Godzilla may be my main man, but the 90s Gamera trilogy is better than the majority of Godzilla films, imo. More balanced scripts, better characters and better effects.
The only Heisenberg Godzilla film that equals these three Gamera is Destroyah. Maybe Biolante for it’s darkness and effects. But the low level debris ridden, incredibly real feeling and chilling nature of the Kailua fights in the Gamera trilogy really would not be surpassed until Godzilla 2014.
@@andrewtaylor940 well theirs gmk. Yeah I know, it's literally the same people, but its still one of the best Godzilla movies ever made. Definitely my personal favorite.
Josh Chiang GMK is great and on par with the Gamera movies. I just think the low level destruction shots and the framing used in the Gamera films are a little better than GMK. Not saying their aren’t some amazing shots in GMK mind you. I think everything with Baragon was amazing. The Gamera crew used the depth of the scenes a little better than GMK. And an order of magnitude better than the contemporary Heisei Godzilla films. There are some shots in the three Gamera movies that make it clear that the fx department was not simply destroying models with monsters. They spent a great deal of time studying footage from actual natural disasters. And literally made the monster fights look and feel like natural disasters. This approach would not actually become more widespread until years later when with 9/11 the whole world saw and filmed what it looks like when buildings come down.
Gyaos' eyes were always effectively creepy to me, in the same way Shin Godzilla's eyes are; they lack soul, only intent, and the way they bulge out invokes a hyperactive sense of derangement. I dunno, to me anyway.
a.s.a. I heard that bit I also thought about ShinGo, but Shin has (in this context) the advantage of being all but motionless, which makes him look like a statue come to life.. Gyaos performance strives for something quite different, and design, while unsettling and effective in itself, doesn't fully collaborate in that endeavor.
Aron Pursche-Morales As I can your observations, which I find quite plausible. Now a bit more regarding S.G. While the story only hints and never reveals the actual intentions of its monster, the fact that the evolutionary cycle of the creature begins shortly after disgruntled Goro Maki's disappearance in the sea, combined with the fact that it's heading in direction of the government center before being hit by B-2s, suggests some kind of aggressive agenda (hint: Ezekiel 25 : 17). Your description of his attitude fits well with that.
I always figured it was due to Gyaos being young and immature. Notice how, as the film goes on, Gyaos has less cartoony eyes the larger they get, as the Gyaos during the bridge scene have yellow eyes, while the final Gyaos has bright red eyes by the time it attacks Tokyo before growing into Super Gyaos with dark red eyes before the final battle. Also note how the eyes themselves get smaller in relationship to the rest of the creature's head as well as it continues growing throughout the film.
Amazing how half the Godzilla film budget can make some of the greatests Kaiju movies ever made. And one of the biggest shifts in genre and tone in Kaiju films as well. Can't wait for the other two.
God, I love the Heisei Era Gamera films so much. They are generally speaking perfect kaiju flicks and I have zero issues with any of them. My friends are always genuinely confused when I tell them that some of my favorite monster flicks are Gamera films. They're like "I could never get into Gamera when I was younger" then I ask "Well have you seen any of the 90s films?" and of course they say "no." There's a reason my favorite Millennium era Godzilla flick is "GMK" because the director of that film also directed this trilogy and he treated Godzilla with the same kind of sincerity that he gave Gamera. I still think it's a damn shame this Gamera never got to lock horns with the Heisei era Godzilla. That's been my dream match up since I was a kid. I still hope and dream in my heart of hearts for a big budget Gamera film with Guillermo Del Toro directing. Anyways I'm super excited to revisit the next two through your lens in these upcoming videos! *in Count Dooku voice* "I've been looking forward to this."
Even Roger Ebert liked it (I believe they even included his three stars on the VHS package!). This movie, I thought, blew out all of the Heisei Godzilla features. Shinji Higuchi's effects looked SO refreshing!
Honestly, This is where The Gamera movies (1995-1999) are hands down the all-time Best trilogy in Cinema History. Plus this trilogy help, Gamera. to step out of the shadows from Godzilla.
I'm amazed at how well thought out and executed the fight scenes are in all three of these movies. It's like you're right in the middle and can feel each blow and explosion.
