An undervalued middle school classic.Īrrow appears to port the same master used by Media Blasters in a now out-of-print, stand-alone Blu-ray release. The whole movie carries this balance, situated flawlessly between new and old, becoming a Gamera movie step stool for kids too old for say, Gamera vs Guiron, but too young for Gamera 3. Gamera comes up against an agile monster Zedus, an unexplained lizard/dragon/serpent beast, a worthy foe, revealing a carefully expressed sinister-but-safe look. If anything, it’s worth celebrating how careful and mature this is, providing both action and violence alongside emotion. Importantly, Gamera the Brave is still sincere kaiju cinema the gentleness isn’t cause for derision. Gamera the Brave brings the same ideology, but with honest subtlety rather than Saturday morning, brain-eating aliens. Original series director Noriaki Yuasa fanned these themes, staging stories where adults reject or ignore their young ones. Toru defies his father Kousuke (Kanji Tsuda), leading to an abusive slap before Kousuke relents, realizing it’s best to instill confidence in his son. Initially, there’s no trust between father and son. Toru and friends sync up to overcome their fears, making the rescue. When grown, Gamera is snared by a lousy government official.

As a hatchling, Gamera – nicknamed Toto – provides Toru with entertainment, friendly antics, and companionship. The idea stems from a smart consideration of this character, who instead of letting little ones fly on his shell, gives them tools to find themselves or their courage. Rather than directly save kids though, he (indirectly) emotionally heals them. He looks the part too, Gamera himself just a child with rounded eyes, soft features, and mild disposition. It’s gut-wrenching, a child distant from his now single father, often alone, and because of various pressures, unable to mourn.Īs per classic Gamera lore, this is a friend to all children. “My mother is a box of ashes in the ground,” he says. Asked to honor his recently deceased mother, Toru rejects the thought of heaven. In the first modern day scene, Toru (Ryo Tomioka) stands behind his father at a small cemetery. This giant turtle movie deals in grief and belief, weaving through a small, vintage-like coastal town. It’s an honest, mellow, and pure giant monster movie, made for a child’s sensibilities, but willing to dramatically engage them. Gamera the Brave was that vision, just a decade later. When Daiei first considered bringing Gamera back in the early ‘90s, the studio wanted a gentle, kid-friendly movie, conducive to the original Showa series.

Gamera the brave