Released on April 16, 1995 and on the 30th anniversary, Gamera: Guardian of the Universe returned to the big screen. Directed by Shusuke Kaneko and produced by Daiei Film, it is the ninth film of the Gamera franchise and serves as its reboot along with beginning of its Heisei era. It is written by Kazunori Ito, edited by Shizuo Arakawa, with cinematography done by Junichi Tozawa along with the score being done by Kow Otani.

After a strange discovery of giant bat like monsters called Gyaos threaten Japan itself, the mysterious Atlantis created kaiju known as Gamera awakens from his slumber to put a stop to these creatures. However, humanity lacks trust in Gamera and it's up to the bond it holds with a girl to stop the Gyaos before it creates another nest.

Warning: If you have not watched Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe and do not wish to be spoiled, I highly advise you to leave and go watch the film. If you do not care for spoilers, then do proceed.

Pros

Gamera

How can this guy not be a positive? He's the face of the franchise and the main monster! Despite his goofy appearance at first, he's actually a really cool monster! He's big, powerful, has unique abilities and, something not a lot of giant monsters have, he has humanity. Gamera is one of the most unique monsters out there thanks to the choice of him being a protector of earth and its people. Thanks to the strange beads found on his sleeping form, people are able to connect their life force to Gamera and bring him closer to people, to the point he actively protects people whenever he's fighting Gyaos. Because of that, it makes it so interesting to learn more about this bond. Gamera deserves to be a classic kaiju.

Gyaos

Along with Gamera's co-star, or rather co-stars, we have the Gyaos. Gyaos is one of the older Gamera villains from the Showa era and honestly, their reboot version is far superior. Deranged, bat like kaiju that grow with the amount of food they eat. Their ability to shoot a sonic beam from their mouths. And the fact that, most of the time, there's always more than one of them. Gyaos is also unique as being an all female species of monsters similar to Ridley Scott's Xenomorph. I can't complain much, Gyaos is a great monster and a perfect way introduce people into not only the Heisei but spark interest in the Showa era.

Effects

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

     If there's one thing that the Gamera Heisei films are known for, it's definitely the effects. The suit motion effects make the monsters so expressive, Gamera especially. As well as some cgi elements like Gamera's fire attack and Gyaos's sonic beam. What really works well are the practical effects, some good things come to mind like the destruction of the buildings and the entire effects that Gamera does such as when his limbs begin to shoot fire to begin flying.

Soundtrack

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

     A lot of people usually think about Godzilla for kaiju movie soundtracks, but Gamera is also great! I'm a big music nerd and it just fills me with joy to hear the instruments in orchestra's be given individuality yet also combine to make a unique harmony. Gamera has one of the most unique main themes out there, with each song being used to boost the effects of the scenes. Wether it be the boisterous loud action or low mysterious scenes.

The Gore

     One thing that I always found a little disappointing is the lack of gore in Godzilla films. Now it may sound childish, but the use of blood and gore can amplify the effects of the scene. Gamera uses these types of scenes wisely to show key moments and characteristics. Such as the Gyaos having zero hesitation to cannibalize each other if it meant for the individuals survival, or Gamera showing he isn't afraid to get the job done and kill the Gyaos then and there. Plus Gamera himself gets hurt a whole bunch, so he definitely brings a sense of urgency when he gets hurt.

Gamera's Backstory and Atlantis Mystery

     A very interesting aspect of the Gamera franchise is his backstory. You see, he and the Gyaos were actually made by the advanced civilization known as Atlantis. They tried to play God in the Gyaos, but their creations turned on them and thus led to Gamera being created in order to stop them and defend the world. It's definitely unique from something like Godzilla, where he was made by man's mistake but Gamera was made to fix man's mistake.

Cons

Some effects are iffy

      While I did say that most effects in this movie are good, there are some noticeable scenes where you can tell some aren't so great. Now I know, suit motion movies haven't always been the best with making monsters realistic, but it's kinda an eyesore when you see the slow wing flapping of Gyaos and the really iffy Gamera flying scenes.

Basic story

      While the uniqueness of the movie hold it up, the story itself is super basic. It isn't a terrible con, heck some movies work best with its simple premise, but it falls under the curse of the "origin" story for characters. Plus most of the characters aren't really super fleshed out.

Final battle is okay

      For such a built up conflict between Gamera and the last surviving Gyaos, there were some good parts of the fight but also some flaws. Once again the iffy effects harshly contrast with the Gamera and Gyaos flying scenes. There was one scene that really made me ask "why" and it's the part where Gamera and Gyaos get into close combat. Why would Gyaos, a monster best suited for the air, actively decide to get into a fist fight with Gamera. Plus in this scene you can clearly tell Gyaos is just an awkward suit with no good arm movement. However the scene where Gamera tries to turn himself and Gyaos into a meteor was really cool, even though it ended in it backfiring. Lol

     And thus ends the review. I'd say this was a really good start for the Gamera Heisei trilogy. While there were flaws, there weren't enough to detract the enjoyment you could get from this film. Plus it's a good starting point for any fan who wants to get into Gamera without watching six previous and goofy movies first.

This film gets an 8/10