Fun fact: As a cost saving measure, they actually hired short people to play the monsters, thus they could make the suits and the miniatures smaller to save money. You can never tell though, because the camera work is freakin' *_BRILLIANT_*
I still remember Siskel & Ebert reviewing this seriously as a film and giving it a thumbs up. I have no doubt it's the only time in their years as film critics they gave any giant monster movie any praise, let alone actually recommending it to their audience. Even most of the dubbing was done more seriously than in most of the movies of the genre.
I'm not a big fan of Gamera (yet) but I love that it came out in 1995. Godzilla vs Destroyah came out and he died in there and then Gamera is reborn out of the ashes of Godzilla's death. Nice job Daiei!
I vaguely remember watching this on TV when ti came on in the mornings once or twice when I was younger. Dad would wake me up, ushered me out of bed and I would watch it from the point it was to the ending. It was my first ever gamera film I had ever watched. It's special to me to this day. Also, Asagi was one of my favorite humans next to Miki.
There was something in that movie that was never really explained but I drew my own conclusions on. The girl who was connected to Gamera through the prayer bead was shouldering more of the psychic burden then was ever intended. Since there were multiple beads I figured that meant the ancient civilization intended for it to be spread out among many people so they would collectively take their Champion's damage.
Also I've always wondered why Gamera films have felt kind of like Anime to me and now knowing the Ghost in the Shell writers had a hand in these it doesn't surprise me anymore haha.
The Heisei 90's was a great time for both Godzilla and Gamera - where Godzilla's reboot series ended on a high note, so Gamera's rebirth began the same way. Now the only question is - will there be a Godzilla vs. Gamera film from Legendary? I'm still holding hope for a Godzilla vs. Cthulhu film! (Fangasm!)
Wow! What a nice surprise given the lackluster track record of the franchise up until this point. I think I might actually check this one out. Thanks as always UFTD!
I found a blu day with this and its sequel for like $6 one day, got home and watched it, and will tell you without reservation that this whole trilogy is amazing. Whatever mistakes the Showa Era films made did not repeat here, it’s great.
@@Comkill117 Awesome! I found the entire Showa and Heisei series (11-movie pack) on sale for like $3 in a closing movie store in a mall. Sadly, it has Gamera: Super Monster (I still don't understand how that was greenlit), but still it's the best $3 I've ever spent.
The Heisei Gamera are by far made for older audiences. They knew the kid-friendly crap ruined Gamera in the Showa era. Like it did to Godzilla as well. Heisei Godzilla films were clearly for older audiences. And Heisei Gamera did the same thing and did it well.
Eh I’d give the smaller gyaos a pass on those googly eyes, same as the young shin Godzilla. Even the most deadly animals look pretty goofy when their young and developing. This certainly was an excellent moive and series in general. Unlike with the Godzilla franchise I don’t think there is much of any debate on which interpretation of gamera is the best or ideal version.
I fondly remember the old Gamera films, I was surprised by watching your prior reviews of how terrible they were. I do remember the annoying kids though. When I discovered this series at a store and got all 3 90s Gamera films on BD, I couldn't wait to get home and watch them, and I remember being amazed at how high quality the first film was. And gory! Good stuff, thanks for the show.
I used to own the vhs to this movie ( and recently bought all 3 dvds ), and man was the film dark but it got better with age. Especially the pacing of plot and some of the best giant monster fights outside of Godzilla.
This trilogy is up there with the new Planet of the Apes, Snyder’s DC, Nolan’s Batman, Kung Fu Panda trilogies. These are the best giant monsters films. I can only wish Godzilla films could be this good. And I love Godzilla
I like the fact that Steven Segal's daughter is in this one. She is the girl in the yellow shirt, Ayako Fujitani. Steven Segal and Miyako Fujitani's daughter.
