The_Phantom_Projectionist After spectacularly reviving the GAMERA franchise and following it up with one of the best kaiju sequels ever made, director Shusuke Kaneko and Daei Studios were on a roll and certainly had both the tools and the momentum to create a fitting end to their trilogy. However, they also had a heck of lot to live up to. REVENGE OF IRIS is a very unique monster feature and definitely still within the territory of the best GAMERA flicks ever made, but it's also a small step down from the well-rounded masterpiece that came directly before it. It's worthy of a buy, but it makes a few decisions that lessen its appeal to me.The story: Japan turns against Gamera when his battle with the Gyaos devastates a city. At the same time, an angry young woman (Ai Maeda) raises a monster of her own to reap vengeance on Gamera.My biggest complaint is that Gamera himself has relatively little screen time, with his scenes relegated to the first and last half-hours of the film. However, this disappointment is softened by the prolonged presence of his enemy, Iris. From a dramatic perspective, I'd argue that Iris is the single best kaiju villain ever created. For a character who doesn't speak, he is perfectly written, with his relationship with Maeda's character being particularly well-conceived. It makes for a unique take on the human-monster bond that other movies of this sort have broached and absolutely hits it home, with one of the most dramatic climaxes I've seen in films like this. The only downside? – about half of all shots featuring him are computer-generated, which more or less demolishes the aesthetic balance established in the previous movie.Then again, I can't be too critical of the CGI. Its quality is excellent for something produced outside of America in the late 90s, and it occasionally makes for some impacting visuals; virtually all of the above-cloud battle counts. It also helps set a surprisingly sinister tone. Great lengths appear to have been taken to make REVENGE OF IRIS the darkest and bloodiest of the trilogy. Gamera, for one thing, has been given a revamped design and looks particularly fearsome. His initial CG-enhanced battle and its effect on the city is nothing short of apocalyptic – completely justifying the nation's turn against the monster and making for a scene we had never before seen in his features.Even outside of the monster battles, the production scenes are surprisingly high. And while the film suffers from a cast way too large for its own good, the dramatic performances are roundly good. I am delighted to see Ayako Fujitani's role return to prominence, though the aforementioned Ai Maeda is the one who really steals the show.Daiei Studios would not produce any films after this one, which is a major disappointment for a company as storied as it, but the fact that its last effort was such a good one counts for something. Gamera ends this particular stage of his existence victoriously, because REVENGE OF IRIS – as well as its two predecessors – is a triumph. Again, it's not without its faults, but it leaves an impression that I believe all kaiju films you watch subsequently will be judged by.

jephtha "Gamera 3: Incomplete Struggle", is the best entry in the trilogy and often praised, by those who bother with giant monster movies, as one of the best, or even the best, of its genre. While I would not take it that far, I do agree that this is the strongest Gamera film to date, granting this trilogy the rare distinction of improving with each installment.The biggest storytelling triumph is the sense of consequences. Unlike the vast majority of the genre, Kaneko's movies acknowledge the long term effects that the activities of giant monsters have on humanity, and "Gamera 3" may represent the best effort in this respect. From the story of Ayana to the various news reports, we are given insight into the growing (and not unreasonable) disapproval of the eponymous monster. In a similar vein to "Gamera: Guardian of the Universe", which cleverly addressed the unusual features of the monsters, time is taken shed new light on previous events, such as how Gamera pulled off that crazy plasma attack in the second movie. The whole thing has such a sense of follow-up concerning the first that it makes me wonder concerning its place.George Lucas once said that the advantage to a trilogy is that each part has its purpose. The first introduces everything, the second puts in the heroes in a black hole and the third brings them out of it. "Gamera 3" definitely has a sense of placing its heroes in a tough spot, as it is pervaded by an escalating crisis. