GAMERA MOVIES RANKED

GAMERA MOVIES RANKED

 

With CCC’s Gamera-thon approaching its conclusion, I am going to look at all twelve Gamera movies and decide which ones are my favourites, which ones are my least favourites, and bring some order to this anomalous cavalcade of films about a giant atomic mutant turtle and the adventures he has inspired.

 

12. Gamera: Super Monster

This was one of only three Gamera movies I had never seen before starting the Gamera-thon reviews, and I knew the least about Gamera: Super Monster because it is the least-talked-about Gamera movie out there. Well, it turns out that’s for a pretty good reason. Aside from the fact that the majority of the 90 minute runtime consists of stock footage from previous Gamera movies, the “new” Gamera scenes add up to about two lousy minutes, and the movie is mostly focused on some boring superwomen from space who are joined by the most annoying kid from any of the sequels. Gamera: Super Monster is easily the worst entry in the series—considering it was a last ditch effort for the studio to get out of debt, you could say it shouldn’t be criticized for being shamefully, embarrassingly, incomprehensibly bad because it at least re-uses great moments from previous movies, therefore it isn’t all for naught. But I can’t say that. I had a hard time sitting through it once and don’t want to revisit it ever again.    

 

11. Gamera vs. Zigra

Most omit Gamera: Super Monster from the Gamera conversation because it barely constituted being a “new” Gamera movie when it was released, what with the abundant use of stock footage. As a result, many consider Gamera vs. Zigra to be the last true entry in the Showa era—in addition to being one of the worst in the series. I’ll give this movie credit for at least not stooping to the same low as other Showa era sequels and using stock footage. That being said, it is still a far cry from the high points in the series. The characters, the plot, and the action are all unremarkable compared to other Gamera films, but it isn’t without some merit, and has one of the funniest Gamera moments of all when he plays his theme song on Zigra’s spiky back like a xylophone before burning the villainous monster to a crisp.   

 

10. Gamera vs. Viras

I mainly remember Gamera vs. Viras for its ending, but reflecting on it in the context of all Gamera films, it actually isn’t as great as most others on the whole. The use of stock footage isn’t as bad as in Gamera: Super Monster, but it’s still pretty shoddy, and it definitely isn’t as good of a Gamera film as the one immediately before it or immediately after it (more to come on those ones). The duo of young male protagonists, Masao and Jim, are good enough, but not that memorable, and scenes of them on the space ship go on too long. I think for newer Gamera fans it’s not a bad one to start out with, but for anyone looking at the whole franchise the way I am, it’s not as likely to stand out over many others. The end battle between Viras and Gamera at least elevates it to one spot higher than Gamera vs. Zigra.  

 

9. Gamera the Brave

This is where it gets tricky ranking these movies, because there’s such a gulf between the original generation of Gamera movies and the more recent productions in terms of production quality. Even though the special effects are far superior to several movies above it on this ranking list and the story is much more sound, Gamera the Brave is just not as eccentric as most of the movies before it, and lacks anything that truly stands out about it. It’s not only aiming squarely for younger viewers, but also for family audiences, which makes it successful in that sense, but doesn’t put it above most earlier films, for me. The enemy monster is fairly generic, Gamera himself doesn’t do a whole lot, and in the end this second reboot never went anywhere in terms of sequels, which I think is partly because it just didn’t reinvigorate the franchise in quite the right way. I don’t think it’s a bad Gamera movie, but I do think it’s one of the more average ones.

 

8. Gamera vs. Jiger

The reason I rank Gamera vs. Jiger (and the next movie) higher than Gamera the Brave is because of how much I love the absurdity of the earlier Gamera movies. No, they aren’t as well made, or as thoughtful, but that’s part of why I like them. I want to see a giant turtle fight other weird monsters and make me laugh, and that’s what the majority of the Showa era films do. Gamera vs. Jiger is my least favourite of what I would call the good Showa era entries simply because the monster isn’t as creative and the human characters aren’t as funny. That being said, there are still many inventive ideas throughout, some fun monster fights, amusing special effects, and great Gamera moments.

 

7. Gamera vs. Barugon

Even though I praised Gamera vs. Barugon quite a bit in my review, I still find it pretty middling, which is why it’s right in the middle of this list. It’s cheesy and goofy in all the ways I love, and as the very first Gamera sequel, it’s a pretty good follow-up to the original, but the main thing that knocks it down a few notches is the lack of Gamera throughout and the sub-par monster fights. By this point Toho had mastered the art of making an entertaining spectacle out of guys in monster suits fighting each other, but Daiei’s first attempt, while admirable, didn’t quite live up. Barugon holds the screen on his own, though, and makes up for the lack of Gamera, who is remembered best in this movie for his appearances at the very beginning and very end—not so much throughout the rest of the runtime.

