Reviews

Yeah. Seasons one and two don't exist and should have never happened.

The Star Trek beancounters ought to see what makes a series with this kind of fanbase excited, and wanting to come back for more.

One example: Drama.

Ro and Picard have a history of pain and betrayal. They resolved this in a way that would bring a ST-TNG fan's eye water. Their breath falter and hesitate.

Another example: Score.

Pulling musical cues from almost all of the past Star Trek movies and series, while adding the occasional flair of new instrumentals molded seamlessly with the subject matter, and at the precise time? Things like that are what help to weld scenes into the minds of the viewer.

Final (But probably not) example: USE WHAT WORKS!!

Jonathan Frakes (Number One) is a well known and accomplished director. Engaging him to direct episodes was a brilliant move.

Buy this season, fellow Trekkers.

You won't regret it.

I came back to Gamera after revisiting the series from the MST3K DVDs I bought. I knew there were a few updated new movies out back in the '90s and finally was compelled to buy the box set. I don't regret it.

This second movie of the trilogy begins with a freak meteor storm that impacts Japan and surrounding areas. Folks go investigate the crater, learn the meteor slowed down and disappeared, get a scientist babe involved, etc. Things start happening, and they seemed to occur as if the incidents started at the crater and moved in a deliberate march towards population. "Maybe the meteor moved."

Long story short, the rock spawned a silicon beast with lots of little beasts and a flower the size of a building which will launch a seed into space. And Gamera appears to save the day. Eventually.

The SFX were done very well. The destruction of an entire city, Gamera's new retractable fins (Who knew Gamera was a convertible?) and new, "Mana Blast."

The acting was pretty good as well. Asagi and Osako, the girl who helped Gamera in the previous movie and the inspector (Now he's a security guard at a warehouse full of beer -SWEET!), return.

Not as good as the third Gamera movie, but still ranking up there for me.

There's a special surprise I'd just discovered that compelled me to write this, though. Yesterday, I popped this in and started it up so I could sleep (I seem to sleep better if the sounds of giant Japanese monsters ripping through cities are playing in my head -don't ask me why). I must have changed the audio settings in my sleep. There's three on my DVD: English 1, English 2 and Japanese. Well, all the times I watched this movie I had it set to the first. While sleeping, I set it to second and OMG! The Colonel suddenly sounded like Bill Clinton, launching wisecracks at every opportunity. Asagi sounded like Daisy Duke with a thicker accent. And whenever a crowd of Japanese folks was running for their lives from certain destruction, someone always yelled, "HOLY CRAAAP!!" I couldn't stop laughing. I don't know if this was some kind of fun humor, or a cruel prank on the movie's producers.

If for no other reason, rent this DVD and set the audio for some fun. It'll be worth it.

I'm going to see if this was done to the other two Gamera movies today.