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem appropriate for a conclusion, especially because everything ends on, essentially, a cliffhanger. It would have worked much better as a middle chapter. Sure, there's a silver lining in the military diverting its efforts to combating the hordes of Gyaos, but overall it would have been more satisfying to see this conflict play out, perhaps in a grim future where humanity ultimately finds its direction again.Several plot points lack either significant follow through or sufficient explanation. The introduction of the monster Irys, as well as the discovery of the graveyard under the ocean, brought the opportunity to expand upon the origins of Gamera and the Gyaos, but all we get are outlandish speculation from one very unsettling character. You'd think that the discovery of a Gamera graveyard would spur more discussion amongst these people. Frankly, there were many moments in the film when I felt pressed to wonder what certain details meant or questioned their prominence. After the characters comment on the returning Gyaos for the 20th time with minimal shown incidents or counterattacks, the sense of crisis can grow trite. Again, this would have served better as build-up…if there was anything to build-up to.The characters themselves are not terribly successful. Despite some reappearing from earlier films, much of the cast really has no bearing on the story, while others fail to leave much of an impression. Even Ayana's interactions with Irys lack conviction because they are rushed and lack true foundation; the time she spends "raising" him is too short. Nagamine is the most engaging lead. True, she is more of a guide for the audience than an intriguing individual, but she also retains an endearing quality, which can go a long way. Her warm conversation with Osako is an especially good example of this. Asagi, despite her magnetic presence on screen, is criminally underused, contributing little more than clarification for some confusing plot points. It's remarkable that after 3 films, little real effort was made to delve further into her personality and connection with Gamera, which would have been far more interesting than Ayana's mostly flaccid tale of vengeance. The monsters themselves, unusually, are better handled. Though the reasoning behind his newfound destructive tendencies is lackadaisical, Gamera ultimately strikes the right balance between menace and nobility and gives us a guardian we can root for. Irys definitely carries a malicious presence, bolstered by a wholly original design and one of the most interesting methods of flight I have seen. The fantastically surreal, creepy scene of Ayana within his gut finely conveys the torturous nature of the bond between the two.Where Gamera 3 really shines is its special effects, which are rightfully considered a gold standard within this genre. The use of CGI, while no more convincing than half of what is seen today, is properly used when necessary. In fact, it is noteworthy that giant monster movies, cheesy as they may be, consistently make appropriate use of CGI to enhance action scenes instead of create them, which big budget blockbusters rarely get right. The two action sequences are easily the highlights, providing some of the most impressive images of destruction the genre has to offer, particularly from the explosions of Gamera's plasma blasts. The final fight can seem sluggish compared to most monster brawls, with minimal movement from the combatants and excessive movement for the camera, but the indoor setting and some rather innovative shots that emphasize the monsters' size by showing things from the point of view of the humans help make up for that. Two moments in particular that I have never forgotten are when Gamera and Irys crash through the train station and the fiery transition between Gamera, Irys and Ayana before the fight. The climax may be construed as the only true accomplishment of "Gamera 3", as it contains virtually everything that makes the film stand out within the kaiju genre.I recommend this movie, given that some of the more traditional movie-making techniques it contains allow it to appeal even to those who are not fans of this genre. While it suffers from some unevenness in its storyline and needs more clarity and less bizarre moments, it still deserves to be applauded and even emulated because it serves as a testament that great results can come from a balance in traditional and modern special effects.

Ashraf Gamera 3 is simply put, the best Gamera, and possibly the best Daikaiju eiga, ever. It finally puts to rest the cheesy, campy, child-friendliness of the Showa series. This movie has everything the early Daikaiju eiga (specifically Gamera) didn't have, development of characters, depth, and emotion of the monsters, and bloody awesome special effects! Although I haven't seen Gamera: Guardian of the Universe, I know enough about it to go along with the plot.The movie starts out with Miss Nagamine, yes from G1, finding a dead Gyaos who has eaten a child and another person. After that some scientists find a graveyard of Gameras, where that went, God knows. Then they show some clips from G1, along with some newly filmed footage of a guy, a gal, and a cat getting killed, accidentally, mind you, by Gamera. this is all told n a dream by a girl named Ayana, of Hirosaka, they kept mixing it up, I couldn't tell. Anyway, she hates Gamera and wants some revenge, so she is constantly surly throughout the whole movie, God, why won't she just SMILE!. So she is bring bullied by some girls at her school, they tell her to go get a rock from some