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    Gamera: Guardian of the Universe

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    “Gamera: Guardian of the Universe” is one of the best giant monster movies you can find. This is an update of the series that started way back in 1965. Sure those “Gamera” films were entertaining and there was enthusiasm behind the camera but they were just a knock-off of the “Godzilla” films. Even hardcore fans will admit that they featured incredibly silly plots that always focussed on children befriending the giant turtle (even if it was busying itself with destroying Tokyo) and had terrible English dubs. This time, Daiei brought their ‘A’ game to update the character, re-invent the mythos and bring some cutting-edge special effects to a character that always deserved better than it got.

    A group of scientists is investigating a trio of strange carnivorous birds whose arrival appears to be tied to a mysterious island that has surface near Japan. Attempts to capture the creatures (named Gyaos) are thwarted when the island reveals itself as the legendary giant turtle Gamera. It destroys everything in its path in order to get to the flying beasts. Ornithologist Mayumi Nagamine (Shinobu Nakayama), marine officer Yoshinari Yonemori (Tsuyoshi Ihara), scientist Naoya Kusanagi (Akira Onodera) and his daughter Asagi (Ayako Fujitani) must discover what the link between these creatures are before their rivalry wipes out all of humanity.

    It’s hard to convey in just a few words how the story flows, but trust me, it’s both sharp and elegant. More often than not in these Kaiju films, the scenes where the humans are talking feel like filler. If you’re watching it on Dvd, you feel like just skipping ahead to the next battle. Not here. The human characters are likeable and they do a lot more than run around screaming, waiting for the monster special effects to kick in. These people are trying to uncover a mystery and you’re curious as to what has kicked off this epic brawl too. Sure it’s fun to see two monsters duke it out, but why have they suddenly emerged after all this time? Thanks to an amulet that links Gamera to Asagi, there’s a steady flow of information about the monsters with some good battles interwoven in the plot and plenty of interactions between our heroes and the titular monster.

    Finally, the series has received a budget to match the imagination of its creators. The costumes are elaborate and the miniatures are top notch. The creature designs are updated from the previous monsters in the original films and even some of the silly elements that absolutely needed to be included have been cleverly adapted for a modern and mature audience. You can tell that the people who made this film studied what you want to see in a picture like this, made an effort to include the money shots and threw in some clever bonuses as well. No two battles in this film are alike. There’s a clear escalation in the action, meaning the climax is not only exciting, it’s also rewarding. Some of the special effects do show their age, particularly when purely computer-generated rockets or missiles appear on-screen. Those effects look very silly, particularly compared to the excellent practical stuff standing right next to them. They only appear briefly, you’ll hardly notice and most of the CGI is well handled. It’s the only complaint I could find, which is high praise.

    If you’re not a fan of the genre, I don’t know if “Gamera: Guardian of the Universe” is suddenly going to turn you into a Kaiju groupie, but if you have even a mild affinity towards guys in rubber suits bashing each other over the head with oil tankers and Japanese landmarks, you’ll have a blast. For fans of Gamera, it’s finally a genuinely good entry in the series. You don’t know what you’re missing if you haven’t checked this one out yet. If the idea of a giant fire-breathing turtle defending humanity from a prehistoric menace sounds fun, check out “Gamera, Guardian of the Universe”. You’ll find yourself very satisfied by the time the credits roll. (On Blu-ray, June 21, 2013)

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    adamwatchesmovies@  16.7.2016 age: 26-35 2,866 reviews

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