 

6. Gamera: Guardian of the Universe

The first Gamera film in the Heisei era is better than most Gamera films on a technical level, but in terms of entertainment value, I gravitate more toward the older entries before this one. I’ve seen this movie multiple times, and every time I keep expecting to like it as much as I feel I should, but I never do. I always get bored before the end, but then the climax reels me back in. Overall, though, I always feel like this one pales in comparison to the Heisei era Godzilla films from around the same time, and it isn’t as creative as the best Showa era Gamera movies. Though it remains faithful to what came before despite being darker and more serious, it doesn’t do anything new with the monsters other than re-contextualize their origins. But, it did reboot the giant atomic mutant turtle successfully enough to spawn two superior sequels.

 

5. Gamera, the Giant Monster

This isn’t just nostalgia talking: I think the original Gamera is a more entertaining movie than the first entry in the Heisei era. For being really nothing more than a Godzilla rip-off on paper, the filmmakers made something inspired enough in its execution to eventually stand apart from Toho’s radioactive dinosaur and be its own thing. The pillars of what fans came to love about the giant atomic mutant turtle were built here, even though this is one of very few instances where he is primarily antagonistic and there are no other weird monsters to share the spotlight with him. Gamera gets plenty of moments to shine, and even though the human cast isn’t memorable and the story is somewhat by-the-numbers, all of that is outshined by the old-school effects and some imaginative (and hilarious) moments, including one of the best monster movie endings ever.

 

4. Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris

It’s a pretty tight race for the half dozen films in the upper half of this list, but three and four are right next to one another because they are both quite excellent, and I prefer both over the first film in the Heisei era. The conclusion to the trilogy is dark, epic, and grounded in a character-driven story, but what puts it a spot below the second film is the middle portion, which lacks Gamera and doesn’t deliver giant monster action that exceeds or matches what was seen in the previous Heisei films. It’s still a solid ending that feels like the completion of a clear vision, and to me, is far more creative and enjoyable overall than the first films in either era.

 

3. Gamera 2: Attack of Legion

I have to give Gamera 2 a high place on this list just because it’s so skillfully assembled and because of the enemy monster, Legion. It’s a weird monster that somehow feels in tune with the weirdness of early-era Gamera monsters while also not coming off as goofy or cheesy, but rather scary and formidable. Gamera did pretty well fighting Gyaos in the previous film, but he does not defeat Legion easily, or without causing some major destruction. Though this film is more militaristic and lacking in the spiritual reinvigoration Guardian of the Universe brought to the franchise, the stuff that I love most about these movies is on full, high-quality display, and the characters, while not that memorable, don’t get in the way of it.

 

2. Gamera vs. Guiron

For Gamera fans, it might be a surprise to see this entry so high on my list, but remember, my favourite thing about this series of films is how absurd they are, so it makes sense that Gamera vs. Guiron ranks so high, because this is about as absurd as it gets. Even though the pair of child protagonists are more annoying than other kids in other Gamera movies, their annoyingness is also, strangely enough, part of their entertainment value. No other kids claim to know so much about the speed at which giant turtles can fly. Gamera himself has some great moments, and Guiron is one of the oddest villains he has ever taken on. Throw in some alien women trying to eat the brains of the two boys, a brief appearance by a silver Space Gyaos, and a bunch of cheesy effects, and you have one of the quintessential films from the first era of Gamera movies. When I think about Gamera, scenes from this movie are usually the first thing I picture in my head: a knife-headed monster fighting a giant atomic mutant turtle on an alien planet doing completely ridiculous things.

 

1. Gamera vs. Gyaos

Ranking the movies is the name of the game, and picking a number-one-favourite Gamera movie was tougher than I thought. It wasn’t a huge surprise to me, though, when I discovered the third film, Gamera vs. Gyaos, really has everything I could ask for in what I think is the best overall movie that the Gamera series has to offer. My review pretty much says it all: it’s a well-rounded giant monster movie, with plenty of monster action, hilariously cheesy special effects, creative ideas, and most of the Showa era Gamera gimmicks. I might not recommend it to everyone, but if you want to know what Gamera is all about, this is one of the best places to find that out.

 

Well, that's all of the Gamera movies ranked…but as a little bonus to officially bring Gamera-thon to a close, I’ve created a Monster Alignment Chart for the monsters from the Gamera series! Tune in next time to see how the monsters rank amongst each other in the epic conclusion to Gamera-thon! 

