“Gamera: Guardian of the Universe” offers a fresh and much needed resurrection of the franchise that became largely outdated with the previous instalment of “Gamera: Super Monster“. Initially produced by the Showa studio, the series was taken over by Heisei in the 1990s. This marked not only the new start for Gamera as a brand; with the reboot, the kaiju series entered into the new era marked by the entry of CGI effects. Thus, the films made in that period proved to be more current and visually exciting.
Buy This Title
When a military ship carrying 1000 tonnes of plutonium collides with a ‘mysterious' floating atoll, any Gamera fan should be already able to tell what's cooking. The atoll obviously turns out to be a giant turtle which rises from the sea just in time to protect planet Earth from Gyaos, a giant bat-like creature engineered by the ancient Atlanteans as a perfect weaponlike organism aimed to destroy human civilisation. What follows is a tense and perfectly choreographed struggle between the two monsters.
In terms of Kazunori Ito's screenplay, “Gamera: Guardian of the Universe” is a solid piece of writing that keeps the viewer constantly guessing about the identity and motivations of both Gyaos and Gamera. The information are often withheld, adding to the overall suspense. Furthermore, the ecological undertones explaining the rise of kaiju add a more modern touch to the movie. Despite the desire to reboot the series and start it completely anew, some of the devices, such as editing rolls and wipes, are obvious callbacks to the 60s roots of Gamera franchise. Pacing of the story is high, especially in comparison with “Super Monster“, nevertheless the cinematographer Junichi Tozawa manages to squeeze in more static, establishing shots of monsters to add visual grandiosity.
Let's not pretend though, that the fights between Gyaos and Gamera are not the essential elements of the film; they prove to be energetic and exhilarating, also due to the special effects. High production values and inclusion of documentary-like clips add to the realism.
