| Gamera 2: Advent of Legion
is the second installment in the acclaimed Gamera
trilogy, and it is quite an excellent entry indeed.
With few, if any, flaws, this movie boasts stunning
special effects, likeable characters, and an amazing
new villain!
A meteor falls from the sky and
lands south of Sapporo. A team of scientists,
accompanied by the Japanese Self-Defense Force,
is sent out to investigate the strange occurrence.
When they arrive, all that they find is a massive
hole in the ground, nothing more. Soon, strange
things begin to happen in Sapporo. Cables in the
subway begin to disappear, and it is learned that
human-sized creatures are running amok in the
underground network. Suddenly, huge plants also
begin to appear in the city. It is discovered
that the plants, which now resemble enormous flowers,
are creating abnormally high oxygen levels around
the area. While plans are being made to destroy
these anomalous organisms, an incoming unidentified
object is spotted on radar...
Gamera arrives in Sapporo and destroys
the plants with his plasma fireballs. The creatures
from the subway tunnels, however, surface and
begin to defend the plant pods. Scaling the height
of the titanic turtle, the horrific monsters begin
to bite and slash at Gamera. The heroic reptile
can only endure so much abuse before it takes
to the skies. The terrible devils are named "Legion"
after a passage in the Bible that describes a
group of demons of the aformentioned name: "And
he asked unto him, 'What is thy name?' And he
answered saying, 'My name is Legion, for I am
the one of the many.'"
Suddenly, a far more gargantuan
Legion rips through the ground and takes to the
sky. The JSDF sends in a squadron of F-15 fighter
jets to take down the monstrosity, but the assault
is futile. Legion escapes, and all that remains
is a huge wing.
Midori Honami and her friend Obitsu
begin to study the Legion, and it is discovered
that Legion communicates through microwaves. The
heavy electrical emissions that emanate from Sapporo
must have attracted the menace to the city.
Meanwhile, Gamera is summoned and
the giant turtle discovers Legion underground.
The immensely powerful monster defeats Gamera,
while the city evacuates. As Legion leaves, giant
turlte notices a pod in the city that is about
to launch seeds that could completely decimate
the city! Gamera just manages to intercept the
seed, and is knocked cold as Legion continues
to move toward Tokyo.
Asagi Kusanagi and a group of children
pray for Gamera's revival, and fire from nearby
torches flutters around the unconscious turtle.
Gamera absorbs the energy, recovers, and begins
to head for Tokyo to stop the mother Legion! When
the two monsters fight, Legion calls her swarm
to protect her. Luckily, Obitsu manages to attract
the awful creatures to a power plant, where jets
finish the repugnant gremlins off. Gamera continues
to battle Legion as the self-defense force readies
an attack. They launch missiles at Legion, and
though the demonic horror manages to deflect some,
the rest hit her head on and begin to rend her
limbs from her body. Gamera unleashes his plasma
fireballs at Legion, but she uses her shield,
which has become noticeably smaller. The herculean
turtle tears the horn from his enemy, and the
beast collapses to the ground. It seems as though
Gamera is victorious, until Legion's eye glows
a bright, fiery red. Legion regains her footing
and reveals her new ability: energy whips! The
attack is so strong that it can slice straight
through Gamera's resistant hide! All seems lost;
when suddenly, huge rings appear in the sky. Gamera
calls on the Earth's mana to help him, and his
chest opens to reveal an unbelievable energy blast.
The beam completely decimates Legion!
Gamera has won, and he turns to
the military. In moments, the guardian of the
universe takes to the skies and returns to the
sea.
The plot of Gamera 2: Advent
of Legion is excellent, from the meteor landing,
to the Legions' appearance; it all fits together
perfectly. Though the movie contains a lot of
action, the final battle between Gamera and Legion
really stands apart. It is very suspenseful, because
one wonders how the fight will actually end. It
seems as though Gamera has no chance of beating
Legion, but the heroic turtle pulls it off in
the end with an attack that is original and interesting.
The character development is a
plus as well. The characters aren't boring and
unoriginal like in some kaiju films. One good
example is Obitsu. He doesn't give up on anything,
and he won't let any obstacle hinder him. This
is clearly shown when Obitsu continues to call
the power plant to persuade them to activate the
power. Even though it appears hopeless, Obitsu's
resolve holds firm, and his request is finally
granted. The kind and caring Asagi also returns
in this movie, and her positive attributes carry
over as well.
The actors do a good job of portraying
their respective characters. They really enter
their roles in a way where they don't seem to
merely be actors, but actually real people in
real situations. Asagi's actor, Ayako Fujitani,
returns to the cast and portrays her character
with an even greater expertise than in this movie's
predecessor. Obitsu's actor, Mitsuru Fukikoshi,
also works expertly to make his character appear
very real and tangible.
Special effects-wise, this film
excels. The mana making its way towards Gamera
is a visually stunning and beautiful scene. When
Gamera uses the mana blast, it is absolutely amazing.
Legion's energy whips are also very well done.
The suits themselves are also an achievement on
their own accord. They look so realistic, that
from time to time, they make one wonder whether
or not they're actually CGI!
The music portion of this film
is executed nicely, as well. There are two themes
that really stand out, however. The main theme
is the first; it has a very nice tune and is very
pleasant on the ears. The music that accompanies
the military setting up is also an achievement.
It fits the scene perfectly and has that "military
march" quality to it that really makes it
stand out.
Overall, this movie is very well
made and a stellar installment in the Gamera series.
It has almost no flaws, and it is very fun to
watch. From the superb acting, to the stunning
effects, to the pleasant music, this really is
a movie that stands apart from similar kaiju films.
If you haven't seen this movie, it should definitely
be on your "to watch" list. It really
is brilliant!
|
(5/5)