Gamera the Brave (2006) Review

Gamera the Brave (2006) Review

Gamera the Brave was the only Gamera film released in my lifetime that I had not seen until 2023. Unlike the Heisei Trilogy, this reboot of the series went back to focusing on youthful protagonists in order to appeal to younger audiences once again. Even though I think my review would be more positive had I seen it closer to when it first came out, Gamera the Brave is better than what it might make you expect upon first impression.

Ignoring continuity with all movies before it, this one starts with a bang in 1973, with Gamera fighting three medium-sized Gyaos all at once. The Gyaos look pretty much the same as they did in the Heisei films, which is to say they look badass, but Gamera? Well, the re-design leaves a little to be desired, but this old version of Gamera doesn’t last long. He self-destructs to destroy the Gyaos, and then there are no more giant monsters until 2006. This opening is just a tease, because there’s nothing as exciting as this battle until over an hour into the movie. A boy who witnessed Gamera’s sacrifice in the 70’s is now a father, and his wife has passed away. His son, Toru, discovers an egg that hatches into a tiny baby turtle, which he calls Toto (because that’s what his mom used to call him). There’s sort of a metaphor for Gamera representing a lost guardian for Toru, and it tries to give a little more (and new) meaning to the giant atomic mutant turtle. I’ll give them credit for trying, but the metaphorical approach doesn’t really work for me.

So Gamera—or, sorry, I mean Toto—becomes Toru’s new pet and best friend. This is very in-line with Showa-era Gamera, and out of all the young boys to lead these films, I think the character of Toru is one of the best. He isn’t annoying or too boring, but that isn’t to say he’s a particularly excellent main character. He’s…fine. Gamera, too, is also merely fine in this movie. He’s played by a real turtle for the first few scenes—except, it isn’t a turtle, it’s a tortoise that’s passed off as a turtle. How embarrassing. He floats around a few times, which hints at his flying ability, and continues to grow. At one point he’s the perfect size for the kids to move him around on a skateboard. I bet you never imagined seeing Gamera ride a skateboard in this movie, did you? Well, unfortunately that’s about the most interesting thing that happens in the first forty minutes or so—that, and when a survivor of a ship wreckage is eaten by an unseen monster at sea and a giant bubble of blood rises to the surface. It’s the one sort-of-gory moment in what is otherwise one of the tamer Gamera movies.

Gamera the Brave is light on monster action in the first half, but even when it starts happening in the second half, it isn’t particularly remarkable. Gamera isn’t very powerful, nor is he a very good fighter. In the final battle with the enemy monster, Zedus, he’s stuck in the side of a building for like ten minutes and only gets free after Toru throws the glowing red rock he originally found Gamera’s egg on in his mouth, which powers him up enough to annihilate Zedus. All the children band together to block the government and military in the street from getting to Gamera so he can escape and be free. It feels like an appropriate ending, but having Gamera be subjected to government intervention is a giant monster movie cliché the series had yet to stoop to prior to this film, and that’s one of my biggest issues with Gamera the Brave: it doesn’t feel particularly brave, in terms of rebooting a traditionally outlandish film franchise. It plays it safer than the Heisei Trilogy, but hey, it’s a kid’s movie at its core, and if you look at it as the most-kid-friendly-version of any of these movies with the most refined special effects, it’s pretty well done.

The monster Zedus comes out of nowhere mid-way through the movie. He has no setup and no direct connection to Gamera, he’s just a giant reptilian creature that intends to eat people and wreck some buildings. Even though he’s supposed to be a new monster, he comes off like a re-design of Baragon, only without the rainbow ray (but he does have rainbow-coloured frills on his neck). Gamera vs. Zedus is about as close as we might ever get to seeing Gamera vs. Godzilla—I mean, Zedus is bipedal, he has spikes on his back, and he has sharp teeth, so he definitely has some resemblance to Big G. He isn’t a very original or interesting monster, but the suitmation is extremely well done, and there is far less low-quality CGI compared to the Heisei films. The special effects for Toto-Gamera are top notch, too, but the design is another matter. I think they tried to redesign Toto-Gamera’s full-grown appearance to make him look cuter than he used to, but he looks kind of like a weird old man. It’s not his best look, and he doesn’t make the classic Gamera roar either, which is disappointing.

In the end, Gamera the Brave is a decent attempt to make a more credible Gamera movie while also making it a little truer to the older films in certain ways compared to the previous reboot. It’s much lighter in spirit and visuals, and is a harmless giant monster movie with enough going for it to be worth checking out, but I definitely think younger viewers will appreciate it more than anyone. 

Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999) Review

Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999) Review

For a brief time, Gamera was the preeminent giant monster in Japanese cinema. Godzilla had been given a break the same year Gamera made his epic return in Guardian of the Universe, then Gamera came back again for Attack of Legion, and in 1999 he came back for a third film, Revenge of Iris, which happened to be the same year Godzilla returned, in Godzilla 2000 (one of my favourite Godzilla movies). The Heisei era for Gamera started off on the right foot, and quickly found its stride. The third film more than lives up to the previous two films, and for many Gamera fans it is not only the best Gamera film, but one of the best monster movies of all-time. I think that praise is a little excessive, but let’s get into the good and the not so good of this trilogy-capper.

So, who is Iris, and what is Iris getting revenge on? Well, the alternate title is Awakening of Iris, which I think is a little more accurate. We begin with the return of Gyaos, then flash back to 1995, when Gamera first saved Japan from the Gyaos invasion. A pre-teen girl’s parents and cat (named Iris) are killed in the destruction caused by Gamera fighting Gyaos, and she has held a strong hatred of Gamera in her heart ever since. Japan is starting to question whether or not they should trust Gamera to save them after he causes a massive amount of destruction and inadvertently kills thousands of people when defending Tokyo from a new Gyaos attack in modern day. Meanwhile, the orphan girl discovers an egg in a cave that hatches into a new monster, which she names Iris, and it absorbs her Gamera animosity, which becomes a problem when it grows to the size of Gamera and poses an even bigger threat to Japan than Gyaos or Legion before it. Having a young girl as one of the main characters makes it feel a bit more like the Gamera films of old, what with those films typically having young protagonists. Despite that tangential connection, this movie is really nothing like the silliness of the Showa era.

Gamera 3 goes even darker than the last one, and has some of the most shocking kaiju moments from the entire series. Gamera has never matched up to the darkest entries of the Godzilla series, but Revenge of Iris gets close. Gamera is still heroic, but many of the low angle shots make him look more intimidating than he did in Gamera 2, and the brief glimpses we get of an evil-looking Gamera in black-and-white flashbacks are superbly creepy. There’s a moment when a Gyaos is being destroyed by Gamera and his eye is hanging out of its socket, which is pretty gross, and the monster Iris sucks the life force out of people, turning them into shriveled zombie-looking corpses. Despite the scary stuff, the story and overall vibe go back to the more spiritual nature of Guardian of the Universe, and it’s a more personal story than Attack of Legion. Some of the characters who were in the previous two films return, which adds a level of satisfaction to this movie in wrapping up the story started in Guardian of the Universe and giving further finality to the trilogy.

Iris is an interesting monster, but after the inventiveness and sheer gravitas of Legion in the previous movie, it doesn’t quite live up. Legion was a lot to live up to, but it’s not just the fact that Iris is entirely CGI in many shots. The Iris design is a bit like a mix of Gyaos and Legion with some tentacles added in. The CGI is better than in Gamera 2, but it’s still not as good as the suitmation and miniatures, which are all once again perfectly executed. The build-up of Iris being discovered, hatching, growing, and becoming threatening is well done, and Gamera’s fight with the Gyaos early in the film is great, but then the middle of the film slows down, and this is where it loses me a bit. We don’t get to see Gamera very much (definitely not as much as in Guardian of the Universe or even Attack of Legion), and this movie runs a bit longer than the last two, so the Gamera-free middle drags, but then the final battle between Gamera and Iris is epic and fantastic, with some gruesome combat, though the fights overall pale in comparison to the previous two movies.

Even though I think this movie has some flaws and weak parts, it’s so stylishly shot and so ambitious that it outshines the first film in the trilogy, to me, and I find a big part of the appeal is how it follows up everything that was set up in the first (and second) film, though there’s one aspect to that which I don’t love. I find the return of Gyaos a little unsatisfying because it feels too obvious that they’re just trying to connect this movie to the first movie by including the same threat in addition to the new one. It would’ve been nice to see another new monster or a different monster from the Showa era get the same kind of re-introduction and redesign. Why were the Gyaos a problem for such a brief time in 1995 then they waited four years to suddenly return in great numbers to take over the world? That being said, I find the focus on Iris diminishes the issue, though.

Despite a lack of Gamera and a dull middle, Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris is still a great Gamera movie, and a solid ending to the Heisei trilogy. It doesn’t end 100 % conclusively, but isn’t really a cliff hanger ending. It kind of makes me wonder if they had plans for a fourth film in the Heisei era that never came to be, although the way it ends with the title card over a background of flames reading “Gamera 1999: The Absolute Guardian of the Universe” is a pretty epic way to conclude. Whatever the case, it was only seven years later that Gamera returned in a brand-new reboot.   

Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996) Review

Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996) Review

After the successful reboot of the Gamera series in 1995, a sequel quickly followed the very next year from the same combo of writer and director and special effects creator. In some ways, the sequel, Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (also known as Advent of Legion) is very similar to the first sequel to the original Gamera, the Giant Monster, Gamera vs. Barugon, because it features a new antagonistic kaiju and is even darker than its predecessor.

Whereas Gamera: Guardian of the Universe was a spiritual re-introduction of the shelled monster as a pure hero and a re-introduction of his most famous enemy, Gyaos, Gamera 2: Attack of Legion is the darker, militaristic sequel of the trilogy. That’s not to say it doesn’t retain any of the spirituality of the first film, but Attack of Legion is definitely more focused on being a sci-fi story of an invasive alien creature and how military forces attempt to stop it, along with Gamera’s help. Legion, as it becomes known, is named after Legion from the Bible (“the one who is many”) because it starts out as numerous cyclopean bugs that are as big as people, having come to earth on a meteor, and it spreads by growing large pods that flower and shoot seeds into space. The first half hour does not show Gamera at all; it is strictly about establishing the new threat, then Gamera finally shows up to destroy the giant flower growing out of a building. The small alien creatures swarm him, which is accomplished in some shots with CGI, and it doesn’t look good at all, but I can’t fault them too much, given the budget they had to work with and the fact that CGI was so new at the time. The practical effects, on the other hand, are outstanding.

The Mother Legion erupts out of the ground and later fights Gamera at a runway when he tries to destroy another of her flowers in Sendai. Legion is a bizarre monster, but not in the same cheesy way as some of the bizarre Gamera enemies from the Showa era. The design is unique and the suit is incredible—to look at it you wouldn’t even think there was a man inside performing as this creature. Gamera, too, somehow looks even better than he already did in the previous movie, and he has two great fights with Legion in the film, with a mix of close-up grappling and range attacks. Gamera has a couple new tricks up his sleeve (shell?) this time, too, such as a pair of flipper-like wings to help him fly straight in addition to spin flight. We never get to see him sprout these wings, though, so I was left wondering if they are supposed to be additional appendages to his regular front arms or if they are his front arms, just fused together and flattened. It’s a weird question that gets no answer.

A significant portion of this film depicts soldiers trying to combat Legion, and how much you enjoy these kinds of scenes in other monster movies will probably determine whether it’s your favourite from the Gamera Heisei trilogy or least favourite. It once again lacks any strong main characters to occupy the monster-free scenes, but there aren’t any characters that are too annoying or overstay their welcome, either, so it’s a bit of a trade-off. Everyone takes everything very seriously, and it follows the tone of the previous film well, but there are still a few light-hearted moments here and there. Somehow those moments don’t clash with the dark moments, like when a guy gets attacked by one of the small Legion creatures and his blood splatters on a window. Even though Gyaos was pretty scary in the last movie, I think Legion is an even scarier monster, and a worthy new adversary. The excellent music and sound design aid in its depiction.  

The best moments, unsurprisingly, are the ones with the monsters, and I would argue that the monster scenes are even better in this one than the previous one. There’s a part halfway through when Gamera sacrifices himself to destroy a Legion flower and the resulting explosion completely wipes out Sendai like a nuclear detonation. It’s an incredible moment, but it pays tribute to the Showa era in a way I wish had been avoided: Gamera is temporarily defeated and goes into a catatonic state to recover until the climax, which means only the military are left to fight Legion. Don’t get me wrong, there are still some great scenes of destruction even with Gamera out of commission, but it does feel like there’s a lack of Gamera at times, which the first film avoided better. The final fight makes up for this slight misstep, though, and to be fair, Gamera isn’t out of the fight for too long.

The best way I can sum up my review for Attack of Legion is like this: the best parts of this movie I find more enjoyable than the best parts of the previous movie, and the parts I don’t like I find less enjoyable compared to the parts of the previous movie that I don’t like, but I have fewer dislikes overall. I think Attack of Legion is a more well-put-together film compared to Guardian of the Universe, but it’s difficult to say I like any one of them the most because of the nature of these films being a trilogy. If I were to watch the Heisei era of Gamera films, I wouldn’t skip the first one and start with the second one—I don’t find Guardian of the Universe significantly worse, per say, but as a darker second chapter, I think I enjoy Attack of Legion more.