Yes. The beginning of an amazing trilogy. We told you that you wouldn't be disappointed did we not? Ha ha! Now get ready. Because the second movie is even better. My personal favorite of the three. :)
I can tell that the Heisei Gamera movies are way better than the old ones just by looking at Gamera’s new design He actually looks like a powerful monster instead of a turtle with fangs
The only thing I don't like about this trilogy is Gamera's roar... It's kinda weird, looks like it's screaming like a person idk 😂 kinda make sense tho... But if Gamera return one day, they could change to a more animal-like roar, that would be cooler
This is were the Gamera franchise finally grew up and took itself seriously. I love this trilogy and even as a standalone Kaiju movie this one is easily one of the best. This movie was the one that made me interested in Gamera in the first place. While Gamera vs Barugon was the first Gamera movie I watched, it didn't have enough Gamera to catch my interest at that time. This movie has also made some interesting new ideas with Gyaos, turning him into a species and a swarm creature instead of an individual Kaiju and at the same time turned him into Gamera's arch nemesis, which would continue to appear a few more times. Also love the new designs. The monster fights were pretty cool too and the human cast was actually interesting. I give this movie 4.5 out of 5 stars.
This was my first Gamera movie. After so long of hearing whispers and praises about this movie from longtime Gamera fans and just tokusatsu fans as a whole, I half expected it to be smaller-than-life. I expected it to be a normal monster movie wrapped in layers of nostalgia. I've never been so wrong. Even as not a very big Gamera fan, I really liked the design of both him and Gyaos. And oh boy, even if I didn't love Gyaos enough already I love him even more now. I found the human characters bearable, which is a huge step up from other Gamera movies. And to my absolute shock, this movie is making me want to watch more Gamera movies. That being said, I'm not complaining!
A benchmark in kaiju cinema without question. I never took a flying turtle so seriously before. R.I.P. Shelly. I never should have watched this the day I brought you home from the pet store. But you let me down Shelly.
Another awesome review! Love this movie (and trilogy). Would love if they brought back Gamera a la Godzilla 2014 and 2019. Also loved the Gamera 2000 videogame on PS1 back in the day. You should do a live-stream of that...
The hardest comeback from Super Monster, this movie is awesome. The new version of Gyaos is cool, Gamera is rad and perfectly balances the destructive capabilities he was shown to have in the first two movies with his more heroic characterization from the rest. It really only gets better from here.
You know, I've never liked the Showa series of Gamera movies, but I love the Heisei movies. When I first started watching Gamera movies a little more than a year ago, I was questioning how and why they had the cult following they did, and how they were considered a rival series to Godzilla. Even though the Showa Godzilla movies weren't *great*, they still outclassed the Showa Gamera movies. However, once I got to the Heisei ones, I suddenly realized how they'd gotten so popular. The three movies are all fantastic, and well deserving of their place in kaiju movie history. I don't enjoy them quite as much as the Heisei Godzilla films, but they're still a deserved rival, and I would really love to see a crossover between the two someday.
I am glad to see such a positive review for such a positive movie. However, when you consider that Gamera lives in the shadow of Godzilla and then a 1990s film features a woman with a psychic connection to the lead monster... you can't help, but feel it's still borrowing from The Big G. It's uncanny how much it resembles Megumi Odaka's Miki Saegusa from the Heisei Godzilla films. I love both kaiju series very much, but c'mon... Gamera was still borrowing from Godzilla and living in his shadow at this time too. The film is great, but you can see where the inspiration came from.
Maybe...but I think Gamera did it better. I feel like the best Miki was in her debut where she was the weird mysterious girl. Only other Miki I liked was the last one where she cries over Jr.
Couldn't agree with you more in regards to this movie and the trilogy altogether. I *love* this trilogy and dare I say it--as a lifelong Godzilla fan--Daiei outdid Toho in this trilogy. As I like to say, Toho had grown complacent with their main cash cow at this time and it showed; Daiei came back hard and hungry, with a point to make, and they made it well. The human drama is well written and acted throughout the entire series--Yuukijiro Hotaru, as the former police inspector, is one of my favorite characters in the entire series, for his acting prowess and his character's convincing arc throughout--the stories are deep and interesting, and of course the monster action and monster designs are excellent. You feel for all the characters throughout the trilogy, too. Well said on your part, sir!
Imagine if they had gone with Barugon as the foe for this movie? I think it would have been really neat since I love Barugon but I think Gyaos is a wiser choice: both fly so air battles are a must.
