Gamera : Gardien de l'Univers

When Gamera first appeared in Japanese theaters in 1965, he was nothing more than a Godzilla-want-to-be. The giant flying turtle was one of the few want-to-bes that achieved any level of success close to what Godzilla had, but there was still nothing primal about him. Now truth by told, although I am a huge kaiju (giant monster) fan, I was not and still am not a fan of the original Gamera series. Those films were so juvenile and unbelievably dull that they made even the corniest of the Godzilla movies look like visionary works of art by comparison. And so Gamera had that reputation for a while. He was popular and suited only for very young children. That was until 1995, when director Shusuke Kaneko changed all of that with a very successful inventive trilogy of Gamera films that changed the flying turtle from just another Godzilla rip-off into his own character…and in three very good movies. The first was "Gamera: Guardian of the Universe." In this vast reinvention of the Gamera series, decades of environmental catastrophes have awakened a flock of bat-like creatures called the Gyaos, who begin to plague Japanese islands and then threaten the mainland. Around the same time, a giant turtle referred to in legend as Gamera, awakens at the same time. As the monsters begin to battle, its soon discovered that their simultaneous appearance and their aggression for each other is anything but coincidence.

Now in terms of its plot, "Gamera: Guardian of the Universe" is anything but special, but then again, neither was "Predator" (1987) or "Jaws" (1975) or to a certain extent "Gojira" (1954). Like with all of those movies, its the high-energy pacing and the stories that make "Gamera: Guardian of the Universe" work. The best word to describe this movie is fun. Even Roger Ebert, who is not a fan of the kaiju genre (see his review for "Godzilla 1985" for proof) admitted he had a fun time with the film.

One thing I particularly liked about "Gamera: Guardian of the Universe" as well as the other two movies in the trilogy was that even when the monsters were not on screen, I was not bored for a second. Typically in monster movies, the creatures are the most interesting element and the human characters are inane and time-fillers. This film is an exception. The characters are familiar in terms of classification (scientist, witness, etcetera) but they are fairly fleshed-out to become likable. The dialogue is also very well-written so that for once, the explanation of the monsters' origin is not long-winded, familiar, or tiresome.

But of course, I can't leave out the star of the movie, Gamera himself. Kaneko's decision to change Gamera from a child-friendly big-hearted turtle into a more vicious and animal-like, yet somehow appealing monster was absolutely brilliant. Now in terms of how he's presented, no, Gamera is not spectacular, but then again neither was the shark in "Jaws". And both creatures carry of their parts effectively. The Gyaos are also fairly well-done, although in their earlier scenes, there was a little too much of a phony expression in their ping pong ball-like eyes. Overall, the special effects are a little more then what you'd expect, although not fantastic like in the second and third installments of the trilogy.

Bottom line, "Gamera: Guardian of the Universe" is like the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" of Japanese monster movies. It's not meant to be taken seriously and nobody does, it doesn't try to be anything more than what it is, and every second is nonstop energetic and pleasurable cinematic fun.

This updated version of the 1960's terrifying terrapin is by far better than the showa films that precede it. Gamera first showed its fangs in 1965 in the movie Gamera (1965) as a response to the popular Godzilla series. for the most part these films were bad.

The 1990's revival of the sabre-toothed tortoise is a brilliant addition to the Kaiju Eiga.

The acting in Gamera: Guardian of the Universe is Excellent. Each Actor and Actress portrays there own character well and seem to enjoy playing the part.

The storyline is very good. The inclusion of what humans are doing to the planet being the reason for why the Gyoas waking up was a good plot device. Also the myth of Atlantis/super-civilisation having created the two monsters, Gamera and Gyoas was a good touch.

The soundtrack was good but I do have some complaints about its use. During the final battle scene I feel that the music played was not completely appropriate for a battle of titans.

Overall a good film with some minor flaws. Gamera: Guardian of the Universe is a great film that can be enjoyed by anyone a kaiju fan or not.

And by the way the next two are even better

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

Thank goodness SOMEone saved the giant turtle from languishing in MST3K territory. This film is fun,smart,and visually stunning, Well-written and only the 1st in a trilogy that never lets up and never disappoints. I'm a Godzilla fan and I gotta admit this is better than many of THOSE!!

My main reaction was that this was nearly perfect kaiju. I saw Toho's Godzilla 2000, and here's why it wasn't half as good as this: Godzilla was too big. They made him too big, that's all. Gamera here was the right size: just as tall as a tall building, so when he falls over backwards into it, it really crumbles. So beautiful! I actually bought a Gamera figure (1999, Bandai) before I saw this. And I still haven't seen the subsequent two. But this was just great. They took advantage of new digital tech, as Godzilla 2000 did, but also refined what was great about guys in rubber suits clomping around smashing models. Only complaint: some of the matting when they were flying down the street was weak. But then again, part of the fun is knowing deep down that they're guys in rubber suits, so some flaws are exceptable. In fact, I'm sure each kaiju fan has his own pet special effects gaff that really makes it for him. Mine is the street lights. They never look real. Don't know why. But it's just so great that someone came and glued them there onto the miniature sidewalk. Some great long-distance shots, too. Best one: when Gamera and Gyaos are plummeting back down from outer space, and there's one shot that looks just like a sky-diving shot, with the blue Earth below - did they throw a giant turtle out of a plane and shoot that? And Gyaos roosting on the ruins of Tokyo Tower, silhouetted in the sunlight - gorgeous. The big final battle was great. Gyaos' eggs falling on the cars.

Oh, and there were a lot of great laughs. Especially when the plutonium ship captain comes running in and says, "There's a monster coming out of the ocean!" and he's told, "Not now, we're busy capturing giant birds." I saw a subtitled version. Thank god. The pacing was pretty damn good, too, since you're really only interested in seeing about half an hour of the thing. To watch this stuff in the 21st century rocks. It really reminds you how limited CGI is and what movies really are about. Don't mess with the rubber suit!