Gamera 3: Jashin kakusei

This movie goes down as the most powerful, haunting, well-scripted, and compelling kaiju film since the original Gojira. This film has well-defined, three-dimensional characters that actually develop over the course of the film. The special FX are truly awesome and even surpass the best of the Godzilla series (Godzilla vs. Biollante and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II). Iris is a cool looking design for a villainous monster. The monster scenes are sparse, but realistic and memorable. The fights are among the most brutal kaiju battles ever filmed. The plot of the movie revolves around a young girl who hates Gamera and wishes to seek vengeance against him for the death of her parents. She finds Iris, raises it, and even begins to fuse with it. There are many classic sequences in this film: the fight in the air between Gamera and Iris, the battle in the train station, and the destruction of the city during a battle with the Gyaos. There are only two aspects of this film that prevent it from being the perfect kaiju film: the kaiju fights are not that long and the roles of Asakura and Kurata in the film are confusing and out of place. However, this movie is still one of the greatest, most well-made kaiju films ever.

Until this movie came along, in my opinion the original Godzilla ('54) had the highest production value in terms of reality of the monster. Gamera 1999 sets a new standard in kajyu movies with the new level of believability it brought to the monster's character. The fight scene in Shibuya is absolutely believable, and integration between CG and live humans are tight. Cinematography is beautiful, and there's no artificial quality to the scenery.

If I had complaints about this movie was that special effects director Shinji Higuchi seems to like to design monsters that are metallic looking and doesn't have a mouth (Legion, Iris). I think mouth is one thing that express monster's feelings and there was total lack of communication about the aggression Iris had towards Gamera. Legion at least had eyes, but Iris only has one light bulb inside the head. It looks a bit like a robot which took away from the involvement two monsters had for each other.

They brought back Nagamine (Shinobu Nakayama) to the story which was the right move, but neither she or Asagi Kusanagi (Ayako Fujitani) was at the center of the story. The girl Ayana wasn't strong enough actress to carry the lead and once again, story lacked a focal point as it did with Gamera Attack of Legion.

The '90s Gamera series gets darker and darker as the series progresses and this one is the darkest of them all with Gamera being total engine of destruction. It made the movie authentic but at the same time took something away from the Gamera character. It had no involvement with the human beings. I wish they would make Gamera 4 with plot line returning to like that of the first '90s Gamera movie with strong casting of characters.

Gamera is back... For those of you who liked the US version of Godzilla (I hope there aren't too many), this is a movie that you definitively won't like. It is indeed way closer to the original monster movie Spirit than the Emmerich superproduction is. A young girl, whose parents where killed by Gamera when he first fought Gyaos in 1995, finds an egg of a creature (which she names "iris", therefore the title) and raises it in order to kill Gamera. Although nice-looking, Iris is a blood fed creature, and quickly turns to be a danger for Humanity. Fortunately Gamera is still here... I was fascinated by this new Gamera. The special effects are impressive, the destruction scenes are astonishing (the first fight in Shibuya is incredible, but wait to see the Kyoto Station sequence), but in spite of this, the special effects are not the core of the movie (contrary to Emmerich's Godzilla). The human characters are as important as the monsters themselves. Although some are really "cliche" (especially the Dreamcast programmer, though funny, is pretty "useless"), the 2 heroines are well developed. The directing is quite common, nevertheless the flying sequences look very good. If you see it with the eyes of a common US movie goer, you'll hate this movie, as it may look ridiculous in a first viewing. However, the importance of the characters (the "fusion" of the girl with Iris appears to me as the discovery of her own sexuality) and the fact that the monsters are so closed to the natural calamities that strike Japan regularly (just like during the Kobe earthquake, it takes a quite long time for the Japanese government to react, and it's even more striking in Gamera 2) is more relevant that the rubber suit aspect of some closeups. Although it is not a new idea, this new Gamera flick deserves to be seen if you like monster movies and if you have not seen any, it's a good starting point.

This movie, being the last of the Gamera saga, is the best of the bunch. Not only are the effects top-notch, (particularly the scenes in which Gamera and Gaos birds are fighting over the city with no particular regard to human life), but the story of loss and vengeance with a young girl tied to one the first movies in the series brings a more darker theme to the genre. It's not necessarily required to watch all of the movies to catch up, but it couldn't hurt. The newer design for Gamera is the best design for him yet. He should have always been this way, however, since his appearance has changed in all three movies, they never explain how or why that is. I gather that they expect us to believe that he has always looked that way, especially since a flashback scene from the first Gamera movie features his new design instead of the one he had for the movie. The ending is a very clever touch to have fans gasping for more. If you're a giant kaiju fan this movie i would highly recommend.

Everyone's favorite flying, fire-breathing turtle is back, this time facing a threat unlike anything this world has ever seen. Old faces return alongside strange new ones in this dark, epic climax to the Gamera trilogy.

Plot: The Gyaos have returned, newly evolved and multiplying like crazy around the world. As if that isn't bad enough, a new foe has emerged, one who has been bred by the hate of a teenage girl who harbors a grudge against Gamera for accidentally killing her parents in the first film. This new creature is called Iris (named after the girl's deceased pet cat), a mysterious armored, blood-sucking squid creature with immense destructive power and a genetic link to the Gyaos. With the military once again hunting Gamera, will all this be too much for the Guardian of the Universe?

The stakes are raised and so is the severity of the violence. Tons of people are laid waste as the monsters battle each other for supremacy, destroying everything in their path. It's great. Gamera looks really fearsome, looking as if he will stop at nothing until all his monstrous enemies are destroyed. He even has some new tricks up his giant sleeve. Iris is a fascinating creature, bringing a sense of both awe and dread to his presence, especially when he's flying. In fact, he reminds me of an Angel from "Evangelion". It's nice seeing some of the old cast in this one like Gamera's human companion Asagi, who has really grown as a character. Some the new characters are interesting while others are strange, which is why sometimes I feel that this film may appeal to goths. The star here is Ayana, whose backstory and hatred for the turtle and backstory allow her to stand out from the rest of the cast.

I do have problems with this one. I didn't like how some people, military included, now want Gamera dead again. Come on, the Gyaos, certified man-eaters, have returned and yet their too busy complaining about the damage Gamera causes while he's trying to kill them. Even a fortune teller believes Gamera is some evil spirit. What evil spirit saves people? Furthermore, this causes Ayana's hatred to blend in with theirs, which, given the main conflict, should not be the case; the film would've been better served if she was the only one with a serious grudge. Plus, once again Gamera takes quite a bit of punishment. I'm tired that. At this time, he should be dishing out lot more damage to his enemies, especially with his trademark fire breath.

For all its problems, Gamera 3 is still worth the watch. It's a shame it ended the way it did and that its low-budget sequel that ended the storyline never made it to theaters and an American release. Check this flick out if your a monster movie fan. Or a goth lover.