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Gamera 2 - Attack of Legion | Year: 1996 Directed: - Shusuke Kaneko Good but NOT the Best Kaiju It's about time ADV got around to releasing Shusuke Kaneko's trilogy of Gamera films. If you want an above-average giant monster fest, by all means check out Gamera 2. Like all other films in this genre including Godzilla, the insistence on using rubber suits and model miniatures limits the believability and increases the campiness. But if you want to experience the pinnacle of kaiju, you have to wait for Gamera 3, Revenge of Iris. It is, by far, the best giant monster movie made. The best monster series ever. If you think this is the best, wait for Gamera3, that movie has some of the best cg I've ever seen in this type of movie, with a compelling story too. It's terrific that Gamera2 is finally coming out in America, I knew there was a reason I didn't buy the bootleg on ebay. The great thing about Gamera (besides the excellent effects) is that it's a monster movie that you can take seriously, it doesn't go for the cheap and cheesy thrills like most of the Godzilla films, but wraps up the impressive action in a compelling story. This is definitely one of the most fun movies I've seen, and thank god it comes with a Japanese language track on the dvd. Legion of Quality Gamera: Guardian of the Universe vastly improved upon the poorness of the old Gamera films. This second film in the new series continues to do that. Shusuke Kaneko continues his work, taking place two years later, with the decision to return to the alien-invasion roots of the older 60's and 70's films. It might be considered a gutsy move, but it pays off. This film is much less disjointed than the beginning of the first one. It begins with an American weather station noting some unusual activity that they label a freak meteor shower. On the night of the shower, one large meteor creates a trail through the trees and disappears. It's tracks appear to be slowing down. Soon after, various incidents are reported with transmissions problems and sightings of strange creatures, including an attack on a subway car, that culminates in a giant flower-pod emerging in a tall building. The oxygen in the area becomes dangerously flammable, giving the army little ability to stop the strange invasion until Gamera appears to combat the flower, as well as the invaders known as Legion. There's a lot of science and figuring when it comes to the aliens in this film. While it's very easy for that to become boring, it's very interesting the first couple times through. The aliens are insect-like by nature, and there are both small ones, and a big one, for Gamera and the army to deal with. Of the trilogy, this is the only one where the plot isn't disjointed at the beginning, and it's also the only one where Gamera and the Japanese military are not disjointed. They actually work together here against a common threat from outside Earth. The special effects improve upon the previous film. While the full-CG Gamera looks very bad most of the time, it's not used often, and CG is used mostly as an assisting tool, like it should be. The suits look excellent, and they managed to find a way for Gamera's "jet" flying to look better by giving him gliders on his arms that morph away when he no longer needs them. The battles are exciting, with a combination of flashy fights and suit brawls. As with the first movie's DVD, this one comes loaded with extras. Featurettes, documentaries, etc, and of course, the Japanese language track. The movie is somewhat less emotional than it's predecessor (or it's follower), but it's still an entertaining movie, a great middle-path in the new Gamera trilogy, and an excellent kaiju film overall. Buy Gamera 2 Attack Of Legion at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Gamera 2 Attack Of Legion Search with the Priority Search Engine on Gamera 2 Attack Of Legion This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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