by Gwangi » Thu Jul 25, 2013 1:22 pm
Just got the Blu-ray package not too long ago, and finally had a chance to see this yesterday.
This is probably the best produced Gamera movie of them all. First rate special effects and the Legion (when they are little critters) are indeed a step up over the Destroyers. The big Legion itself is a much more inspired creation than just about any monster seen in the Godzilla Heisei series (Biollante being that one exception). In just two films alone, Shinji Higuchi managed to outdo his mentor Kôichi Kawakita.
Now, while this movie is probably the best made, it is not necessarily as fun to watch as the first movie (I’m just a big fan of Gyaos), nor is it as fun to watch as some of the better Showa Gamera films. The one sticking point I had is having both Ayako Fujitani and especially Yukijirô Hotaru returning almost by coincidence. With Hotaru, it almost seemed forced (in the third movie, it was much more natural). Still, this was a well made, enjoyable monster movie.