Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)
Produced and Released by: Kadokawa-Daiei
Domestic Release by: ADV Films
Director: Shusuke Kaneko
By Jeffrey Couto

Introduction

Gamera! That names brings so many images to mind; from heroic monster and protector of children to very badly executed Kaiju films. No matter what comes to mind though there is one thing that is always present when I think of Gamera, fun movies.

I’m a big fan of the original Gamera films and their portrayal of the title kaiju as a heroic defender of mankind. A lot of these films were admittedly poor in many, many areas, especially by today’s standards, but they are still undeniably entertaining. Whether this is because of the special effects, storylines, or camp value, I’m not quite sure, I just know that I really enjoy them.

Up until now though I had not seen any of the movies in the more recently made Gamera Trilogy of films; I think that I’ve hesitated to see them because I didn’t want to see a modern take on the monsters from the original ones. I just didn’t think these new movies could live up to their predecessors. However as time has passed I’ve become more and more curious about them, especially now that my interest in Kaiju films has been re-sparked by some of the new Godzilla films.

And so I sat down to see the first of Heisei Gamera movies…

The Story

"A plan to dump radioactive waste at sea is disrupted when a mysterious atoll appears at the dumping location. That atoll proves to be something altogether different when hideous flying reptiles, the Gyaos, attack a nearby island-and the atoll rises from the sea. It is Gamera! The super turtle combats both a misguided military and the man-eating Gyaos, with help from a courageous naval officer, an intrepid ornithologist and a beautiful young psychic. " ADV's Gamera Page.

Review

The story begins at sea where we join two cargo ships that are on route to Japan. They are carrying lethal radioactive material that if it were to contaminate the oceans would wreak havoc throughout the world. As they traverse the seas one of the ships runs into an atoll. Surprised by its location the captain of the ship attempts to investigate it and find out how his ship could have hit such an object in what should have been deep waters, however, before anyone could take a closer look the atoll floats away to the surprise of the ship’s crew.

Meanwhile, back in Japan an investigation is underway in regards to the disappearance of several villagers and a scientific research group on a small island off of the main island. It seems that reports have been coming describing a new type of bird, which is believed to be connected to the missing populace. To investigate this matter Mayumi Nagamine is recruited to find out what happened and whether this new bird that is being reported has anything to do with it. Once she and her team arrive on the island it’s not long until the this new “bird” reveals itself and a new crisis rises. The stage is now set for the appearance of giants the likes of which Japan or the world have seen before.

Gamera Guardian of the Universe was a lot better than I anticipated, everything from the human drama, to the Kaiju battles, music score, and special effects was really well done and came together perfectly. I did miss the more heroically portrayed Gamera from the past movies, but this turned out to be a really nice re-introduction of the title monster and the mythos behind him.

The human story and how it's tied into the monster story is particularly good, since for the most part it remains within the realm of possibility. There are however, some questionable character motivations used to propel the story and connect characters that seem strange at best. Outside of that though the couple of plots that center around the human cast are interesting and add a layer to the story that allow us to better relate to them.

Where this movie really stands out though is in the giant monster scenes. These cover all the basics from the title kaiju surfacing from the harbor waters of Japan, to a terrifying rampage through the heart of Tokyo, and a dramatic clash against Japan’s self-defense forces. Each of the kaiju-focused scenes is realized with great realism and some of the most detailed costumes and miniature work to have been featured in any modern kaiju film. Without a doubt the final battle between Gamera and Gyaos is on of the better Kaiju sequences from any giant monster film made in the 1990’s.

Complementing this excellent film is one of the best domestic Kaiju DVD releases I’ve run into in a while. ADV Films really went all out with this release and included a lot of extra content that I wish were standard-issue fare with many other live action SFX movie releases. Some of the bonus material that accompanied Gamera Guardian of the Universe included an interview with special effects director Shinji Higuchi, footage from the press conference for the film, several promotional TV commercials, theatrical trailers, a behind the scenes feature, and some footage from a couple of the movie premieres. All of these as a combined packaged with the films itself make for one heck of a fun time.

Conclusion

Love Kaiju movies? Haven’t seen this one yet? Go to your nearest video retailer now and pick yourself up a copy of this amazing film. This is one of the best Kaiju films I’ve seen recently and one heck of a movie for fans of Gamera. Look forward to seeing the other two films in the series now. Hope they are as good as they've been billed as being.

Jeff Couto