Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Visceral reality, April 21, 2003
By A Customer
The first thing that struck me seeing this movie was how real it felt. It was the first monster movie I saw that treated the idea of monsters fighting in a city seriously; these aren't empty models they are destroying, they are real buildings with real people inside. Or so it seems. And then the public reaction is perfect! It is something probably lost on most American viewers, but all of the newscasters you see in this film are real newscasters. "The Wide" is an actual news show in Japan. The "man on the street" interviews are just like you would see on a show like "The Wide".I lived both near Kyoto and in Tokyo for a few years, and the reality in which these cities were brought to the screen (and subsequently destroyed) was amazing. And the air battle between Gamera and Iris is dynamic and incredible. For some the movie may lack in quantity of monster battles (although I think it makes up with quality), and for others the movie's story and premise may be silly. But I liked it, and I think if you like monster movies at all, you probably will, too.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Giant monster masterpiece, January 3, 2005
Shusuke Kaneko's Gamera III has all the best ingredients that make a great kaiju movie. This movie shows how it's supposed to be done. Having seen more than 25 Toho films (Godzilla series, Mothra series, etc), all the King Kong films, a few giant monster spin-offs made from all over the globe, not to mention the horrid 1998 American Godzilla and many other disaster movies, this one takes the cake. Gamera III outdoes them all with a solid, earthly story complete with humanity and heart. Also, the use of special effects is absolutely fabulous; they do not take over the film like the excessive CGI used in Hollywood. I must say that Gamera III has some of most exhilarating monster fights ever put to the screen.
Gamera III is a direct sequel to the first film in the trilogy, Guardian of the Universe. A girl lost her parents during Gamera's final battle with the last Gyaos, and garners a hatred for Gamera. She enounters a tentacle creature whom she names Iris, and it is eventually nurtured to become the monster who faces off with Gamera. What was striking about this movie was how surreal and poetic it was. The story flows brilliantly and sensibly, as the roles of human and monster come together so good. Gamera III is a movie all about personality, something that many monster movies lack. The human characters are wonderfully integrated in the story without their roles becoming too cheesy. Also, Gamera and Iris are enigmatic monsters with true character. They are not mindless, menacing beasts whose purpose is to execute showtime destruction.
Speaking of destruction, Gamera III's fight sequences are some of the best you'll ever see. The special effects are such a huge improvement over the first two Gamera films in the trilogy. They also shame anything attempted by any Godzilla movie of recent times, even Shusuke's own GMK. Adding to the special effects is the showing of the human side of the fights. The battle in Shibuya is one to mention. I was in awe of such a brilliantly staged battle, and also how the film showed the human suffering coinciding with the destruction. Most monster movies sacrifice too much of one side for the other. Gamera III does not.
And finally, one thing that carries this film (and the rest of the series) was the character of Gamera himself. How can the population care so much for such a destructive monster? Does he do good or bad to the people? What constitutes which? After watching Shusuke's Gamera trilogy, you realize how much more personality Gamera has than Godzilla.
Gamera III is such a special movie for its genre. Along with the first two films in the trilogy, it shows that the kaiju genre is here to stay. It ranks up with the best of Godzilla such as Godzilla vs. Destoroyah and GMK: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, perhaps even surpassing them. This is a true kaiju treasure.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Great Treasure of Kaiju Films, July 4, 2004
Before getting into this, a warning: It is absolutely necessary to see the first two Gamera movies in the new trilogy before seeing the third and (apparently) final one. Not to say that the third isn't enjoyable without them, but most of what's being discussed will not be understood.With that out of the way, I can safely say that Gamera 3 is the best kaiju film to date. The idea would seem ridiculous years ago, but today it is true: Gamera has triumphed over Godzilla. The only Godzilla movie to have neared this one in magnitude is GMK, and they share the same director. The story begins with sightings of the Gyaos, the giant monsters from the first movie, and their apparent eating habits. Cutting to an undersea research team, they've discovered an enormous sea bed littered with skeletons that resemble Gamera. Elsewhere, a teenage girl named Ayana broods hatred for Gamera, as he accidentally killed her family during the first Gyaos attack. She hates her life and wants revenge. When she goes on a dare from her schoolmates, she finds a strange egg, and a possible way to fulfill her desires. This installment is not as battle-heavy as the last two, but the amazing quality and execution of the battles more than makes up for it. Ayana's parents aren't the only people accidentally killed: During the first battle of the movie, Gamera's fireballs spray everyway, with the death toll being estimated between 15-20 thousand people. The movie is more centered on drama than fighting, though the kaiju are present constantly, both in appearance and mentioning. There are news reports of the Gyaos fighting Gamera all over the world and the new monster, Iris, is heavily involved with Ayana. The movie can be very talky at times, but it's not hard to understand if the previous films have been seen. Iris is a very interesting monster. Physically, it's supposed to be a modern rendition of a phoenix, except it's more squid than bird... and even then, it doesn't fit. It's a very alien creature. It's impact on the plot is also interesting. It forms a symbiotic relationship with Ayana, requiring her care to survive and grow, and then depending on her for a nerve fusion, where it could evolve into a stranger lifeform. The premise is almost a twist on the old monster-human relationship from the earlier Gamera movies. These Gamera movies succeed in something that Godzilla has yet to do: the human involvement in the movie works well. As it stands, this seems to be the last new Gamera movie (officially, that is), and there could be no more fitting of an end to the series. It has everything a kaiju fan could ask for and more. In fact, this is one of the very few in the genre that can actually ascend to the ranks of being a truly good film. I cannot reccomend it enough.
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