Fifteen years after Gamera sacrificed himself to save mankind, the massive turtle is back! This reboot ignores everything that has gone before, and is set in a world where the Japanese are blissfully unaware of the existence of kaiju, at least until a small island becomes the feeding ground of prehistoric birds called the Gyaos. Not long after, Gamera makes an appearance as well, and unsurprisingly causes panic, the army taking action by firing missiles at the giant reptile, not realising that the turtle is there to protect people from the flesh-eating birds.
I had hoped that, by 1995, Japanese film-makers would have moved on from dodgy miniatures being stomped by men in rubber monster suits, but Gamera: Guardian of the Universe uses many of the same techniques employed by the series during the '60s and '70s, and it's still quite laughable, even if the cinematography is better and the explosions bigger. This film came hot on the heels of Jurassic Park, but you would be forgiven for thinking it came out years earlier, the special effects being quite primitive for the time. Perhaps that's what most kaiju fans want, the old-school look and feel giving them a comforting sense of nostalgia, but I think I would have preferred the film to have moved with the times.
Oh well, at least there's plenty of action in this one (no matter how unconvincing) and no cutesie kids to make the adults look like idiots. Best moments: Gyaos attacking a packed train, and the big bird nesting on top of what remains of the Tokyo Tower.
5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.
I had hoped that, by 1995, Japanese film-makers would have moved on from dodgy miniatures being stomped by men in rubber monster suits, but Gamera: Guardian of the Universe uses many of the same techniques employed by the series during the '60s and '70s, and it's still quite laughable, even if the cinematography is better and the explosions bigger. This film came hot on the heels of Jurassic Park, but you would be forgiven for thinking it came out years earlier, the special effects being quite primitive for the time. Perhaps that's what most kaiju fans want, the old-school look and feel giving them a comforting sense of nostalgia, but I think I would have preferred the film to have moved with the times.
Oh well, at least there's plenty of action in this one (no matter how unconvincing) and no cutesie kids to make the adults look like idiots. Best moments: Gyaos attacking a packed train, and the big bird nesting on top of what remains of the Tokyo Tower.
5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.