Aaron1375 Finally had the chance to watch this movie as they had a great deal at Amazon for all three of the Gamera films of the 90's on Blu Ray for a very low price. I had always heard these three particular films rivaled the Godzilla films of the 90's and I have to say after watching this one I have to say this one was very good. It helped that it was not simply an origin story where Gamera tore through the city as scientist devised the Z plan and a kid named Kenny endangers his own lives and others. Instead this film pits Gamera against a familiar foe from the old series Gyaos, who incidentally was in my favorite Gamera movie of the early days as this foe was kind of cool then and is still cool now. What we have in the way of story there is a mysterious moving atoll in the Pacific, while on a secluded island and new form of giant bird is believed to be discovered. Well these giant birds are quite hungry and feast on the flesh of people or anything else they can swoop down and capture. They are large at first, but when Gamera surfaces he is deemed the threat as the bird monsters are dwarfed by this immense giant turtle. However, some think that the bird creature dubbed Gyaos are the real threat and that Gamera, the turtle, is trying to help as it hunts down the Gyaos creatures. Soon one of these bird like creatures grows to a size to rival Gamera and there is a very nice concluding fight. The visuals were pretty good, some have said the are better than most Godzilla films of the same era, I say they are on par in this one. I think they are at their best in the third and final act of this trilogy. I have the other two films and if this one is any indication it should end up being a very fine set of Japanese monster films.

kevinxirau Like Godzilla, Gamera has had quite a history. Considered Godzilla's younger brother and rival, the giant turtle started off as an antagonist to humanity only to save them from other giant monsters. The series progressed from being serious to being annoyingly stupid and kid-friendly, eventually ending in the 70s. Then, in 1995, just as Godzilla meets his end, Daiei Co. (which created Gamera) had their star turtle carry the torch in an exciting reboot. The result was the 1990s trilogy.Plot: Reports were coming in as a trio of large, bird-like reptiles called Gyaos are going around eating people. Gyaos are super weapons created by a civilization long forgotten (presumed to be Atlantis). Luckily, that same civilization created Gamera to destroy Gyaos and protect humanity, but with the military believing Gamera to be the larger threat, its up to a few scientists and a teenage girl (Ayako Fujitani, daughter of Steven Seagal!), who shares a link with the giant turtle, to help the Guardian of the Universe save the day.This movie truly stands on its own with a good story, decent cast, cool special effects, and awesome action scenes. Its nice to see Gamera finally have a serious and dark role. Thankfully, there's no annoying kids ruining the show. Instead, we get teen girl Asagi to share a bond with the monster, which helps appeal to a broader audience. The Gyaos have a menacing atmosphere to them, especially when they go hunting humans, while Gamera embodies a sense of power and nobility. Some Gamera movies have the tendency to torture the poor green guy, but here, thankfully, he delivers plenty of punishment back. Now that's turtle power!Definitely recommended that you watch this movie and enjoy.

lastliberal It's nice to take a break from Godzilla and still have the same formula, except that the hero is a Terrapin.We don't get too far away as the director, Shusuke Kaneko, is a Godzilla (Godzilla,Mothra and King Ghidorah) writer and director, too, as well as director of two more Gamera movies.One of the main characters, Shinobu Nakayama, was also featured in Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla, or Godzilla and the Transformers as I like to call it.The special affects were fantastic, and the military blows it again by fighting the wrong monster as Gamera is a friend.The evil monsters, no not Florida State, but the Gyaos, huge birds, are defeated. of course. and Gamera can safely go back to the sea until Gamera 2.

Newski_the_Hippie If I had to chose one Japanese monster movie, it would be Gamera Guardian of the Universe. The original Gamera films were intended for a child audience. While not a children's film, this is a fun film for all audiences.A young girl forms a psychic Bond with a monster. Other monsters attack. The good monster beats the living hell out of the bad monsters. Pretty simple. What is so good about this film is, of course, the fact that is is so well balanced when it comes to human suspense and monster action. Most Japanese monster films have this tendency to sacrifice one for the other. This one doesn't, and all action sequences are top notch. Gamera fighting Gyaos in a Stadium, or saving some kids on a Bridge, its the type of movie that will have you cheering.This, the first in the Gamera Trilogy, has some minor enviromental undercurrents. This is welcome, because we all know how sometimes films like to get preachy. This enviromental theme is apparent in the entire trilogy, but is always on a subdued level where it does get to you, instead of annoying you.