Toru finds an egg resting on a mysterious red stone. The egg hatches and out comes a cute baby turtle, who Toru finds companionship from. Named Toto, the turtle starts growing and exhibiting all too familiar powers: flight and fire-breathing. When Toto disappears one day, a giant sea monster called Zedus is going around eating countless victims. Toto arrives to the scene as the new Gamera to face this adversary, but it will take the intervention of Toru and his friends to help the giant turtle conquer this deadly foe.

This movie is surprisingly well done. None of the kids are annoying unlike the ones from the old films that make you wanna slap them in the face. All the characters have depth to them and emotions are conveyed very well. I was slightly moved by all this. The effects and creature designs are excellent and the battles between Gamera and Zedus are great.

I don't see much that's wrong with this installment of the Gamera series. I would like to see how they plan on continuing this cool saga. Check out this family/monster film and see for yourself.