IMO, while I inherently prefer the style of the Heisei Godzilla films, when comparing the series as a whole, I consider this trilogy to beat out the Heisei Godzilla film series. It benefits from greater consistency. Despite preferring Godzilla 1984, Biollante, and Destoroyah over any of the Gamera Heisei films, it would be unfair to not account for the in-between Godzilla films of the 90's. I still like those films, and some make my top 10 list, but the Gamera Trilogy still averages out better.
And now the good ones. I bought this bluray trilogy for $10 in a bargain bin and was legitimately shocked how good it was. I showed it to other people and they were equally shocked
You would think the use of low angle shots to make actors in rubber suits seem giant would be a no-brainer in kaiju movies but uh, yeah Heisei Godzilla is a thing.
Just a heads up: the composer’s name is pronounced “KOH OH-tah-nee”, not “Cow”. But great review! I really love your review series. Keep up the fantastic work!
I would love a revival of Gamara! I loved this story and agree that it gives a story line that an adult can enjoy. Just to be honest, one of Shin Godzillas morphing forms had googly eyes 😆
It only gets better from here...
Up From The Depths This is gonna be good...
thank you for doing this video like i asked you to
Up From The Depths indeed it does! I’m watching the Gamera trilogy for the first time and it is amazing!
Thank goodness.
I dunno I think Legion is a little weaker due to characters not being quite as fun. GOTU is 4.5 Legion is 4.
Godzilla may be my main man, but the 90s Gamera trilogy is better than the majority of Godzilla films, imo. More balanced scripts, better characters and better effects.
The only Heisenberg Godzilla film that equals these three Gamera is Destroyah. Maybe Biolante for it’s darkness and effects. But the low level debris ridden, incredibly real feeling and chilling nature of the Kailua fights in the Gamera trilogy really would not be surpassed until Godzilla 2014.
I wish we can get more kaiju movies like the heisei Gamera trilogy.
Them be fightin' words!
@@andrewtaylor940 well theirs gmk. Yeah I know, it's literally the same people, but its still one of the best Godzilla movies ever made. Definitely my personal favorite.
Josh Chiang GMK is great and on par with the Gamera movies. I just think the low level destruction shots and the framing used in the Gamera films are a little better than GMK. Not saying their aren’t some amazing shots in GMK mind you. I think everything with Baragon was amazing. The Gamera crew used the depth of the scenes a little better than GMK. And an order of magnitude better than the contemporary Heisei Godzilla films. There are some shots in the three Gamera movies that make it clear that the fx department was not simply destroying models with monsters. They spent a great deal of time studying footage from actual natural disasters. And literally made the monster fights look and feel like natural disasters. This approach would not actually become more widespread until years later when with 9/11 the whole world saw and filmed what it looks like when buildings come down.
Now the fun really begins, a Kaiju movie trilogy that only gets better with each film
You mean worse? The 3rd one was terrible.
Nah, they said better.
@@zoeadkins9095 then there wrong
Lol, k
I was really surprised at how good and serious this movie is to its two main creatures The Gyos is transformed into a serious threat towards mankind !
Gyaos' eyes were always effectively creepy to me, in the same way Shin Godzilla's eyes are; they lack soul, only intent, and the way they bulge out invokes a hyperactive sense of derangement.
I dunno, to me anyway.
a.s.a. I heard that bit I also thought about ShinGo, but Shin has (in this context) the advantage of being all but motionless, which makes him look like a statue come to life.. Gyaos performance strives for something quite different, and design, while unsettling and effective in itself, doesn't fully collaborate in that endeavor.
@@ivandovranic1001 I can respect that.
Aron Pursche-Morales
As I can your observations, which I find quite plausible.
Now a bit more regarding S.G. While the story only hints and never reveals the actual intentions of its monster, the fact that the evolutionary cycle of the creature begins shortly after disgruntled Goro Maki's disappearance in the sea, combined with the fact that it's heading in direction of the government center before being hit by B-2s, suggests some kind of aggressive agenda (hint: Ezekiel 25 : 17). Your description of his attitude fits well with that.
@@ivandovranic1001 Why thank you!
I always figured it was due to Gyaos being young and immature. Notice how, as the film goes on, Gyaos has less cartoony eyes the larger they get, as the Gyaos during the bridge scene have yellow eyes, while the final Gyaos has bright red eyes by the time it attacks Tokyo before growing into Super Gyaos with dark red eyes before the final battle. Also note how the eyes themselves get smaller in relationship to the rest of the creature's head as well as it continues growing throughout the film.
