Brought out as a straight counter to Toho Studios rabidly popular Godzilla series, Gamera appealed more to children than adults (something many people attribute to the same change in the Godzilla series). Stripped of that cheese factor, director Shusuke Kaneko takes this revived series in a new direction. Bringing back Gamera's most popular foe, changing the origins, and giving the film a darker feel makes this one of the best giant monster movies of all time.
A ship carrying plutonium runs aground in the middle of the ocean. Ravenous giant reptile-like birds ravage a small town. Authorities are baffled and decide to capture the birds for study. During that operation, that atoll turns out to be a giant flying turtle, washing up in a harbor. Named Gamera after an ancient legend, the military focuses their attention on that giant, never realizing that the giant birds (named Gaos) are the real threat.
It's incredible just how entertaining and fun this new Gamera is. The original film, released in 1965, was a tolerable knock-off (butchered for release in the US), but this is something entirely different. It's a movie only bested by the two sequels.
Changing the mythology from radioactive mutant to ancient man-made Atlantis legend was a risky move, but as least it gives some explanation for how Gamera can actually take off into the air, spinning wildly, to chase after his foes. Everything else is executed so well, from the countless money shots to the exquisite miniatures, it's a real shame this film only went to cable here in the states. It could have found an audience.
Redesigned while still keeping the basics, Gamera looks nothing short of fantastic. The suit never looks obvious, while the Gaos are almost all controlled via wire work. Their design is even stronger, completely believable considering the somewhat absurd premise in the first place. Combine these two with some of the most detailed miniatures ever created (right down to strewn papers and garbage cans in an alley) and you have a winner even before getting to the human characters.
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