All too often, fans of giant monster movies have to explain their opinions on their favorite films with the caution, "but I admit so-and-so wasn't so good", referring either to the special effects or the story or some aspect of the production. Gamera 3 finally affords the fans of giant monsters a chance to dispense with the apologies. Those looking for cheesy fun will have to look elsewhere.
Director Shusuke Kaneko, sfx man Shinji Higuchi, writer Kazunori Itoh and a highly talented staff manage to pull off one of the toughest jobs imaginable...making people take a giant, flying and fire-breathing turtle seriously. No mean feat considering that the original Gamera was successfully conceived for an entirely different target audience, making the name Gamera synonymous with kiddie entertainment.
***Potential Spoilers***
Gamera 3 builds on the events of its two predecessors, culminating with what will be Gamera's final battle against Irys, a mutant strain of the Gyaos. Irys melds with a human girl, Ayana, who wants revenge on Gamera after witnessing her parents' death when Gamera fought the first Gyaos. This unholy union provides Irys the advantage over Gamera, the psychic link with a human, which Gamera had when it fought Gyaos years earlier. Oblivious to the terrible things that her help is enabling Irys to do, Ayana must ultimately depend on the one she hates to save her. The human and monster stories are so interdependent as to make one pointless without the other. This finely crafted story, with solid performances all around, makes Gamera 3 compelling viewing.
This film shows better than any other giant monster film what would truly happen if giant monsters fought in a populated city. The results are grim, yet wisely not graphic, the realism taking the viewer's breath away. The sfx crew manages to create both realistic and beautiful effects, with an endless string of money shots, particularly impressive for its paltry $6M budget, shaming films with budgets many times the size of this one. Creative, imaginative, innovative. In a genre where quantity and size of sfx scenes are often the goal, this film turns such conventions on their ears. The sfx scenes are economical, and the climax takes place inside the confines of a huge train station, the monsters' lack of mobility actually creating a final standoff with palpable tension.
A vote of 10 out of 10 should not be given easily, but Gamera 3 earns it. Simply put, Gamera 3 attains the goal that every film maker should be striving for--it is a good movie. Not just a good monster movie, but a good movie. No apologies necessary.
Director Shusuke Kaneko, sfx man Shinji Higuchi, writer Kazunori Itoh and a highly talented staff manage to pull off one of the toughest jobs imaginable...making people take a giant, flying and fire-breathing turtle seriously. No mean feat considering that the original Gamera was successfully conceived for an entirely different target audience, making the name Gamera synonymous with kiddie entertainment.
***Potential Spoilers***
Gamera 3 builds on the events of its two predecessors, culminating with what will be Gamera's final battle against Irys, a mutant strain of the Gyaos. Irys melds with a human girl, Ayana, who wants revenge on Gamera after witnessing her parents' death when Gamera fought the first Gyaos. This unholy union provides Irys the advantage over Gamera, the psychic link with a human, which Gamera had when it fought Gyaos years earlier. Oblivious to the terrible things that her help is enabling Irys to do, Ayana must ultimately depend on the one she hates to save her. The human and monster stories are so interdependent as to make one pointless without the other. This finely crafted story, with solid performances all around, makes Gamera 3 compelling viewing.
This film shows better than any other giant monster film what would truly happen if giant monsters fought in a populated city. The results are grim, yet wisely not graphic, the realism taking the viewer's breath away. The sfx crew manages to create both realistic and beautiful effects, with an endless string of money shots, particularly impressive for its paltry $6M budget, shaming films with budgets many times the size of this one. Creative, imaginative, innovative. In a genre where quantity and size of sfx scenes are often the goal, this film turns such conventions on their ears. The sfx scenes are economical, and the climax takes place inside the confines of a huge train station, the monsters' lack of mobility actually creating a final standoff with palpable tension.
A vote of 10 out of 10 should not be given easily, but Gamera 3 earns it. Simply put, Gamera 3 attains the goal that every film maker should be striving for--it is a good movie. Not just a good monster movie, but a good movie. No apologies necessary.