GAMERA THE BRAVE (2006)
The 1990s trilogy concluded with the idea that Gamera would continue to fight on against his usual enemies. However, after distribution of part three went to Toho, the Godzilla owners, Daiei dissolved and became part of Kadokawa Studios. Seven years passed and they oversaw a series reboot much like the Godzilla films. Which could have been fruitful; the series might have benefited from looser continuity a new ideas. Unfortunately, this is Gamera's last big screen appearance and the only movie from this new era thanks to its commercial failure. Is it a disaster or is this just because it wasn't the anticipated part four?
To underline this change of continuity the story begins with a flashback to 1973 in which Gamera self-destructs to end the threat from recurring adversary Gyaos. This isn't a reference to an earlier story since there were of course no films in the series at that point; the monster was on another long hiatus. But unlike Revenge of Iris the flashback doesn't serve a narrative purpose and this poses a problem. The idea of a fresh start is fine in theory, but it needs to drive the story in a meaningful way. Instead the plot is mainly focused on a new generation of naive kids who want to see a monster win in a battle.
As a boy Kosuke (Kanji Tsuda) saw the final showdown between the behemoths above his coastal hometown. Did he experience anything all those years ago to lend him any connection to a new Gamera? Did he face any kind of tragedy or was it a time he's now nostalgic for? For whatever reason these ideas are never explored and instead the narrative is about his son Toru (Ryo Tomioka) aka 'Toto'. In the present day they're both facing a current loss; wife and mother Miyuke (Megumi Kobayashi). Did she have any special link to the 1970s? Again the answer is no; it's just another dead wife trope.
This might sound overly critical but the first half of the film is still fairly compelling. Mai (Kaho Indo) as Toru's friend and nosy neighbour has her own problems in the form of an upcoming operation. There's a sense that any chance of wonder and an escape from trauma will be eagerly taken by the children. So of course Toru soon spies a mystical red orb glowing on a nearby island which takes him to a magic turtle egg. It's a strangely cosy turn of events and the seaside location and the young actors lend it all plenty of charm. There's basically no giant monster action for forty-five minutes but it's got plenty of heart.
Of course the egg hatches and Gamera, also nick-named 'Toto', begins to grow from a tiny size to a six-foot mystery. This medium-sized version of the monster looks very good owing to the way it's been designed to resemble the live turtle (or in fact tortoise) used early on. Of course this leads to various flying and fire-breathing scenes, mostly for slapstick reasons. The big fellow is back to being 'a friend of all children' more than ever at this stage. But why has Gamera hatched now and what has all this to do with at the loss of various ships in the news? Has the 'Giant Monster Council' been disbanded too soon?
The arrival of Zedus, a fairly generic looking giant lizard, will shock no-one. Even if his taste for human flesh is surprisingly dark. Unfortunately the effects in this second act reveal are less convincing. Some of the digital compositing isn't ideal and Zedus looks too wobbly with lots of frills and feathery spines. They give this antagonist no backstory and the design is uninspired which doesn't help. Is the creature an unstoppable freak of nature or an ancient being like those in the past? Nobody says, and in fact the usual JSDF vehicles don't even show up to test its mettle.
Instead the story moves along to another city levelling scenario in which various children must reach Gamera to delivery the red orb. Fantasy moments in a monster movie are one thing, but amidst so much death and destruction they just look foolish. It's always fun to see Gamera as the underdog but it's just a bit too unconvincing this time. If Toru and Kosuke both had some connection to these events, through which they could bond, it might work. Instead the boy is just berated (for good reason) for running into danger, until the plot needs to move on.
The finale is fun and the miniature effects improve as things continue. But in terms of joining up all the pieces, the fear of death, the parental issues, the idea of overcoming grief... it's not enough. It tells a simple story and there are a lot of endearing moments, and still there's something missing. Even a government plan to use red orb energy to power up Gamera (and presumably use the monster for ulterior motives) is strangely undercooked. It doesn't deserve to be seen as a failure, and it would have been nice to see a whole series of unconnected tales like this, but could have been more than the sum of these parts.
3/5