Amazing how half the Godzilla film budget can make some of the greatests Kaiju movies ever made.
And one of the biggest shifts in genre and tone in Kaiju films as well. Can't wait for the other two.
God, I love the Heisei Era Gamera films so much. They are generally speaking perfect kaiju flicks and I have zero issues with any of them. My friends are always genuinely confused when I tell them that some of my favorite monster flicks are Gamera films. They're like "I could never get into Gamera when I was younger" then I ask "Well have you seen any of the 90s films?" and of course they say "no." There's a reason my favorite Millennium era Godzilla flick is "GMK" because the director of that film also directed this trilogy and he treated Godzilla with the same kind of sincerity that he gave Gamera. I still think it's a damn shame this Gamera never got to lock horns with the Heisei era Godzilla. That's been my dream match up since I was a kid. I still hope and dream in my heart of hearts for a big budget Gamera film with Guillermo Del Toro directing. Anyways I'm super excited to revisit the next two through your lens in these upcoming videos!
*in Count Dooku voice*
"I've been looking forward to this."
“Gamera is an ancient monster who kills Gyaos, which if left unchecked will overrun the world”.
Is this just the plot of Godzilla 2014?
It kinda is.
Funny enough, the original 1994 Tristar Godzilla script also had a very similar plot to this film. Godzilla was even a creation of Atlantis too.
Just watched the movie (Gamera) yesterday and got this impression as well.
Considering this was created first, wouldn't it be the opposite?
Even Roger Ebert liked it (I believe they even included his three stars on the VHS package!). This movie, I thought, blew out all of the Heisei Godzilla features. Shinji Higuchi's effects looked SO refreshing!
Vs Destroyah is equal with them, but vs spaceGodzilla and vs Mothra
@Sonic ice cream Nope, Heisei Gamera puts almost all Godzilla movies, and almost all other kaiju films for that matter, to shame.
Fact- The actress that played Asagi is Steven Segal’s daughter.
And she has more acting talent in her eyes than her father has in his entire body.
Jared Bradley truth! I remember watching Gamera and having a crush on Asagi. Then I looked her up. Nope. The daddy in law ain’t worth it haha!
Yeah that blew my mind...I think she got a lot of her mother's looks and thank goodness!
ghostdog2041 your right she is!!!!
Really ? she looks nothing like him.
Honestly, This is where The Gamera movies (1995-1999) are hands down the all-time Best trilogy in Cinema History. Plus this trilogy help, Gamera. to step out of the shadows from Godzilla.
I'm amazed at how well thought out and executed the fight scenes are in all three of these movies. It's like you're right in the middle and can feel each blow and explosion.
Heisei Gamera was when the Kaiju Fanbase Said 2 things
"Gamera is Awesome" and "Gamera VS Godzilla Please!"
Fun fact: As a cost saving measure, they actually hired short people to play the monsters, thus they could make the suits and the miniatures smaller to save money.
You can never tell though, because the camera work is freakin' *_BRILLIANT_*
I still remember Siskel & Ebert reviewing this seriously as a film and giving it a thumbs up. I have no doubt it's the only time in their years as film critics they gave any giant monster movie any praise, let alone actually recommending it to their audience. Even most of the dubbing was done more seriously than in most of the movies of the genre.
I absolutely love this film!! Great retrospective and review as always!!! Can't wait for your Legion review!
This is truly a masterpiece! Great review 🤙🏻😊
I love how you thoroughly review movies without giving away the entire plot or experience, other reviewers should take note
I'm not a big fan of Gamera (yet) but I love that it came out in 1995. Godzilla vs Destroyah came out and he died in there and then Gamera is reborn out of the ashes of Godzilla's death. Nice job Daiei!
I vaguely remember watching this on TV when ti came on in the mornings once or twice when I was younger. Dad would wake me up, ushered me out of bed and I would watch it from the point it was to the ending. It was my first ever gamera film I had ever watched. It's special to me to this day.
Also, Asagi was one of my favorite humans next to Miki.
