Gamera: Heisei Era Films (1995-99)

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)

Dir. Shûsuke Kaneko

GotU is the first of three films in a hugely successful Heisei era reboot for Gamera. It's actually the ninth outing for the turtle in total, but seeing as how it's a reboot, and a shit-ton better than any of the previous films, it's the perfect place to start if you're new to the franchise or are unsure if it's even for you. It's arguably the weakest of the trilogy, but still good and a great taster for what follows.

It's a kaijū movie that builds tension in the usual way, by having a small group of humans tracking the destruction left by the beast(s) before the eventual reveal. The beasts are familiar, giant, carnivorous, featherless birds.

There's an ecological message beneath the chaos, but it's the destruction of model cities that most people want to see and in that it doesn't disappoint.

Gamera (the creature) is awesome. He looks like a fat, stumpy turd on radar, but when he surfaces he's towering and menacing with none of the bad comedic decisions that were forced upon him in some previous films. It's a triumphant return.

Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996)

Dir. Shûsuke Kaneko

Ask not what the differences between meteors and meteoroids are, terms that the English language subtitles seem to use interchangeably, but why a green glow appears in the sky over Sapporo following any kind of Earth-bound space rock, itself followed by a series of seemingly unrelated power-outage incidents across the entire region. Aliens!

Some folks might be upset that it doesn't follow the kind of rules that are traditionally associated with sequels in the West; e.g. action from the beginning, doubling the number of antagonists, etc. Instead, it's structured like a standalone film, with a slow build and a well-paced reveal for the kaijū.

The JSDF are active from the beginning, still on the alert from the year before (first film) and equally as quick to pull out the big guns. They do their thing while the scientific community do theirs.

The turtle is needed once more. And while we're at it let’s bring back Asagi Kusanagi (Ayako Fujitani) in case we need another quick plot resolution.

When the creatures do appear... Foly Huck! That's how you make a monster movie! With 60+ years of kaijū history to study and learn from it's perhaps not surprising that the Legion creature is spectacular. It towers over the townspeople and leaves a trail of destruction in its wake.

There's an acceptable level of CGI, offset beautifully by the use of superbly detailed scale models, practical effects, stop motion, overlays and, of course, men in elaborate rubber suits.

You'll need to have seen the previous film to understand the relationship between Gamera and the people of Earth. But even if you haven't, there's a ton of exciting moments to keep a viewer entertained. The little things matter, so pay attention to those if you can (e.g. the briefly shown newspaper article comparing the current devastation to events during WWII).

Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999)

Dir. Shûsuke Kaneko

The final entry in the Heisei era Gamera trilogy is the best of the lot. Of course there's kaijū fights, but even better is the story. It explores from the perspective of one orphaned girl what it means to have been in the thick of the action during Guardian of the Universe (1995) and watched everything you love be destroyed: the cold and callous name for which is collateral damage.

The visible enemy resembles something from a JRPG. There's tentacles that admittedly would be more challenging (however not impossible) to do without CGI, but I wish they'd been less liberal with it elsewhere, because it's the only stain on an otherwise astonishing display of super-detailed models and guys in rubber suits being awesome.

If you're a kaijū fan, the trilogy is essential viewing.