(Originally posted on
Gamera, Guardian of the Universe (1995) is a giant monster movie that is far better than it has any right to be.
The Heisei Gamera series is a reboot of the original Daiei Studio Gamera series (1965-1980.) The series was Daiei’s answer to Toho’s Godzilla series. Much in the way Dolph Lundgren was supposed to be the answer to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Like Dolph, it didn’t really turn out so well. Instead of a prehistoric spawn of an atomic bomb, it was a turtle. A flying, jet-propelled turtle. Yes, you read that right. Flying. Jet-propelled. Turtle.
The old series’ charm was its goofiness. They warmed my coal-black heart. The best way to watch them is via Mystery Science Theater 3000. The MST3K versions are choice. I recommend them. “Gamera is a friend to children.”
Let’s just say they’re not Oscar material.
So when I saw the reboot coming out, I expected more of the same. I snagged a VHS copy and got together with my friends to watch the cheese. We sat down and started watching. About halfway through it, we looked at one another and I said: “It is my imagination or is this pretty goddamn good?”
Instead of a goof, it turned out to be (no joke) the best giant monster movie I had seen up to that point. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Toho Godzilla movies. I’m a total Godzilla junkie. However, most of them aren’t very good. They’re poorly written with paper thin plots plastered over monster fights. I still love them.
This was better. There were three Heisei Gamera movies and they were all damn good. Perhaps this one blew me away because my expectations were low. They scraped together the ridiculous elements of the original Gamera and somehow managed to make it coherent. Not only coherent but very entertaining. (Even the “friend of children” theme.)
In this version Gamera is a biological weapon created by an extinct civilization. (Makes a touch more sense than a prehistoric turtle that breathes fire.) It was created to destroy another biological weapon gone amok: Gyaos. Gyaos is pterodactyl-like monster that feeds on humans. They manage to make the critter pretty sinister. There’s one honestly disturbing scene with an elevated train that I always remembered.
Typically the human characters are the most boring part of kaiju movies. Much like the caulk holding together the monster fight bricks. Not so in this movie. They have some genuinely likable (and competent) characters that are important to the outcome.
Let’s talk about the fights. They are mostly the ‘man in suit’ fights, with some animatronic and CGI thrown in. There actually aren’t many of them, but you don’t feel cheated, because they look gorgeous. Some of the best miniature work I’ve ever seen and crisp editing hides the flaws in the suits/practical effects.
Another thing I like is that human weapons hurt the monsters. This is a break from Godzilla, where monsters plow through them like grass. The monsters also hurt one another. Lots of pyrotechnics in the Godzilla movies. Not the Heisei Gamera. Blood, wounds and even amputations. Good stuff.