There was something in that movie that was never really explained but I drew my own conclusions on. The girl who was connected to Gamera through the prayer bead was shouldering more of the psychic burden then was ever intended. Since there were multiple beads I figured that meant the ancient civilization intended for it to be spread out among many people so they would collectively take their Champion's damage.
I LOVE this movie. No matter how many times I watch it, I never get bored. It's damn near perfect.
Gamera will always be favorite forever ever since I was a kid
Also I've always wondered why Gamera films have felt kind of like Anime to me and now knowing the Ghost in the Shell writers had a hand in these it doesn't surprise me anymore haha.
The Heisei 90's was a great time for both Godzilla and Gamera - where Godzilla's reboot series ended on a high note, so Gamera's rebirth began the same way. Now the only question is - will there be a Godzilla vs. Gamera film from Legendary? I'm still holding hope for a Godzilla vs. Cthulhu film! (Fangasm!)
The movie that introduced me to Gamera. So happy to finally see this review.
Gamera guardian of the universe is like the batman begins of kaiju movies, am I right?
Yup
Thank god we got the best gamera film in the heisei
Honestly, this one of the highest points in Tokusatsu/Kaiju cinema, which only keeps improving in terms of characters, visuals, and music.
“That’s where the fun begins.”
Great review!
Wow! What a nice surprise given the lackluster track record of the franchise up until this point. I think I might actually check this one out.
Thanks as always UFTD!
This is a must watch for any kaiju movie fan! As are the rest of the Gamera trilogy: Gamera 2: Attack of Legion and Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris.
I found a blu day with this and its sequel for like $6 one day, got home and watched it, and will tell you without reservation that this whole trilogy is amazing. Whatever mistakes the Showa Era films made did not repeat here, it’s great.
@@Comkill117
Awesome! I found the entire Showa and Heisei series (11-movie pack) on sale for like $3 in a closing movie store in a mall. Sadly, it has Gamera: Super Monster (I still don't understand how that was greenlit), but still it's the best $3 I've ever spent.
The Heisei Gamera are by far made for older audiences. They knew the kid-friendly crap ruined Gamera in the Showa era. Like it did to Godzilla as well. Heisei Godzilla films were clearly for older audiences. And Heisei Gamera did the same thing and did it well.
Eh I’d give the smaller gyaos a pass on those googly eyes, same as the young shin Godzilla. Even the most deadly animals look pretty goofy when their young and developing. This certainly was an excellent moive and series in general. Unlike with the Godzilla franchise I don’t think there is much of any debate on which interpretation of gamera is the best or ideal version.
i love in the opening clip, the absolute awe in that guy expression when he sees Gamera, you never really get to see that in the older Godzilla films
This series is so good. They did an amazing job
One of my favorite movies of all time!
Leaving a like & a comment to boost up kaiju homie's channel for his eventual return!
After Godzilla vs Kong, we need a Gamera movie.
We need gamera, the universe needs him
I agree it's been 15 years since the last Gamera movie!
an absolutely brilliant movie. i look forward to your comments on the other two
Heisei Gamera = Best Gamera
Change my Mind.
Who would?
Nope. You're right!
Been waiting for this one
been waiting for this
I fondly remember the old Gamera films, I was surprised by watching your prior reviews of how terrible they were. I do remember the annoying kids though. When I discovered this series at a store and got all 3 90s Gamera films on BD, I couldn't wait to get home and watch them, and I remember being amazed at how high quality the first film was. And gory! Good stuff, thanks for the show.
Gamera movies have always been gory. Even the kiddy ones.
How can you not love gamera!
I used to own the vhs to this movie ( and recently bought all 3 dvds ), and man was the film dark but it got better with age. Especially the pacing of plot and some of the best giant monster fights outside of Godzilla.
This trilogy is up there with the new Planet of the Apes, Snyder’s DC, Nolan’s Batman, Kung Fu Panda trilogies. These are the best giant monsters films. I can only wish Godzilla films could be this good. And I love Godzilla
Gamera to me will always be number 1 I like Godzilla but Gamera is the one that does it for me
I like the fact that Steven Segal's daughter is in this one. She is the girl in the yellow shirt, Ayako Fujitani. Steven Segal and Miyako Fujitani's daughter.
The best thing about the Heisei era Gamera trilogy is that there are no Kennys at all!
