| A ship carrying a cargo of plutonium runs aground on an atoll in the open ocean. It becomes apparent that something very unusual is going on, as the atoll moves away under its own power. Meanwhile, the human population of a small island is wiped out by flying carnivorous creatures. The authorities plan to capture the airborne predators, which are called Gyaos. However, the operation goes awry when the atoll lands on the Japanese mainland. The turtle-like monster Gamera has arrived, seemingly in pursuit of the Gyaos. Destruction ensues, the Gyaos escape, and Gamera is mistakenly labeled a menace.
However, an artifact recovered from the atoll has given a young girl (played by Ayako Fujitani, Steven Seagal’s daughter) a psychic connection with Gamera. She believes that Gamera was created by an ancient civilization to protect the world from Gyaos. As the ravenous Gyaos grow to monstrous proportions, the benevolent Gamera is caught between his ancient enemy and the Japanese military. Which monster will triumph, and how will humanity deal with the survivor?
Given the success of the Heisei Godzilla series at Japanese theaters, Daiei decided to revive their own monster star after a long absence. More than the updating that Godzilla got, this film is a complete rebirth for Gamera. Gamera: Guardian of the Universe is a very well made kaiju film with a serious, adult tone (and just enough of a sense of humor to keep the enjoyment level consistently high). While the Showa films were aimed squarely at a kiddie audience, this film makes the kaiju threat believable by placing the monsters in a world that seems very real. In this world, the presence of giant monsters is shown to have real political and economic impact. People’s everyday lives are drastically changed.
This film is the first in a trilogy of Gamera adventures directed by Shusuke Kaneko (GMK), with special effects by Shinji Higuchi (Sakuya: The Slayer of Demons), written by Kazunori Ito (Ghost in the Shell), and scored by Ko Otani (GMK). The character of Gamera would continue to grow and evolve throughout the series. Kaneko’s visual style and Higuchi’s attention to detail would elevate these films above Toho’s contemporary efforts, making the Heisei Gamera trilogy the best kaiju eiga since the “golden age” of the 1960s. Grade: A |
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