The movie begins in 1973 when Gamera dies fighting a group of his arch nemesis Gyaos. In the present day Toru, a young boy, is dealing with the death of his mother a year before. The boy notices an odd red light on an island in the harbour. Swimming over to investigate Toru finds a glowing red stone and an egg from which hatches a tiny turtle. Toru names the turtle Toto, then takes it home as a pet. He is forced to hide Toto as his father won’t allow a pet. To Toru’s amazement Toto begins it grow rapidly and in a few days is almost as big as Toru himself. More amazing is the fact that Toto can fly. Meanwhile there are reports of missing ships in the sea. No one is sure what’s going on. Whats going on is a giant monster (Zedus) from under the sea has begun to develop a taste for human flesh and he soon comes ashore where there are plenty of people to feed upon. Will Toto be able to grow fast enough to save his friend Toru?
At it’s heart this is a kids film and completely different from the trilogy of Gamera movies that came out in the 90’s where it was more of a serious and darker tone. I still like this kaiju flick though. Very surprised at the liberal amount of blood – human and monster considering that the target audience was specifically kids. The movie also serves as a nice introduction to those that might not have seen or heard about Gamera before – chronicling his past very briefly and also his rebirth. The story might drag a little bit and you’re just waiting until a monster comes and start smashing things up. The action short though it is – is definitely worth waiting for. The special effects are superb especially for the monster Zedus who’s like a huge lizard with spikes all over his body.
With Godzilla now officially in semi-retirement, it’s been left for Gamera to pick up the baton for kaiju movies. Unfortunately Gamera The Brave bombed big style in Japan but I’m still hoping that new movies will be made in the future. I’m sure hardcore kaiju fans were left sorely disappointed by this effort – minimal fight sequences between the creatures and a storyline involving too many children. But hopefully with Gamera now a fully fledged adult the studios can produce something a bit more dark again. My dream would be to see Godzilla take on Gamera but it’s unlikely that scenario will ever happen. Those that were expecting something like the 90’s Gamera movie trilogy will be left wanting.
Sadako’s Rating: 3 out of 5
Sadako's Movie Shack 