Yes. The beginning of an amazing trilogy. We told you that you wouldn't be disappointed did we not? Ha ha! Now get ready. Because the second movie is even better. My personal favorite of the three. :)
Now the Fun Begins. Great Review.
I can tell that the Heisei Gamera movies are way better than the old ones just by looking at Gamera’s new design
He actually looks like a powerful monster instead of a turtle with fangs
It only gets better.
The only thing I don't like about this trilogy is Gamera's roar... It's kinda weird, looks like it's screaming like a person idk 😂 kinda make sense tho... But if Gamera return one day, they could change to a more animal-like roar, that would be cooler
This is were the Gamera franchise finally grew up and took itself seriously. I love this trilogy and even as a standalone Kaiju movie this one is easily one of the best. This movie was the one that made me interested in Gamera in the first place. While Gamera vs Barugon was the first Gamera movie I watched, it didn't have enough Gamera to catch my interest at that time. This movie has also made some interesting new ideas with Gyaos, turning him into a species and a swarm creature instead of an individual Kaiju and at the same time turned him into Gamera's arch nemesis, which would continue to appear a few more times. Also love the new designs. The monster fights were pretty cool too and the human cast was actually interesting. I give this movie 4.5 out of 5 stars.
It’s ironic that the same year Gamera was revived is also the year Godzilla died.
This was my first Gamera movie. After so long of hearing whispers and praises about this movie from longtime Gamera fans and just tokusatsu fans as a whole, I half expected it to be smaller-than-life. I expected it to be a normal monster movie wrapped in layers of nostalgia.
I've never been so wrong. Even as not a very big Gamera fan, I really liked the design of both him and Gyaos. And oh boy, even if I didn't love Gyaos enough already I love him even more now. I found the human characters bearable, which is a huge step up from other Gamera movies. And to my absolute shock, this movie is making me want to watch more Gamera movies. That being said, I'm not complaining!
A benchmark in kaiju cinema without question. I never took a flying turtle so seriously before. R.I.P. Shelly. I never should have watched this the day I brought you home from the pet store. But you let me down Shelly.
Gonna introduce my friend to this and Legion today. In two weeks hopefully I can show him Iris and GMK as well to give him the full Kaneko kaiju run.
Anyone else wants legendary to do a Gamera movie?
All they need to do is buy the rights to Gamera first
Hopefully
@@KraftwerkArts159 Gamera is cheap, not that hard to buy or fit in their universe that is praticaly made for gamera.
Another awesome review! Love this movie (and trilogy). Would love if they brought back Gamera a la Godzilla 2014 and 2019. Also loved the Gamera 2000 videogame on PS1 back in the day. You should do a live-stream of that...
The hardest comeback from Super Monster, this movie is awesome. The new version of Gyaos is cool, Gamera is rad and perfectly balances the destructive capabilities he was shown to have in the first two movies with his more heroic characterization from the rest. It really only gets better from here.
I really loved these three movies as a kid
You know, I've never liked the Showa series of Gamera movies, but I love the Heisei movies.
When I first started watching Gamera movies a little more than a year ago, I was questioning how and why they had the cult following they did, and how they were considered a rival series to Godzilla. Even though the Showa Godzilla movies weren't *great*, they still outclassed the Showa Gamera movies.
However, once I got to the Heisei ones, I suddenly realized how they'd gotten so popular. The three movies are all fantastic, and well deserving of their place in kaiju movie history. I don't enjoy them quite as much as the Heisei Godzilla films, but they're still a deserved rival, and I would really love to see a crossover between the two someday.
Happy 25th Anniversary, Gamera: Guardian of the Universe! :D
I am glad to see such a positive review for such a positive movie. However, when you consider that Gamera lives in the shadow of Godzilla and then a 1990s film features a woman with a psychic connection to the lead monster... you can't help, but feel it's still borrowing from The Big G. It's uncanny how much it resembles Megumi Odaka's Miki Saegusa from the Heisei Godzilla films. I love both kaiju series very much, but c'mon... Gamera was still borrowing from Godzilla and living in his shadow at this time too. The film is great, but you can see where the inspiration came from.
Maybe...but I think Gamera did it better. I feel like the best Miki was in her debut where she was the weird mysterious girl. Only other Miki I liked was the last one where she cries over Jr.