cave with a Ryushedo, guardian of the South. She goes to her adoptive brother, and he days something about some Chinese legend, why does he care about the Chinese? He tells her that if you can convince Ryushedo, Irys, that Gamera is the enemy, it will destroy him. Her "friend"'s grandmother says none should touch the stone, so, naturally, she does, an egg comes and thus, Irys is hatched. Moribe, the "friend", has a dagger his Grandmother gave him, he is supposed to kill Irys, should it ever hatch, but he has to kill when it's Small, he dosen't. Idiot. So Irys bonds with Ayana, and she is nurturing it to take revenge on Gamera. Gamera, meanwhile, is off killing Gyaos in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, killing 15-20,000 people, so the Defense Force declares Gamera a threat and orders him destroyed, bad idea. Irys now fuses with Ayana and becomes big. He kills a few people, Moribe then cuts Ayana from Irys, Irys gets angry, and kills half a village. He then gets very big. And very mean. The JSDF tries , in vain, to destroy Irys, but it wiped out a whole platoon, and flies towards Kyoto, where Ayana is. Why is Ayana in Kyoto? Because two boffy government agents have stolen her, Kurata Shinya, and Miss Asakura something or other, they kidnap her, and want to do something. I don't know what exactly. So Irys fights with Gamera in the air, but the JSDF shoot Gamera down, another bad idea. Irys lands in Kyoto, Kurata says one pf the best lines in the movie, and Gamera comes, let the bloodshed begin. Gamea and Irys engage in a rather bloody fight, and Gamera is left for dead. Irys now needs to complete the bonding, so it absorbs Ayana. Ayana now sees that her hatred for Gamera drove Irys to think of him as the enemy, so she doesn't want to bond with Irys, so Gamera rips her free of Irys, much to its dismay. So Irys stabs, and pins, Gamera's hand to the wall of the train station, then begins sucking the life force from Gamera. Seeing that he said losing his life force, he blasts off his arm, and the Irys fires a few fireballs at him, which he moulds into a sort of fist shape, ah, you thought they forgot about is fire controlling ability, did you? Well, ha they didn't! Anyway, Gamera plunges the fire fist into Irys, decimating it. Now he gives Ayana to Nagamine and Asagi, who try to revive her, but fail miserably. Gamera then roars and revives her. The JSDF now receive word of "lots"of Gyaos descending on Japan, and Gamera, with only one hand, goes out to challenge them. The movie ends with Gamera roaring a challenge to the sky amidst the flaming ruins of the Kyoto train station.This is a radical diversion from early Gamera. Its dark, funny, and satisfying film. The acting was excellent, the directing was excellent, the script was excellent, everything was excellent. The way Mr. Kaneko beautifully transferred from suitmation to CGI, and the CGI was incredible, enough to rival even the big budget Hollywood. The Fight in the air was also really good, the way Gamera appeared from the F-15 pilot's point of view. And Irys was one of the best evil Daikiju ever. However, I can sympathize with Irys, because the only reason he went after Gamer was because Ayana told him to. My final critique, see it. You will love it.

r-c-s well, this is a well crafted monster movie, which mixes easily and seamlessly enough SFX, CGI and traditional men in suit & miniatures in perfect 1990's style. There are many ideas coming back & forth with TOHO movies. There is the idea of a stone keeping some mysterious monster from hatching, as in monsters all out attack from Toho & a chapter of the latest Mosura trilogy. There is an underdeveloped subplot about reading ancient legends talking about guardian monsters ( all out attack from Toho again ). There is some girl with telepathic ability ( again another popular character in a few recent Godzilla movies ). This time tables turn and Gamera must face the resentment of a girl whose family he accidentally murdered while battling the gyayos. Such girl will remove the seal-stone & allow some mysterious monster to hatch, which she will fusion with later (lots of alien-styled scenes of her into the monster's mucous egg-cave ). The new monster is some sort of Gyayos with tentacles ( a cross-breed with legion? ) and instead of eating people, he reduces them to dried up mummies (another plot seen many times from Star Trek onwards, EG sucking life energy from living creatures etc ). So Gamera must fight him ( in symbiosis with the girl ) while he's alone this time. Cameo for the girl who used to fusion with him on an emotional level. There is another unexplored subplot about many gyayos birds wreacking havoc all around the world. A further subplots involves a graveyard of dead gameras somewhere in the deep sea...said to be beta versions of the last Gamera, but it ends there. All in all an enjoyable movie, though plagued by too many clichés and deja vus from other movies. SFX are very good and the plot (however not the most original ) flows uninterrupted by unneeded character development (many cameos of traditional recent Gamera movies' characters ).