Gamera 3: Jashin kakusei

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.

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.

Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris is quite unlike any other kaiju film ever made. It sees the filmmakers taking the lessons learned from their previous experiences and delivering what is possibly the most satisfying conclusion one could ask this epic trilogy.

Revenge of Iris takes the story full circle. It has the greatest strength any monster film could have, a compelling human story. This one taking a look at the impact the genre's larger than life creatures have on the world around them. Ayana and her monster Iris serve has the perfect foil against Gamera. It's a spiritual film that ultimately asks one to have faith. To have faith in Gamera and what he represents, a force of good that will never surrender no matter what.

The special effects are absolutely marvelous. I highly recommend you get a hold of some behind the scenes footage because the sheer effort and creativity at display is simple fantastic. The film has a interesting mix of cgi and practical effects that, while might not always be perfect, nonetheless delivers a sense of wonder and awe. It may have less monster action then the previous films, but the exchange is some of the most exemplary and intense monster spectacle out of any kaiju film.

Gamera 3 is a testament to the talent of its filmmakers. While they may have had smaller budgets and less resources than the Godzilla films of the time, their work on this trilogy exceeds them by far. Kaneko's trilogy is one of the most unique and well done monster films you'll ever have the pleasure of seeing.

I have been putting off watching because I thought the movie was going to be kinda campy, not worthy of immediate viewing but after reading some rave reviews for this flick I decided to watch it. It was worth it, the movie is very good for a monster movie. There have been the inevitable comparisons to Godzilla, but Gamera stacks up VERY well to the big guy. I've been waiting for the CGI effects to catch up with the ambitious visions of the monster movie makers and it's finally here, although by "normal" Hollywood movie standards the price spent on this movie would not even pay for 1/4 of Tom Cruises salary. I would like to see a big-budget movie made, but then again it might ruin the franchise, maybe the "campiness" and "guy-in-the-rubber-suit" are what defines these flicks. Anyway, Gamera is NO JOKE in this movie. He goes after his enemy, the "Gayous" birds with a single-minded vengeance that is surprising. He hates those things. His powers are so cool also. He has got a fire-breath like Godzilla, except is seems more focused, but his coolest asset is his ability to fly, with 4 jets in his shell sockets. This guy is outrageous, he flies in like a flying saucer, kicked-ass and then jetted out looking like the space-shuttle at full after-burner! You gotta check that scene out! And the night flying scenes with Isis in the cloudy night was amazing! The CGI effects with Gamera at full after-burn is priceless! The story is pretty decent and the special affects are great, albeit a little sparsely used. I kinda like Gamera a little more than Godzilla, he was so tough that in one scene he got impaled by Isis, then to get free he burns his own arm OFF!! This Gamera film is said the be the best of the 3 and that's true, much better special effects. Good film, recommended.

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.