Aaah, much better. The first of three amazing films.
Couldn't agree with you more in regards to this movie and the trilogy altogether. I *love* this trilogy and dare I say it--as a lifelong Godzilla fan--Daiei outdid Toho in this trilogy. As I like to say, Toho had grown complacent with their main cash cow at this time and it showed; Daiei came back hard and hungry, with a point to make, and they made it well. The human drama is well written and acted throughout the entire series--Yuukijiro Hotaru, as the former police inspector, is one of my favorite characters in the entire series, for his acting prowess and his character's convincing arc throughout--the stories are deep and interesting, and of course the monster action and monster designs are excellent. You feel for all the characters throughout the trilogy, too. Well said on your part, sir!
I got a VHS copy of this movie in 1996 from some shady guy I knew. I watched it over and over, love this movie.
Gamera FINALLY comes into his own ...!
By 1:40 I swear the description could be the same as for the 2014 Godzilla movie 🤔
Wow! Going to check it out.
big turtle gets a god like makeover and fights big bat who also gets a god like design
Honestly the “googly eyes” freaked my out when I was a kid. Lol
Gamera need a comeback...
What sucks is he almost had one back in 2015 or 16. (I forget which year it was).
Imagine if they had gone with Barugon as the foe for this movie? I think it would have been really neat since I love Barugon but I think Gyaos is a wiser choice: both fly so air battles are a must.
Yes now we're getting to some great gamera movies
IMO, while I inherently prefer the style of the Heisei Godzilla films, when comparing the series as a whole, I consider this trilogy to beat out the Heisei Godzilla film series. It benefits from greater consistency. Despite preferring Godzilla 1984, Biollante, and Destoroyah over any of the Gamera Heisei films, it would be unfair to not account for the in-between Godzilla films of the 90's. I still like those films, and some make my top 10 list, but the Gamera Trilogy still averages out better.
Why oh why won’t they do more of these?
I love this live!
This trilogy is some of the finest Kaiju out there!
Well we're finally here the heisei trilogy. Three of the greatest kaiju movies ever made. Can't wait for the other 2 reviews.
Aw lawd. It's the space turtle again!
Fun Fact: Turtles don’t exist in the Hesei Gamera Universe
Neither do any Kennys!
Why does one of the characters refer to him as a giant turtle in the first movie then?
@@codyerickson3550 Script
Gyaos absolutely horrified me as a kid, still kinda does to this day!
Always loved Gameras roar.
*local atlantian turtle goes on mass genocide campaign against a large endangered bat species, more at 11*
And now the good ones. I bought this bluray trilogy for $10 in a bargain bin and was legitimately shocked how good it was. I showed it to other people and they were equally shocked
B Birdwhistell Where and when did you buy it?
Around 2017. I think I was at a going out of business sale.
Does it also have digital release?
rockkiller124 Not that I am aware of. I think whoever the western distributor was lost the license.
@@deathgoddragon3698 That sucks
WE MADE IT BOYS
I remember first watching this film, what a masterpiece!
Heisei Godzilla just been dethroned
You would think the use of low angle shots to make actors in rubber suits seem giant would be a no-brainer in kaiju movies but uh, yeah Heisei Godzilla is a thing.
Finally we get some of the good stuff
Just a heads up: the composer’s name is pronounced “KOH OH-tah-nee”, not “Cow”. But great review! I really love your review series. Keep up the fantastic work!
Does anyone know if the heisei gamera trilogy is on TH-cam? Cuz I wanna check these movies out like so badly.
I think the first one might be, truth be told they’re not terribly expensive (for reference I got the whole trilogy for about $12).
I would love a revival of Gamara!
I loved this story and agree that it gives a story line that an adult can enjoy.
Just to be honest, one of Shin Godzillas morphing forms had googly eyes 😆
I hope Shinji Higuchi does the special effects for Shin Ultraman and it looks as good as this
we need more Gamera movies
It feels like forever since you rated a movie 4 stars.
Uh he gave Jiger four stars. That wasn't even a month ago.
One of my top 3 favorite kaiju movies
Would really love to see what Gamera nowadays would be like.
I honestly thought the design from that proof of concept trailer a few years back looked good.