Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)

A hibernating species of giant carnivorous birds is awakened on a Japanese island shortly after the military encounters an unidentified mass moving beneath the water off-shore.

Director:

Shûsuke Kaneko

Writers:

Kazunori Itô, James Shanks

Stars:

Tsuyoshi Ihara, Akira Onodera, Shinobu Nakayama

6 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tsuyoshi Ihara	...	Yoshinari Yonemori
Akira Onodera	...	Naoya Kusangi
Shinobu Nakayama	...	Mayumi Nagamine
Ayako Fujitani	...	Asagi Kusanagi
Yukijirô Hotaru	...	Insp. Osako
Hatsunori Hasegawa	...	Col. Satake
Hirotarô Honda	...	Mr. Saito
Akira Kubo	...	Captain of the Kairyumaru
Kôjirô Hongô	...	Captain of the Nojima
Takashi Matsuo	...	Taxi driver
Yoshihiko Hakamada	...	Michiya
Tomiko Ishii	...	Female Grocery store Owner
Jun Fubuki	...	Housewife with her son in Grocery store
Yuka Sakano	...	Yukino - Asagi's Friend in Aquarium
Sarina Kô	...	Female Newsrepoter on Himegami Island

Storyline

The giant flying turtle is back for this 1995 Japanese feature where once again Gamera's intentions are misinterpreted by the military. All Gamera wants to do is take on his old enemy, Gyaos, the giant prehistoric bird who has nested atop Tokyo Tower.

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Plot Keywords:

environmental issues | giant bird | carnivorous bird | giant turtle | japan | 

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Taglines:

A great supersonic duel. Super Genetic Beast Gyaos attacks!! Battle, Guardian Deity Gamera: for the sake of the childrens' futures.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's Japanese poster is a nearly identical recreation of the Japanese poster of the first film in which Gamera fought Gyaos, Gamera vs. Gyaos (1967).

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Goofs

The runes on the stone are not from the Pyrenees or Etruria, but are just normal unchanged runes from the Elder Futhark which were used in Scandinavia before and during the Viking age.

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Quotes

Insp. Osako: Doctor, let's come back tomorrow.
Mayumi Nagamine: This creature might be nocturnal.
Insp. Osako: That's an even better reason! Suppose it were to attack us?
Mayumi Nagamine: [Gyaos flies overhead and she starts to follow] It's getting away!
Insp. Osako: We're not equipped for this, and it's out of our jurisdiction!
Mayumi Nagamine: It's looking for food!
Insp. Osako: For food? That'll be us if we're not careful!
Mayumi Nagamine: If it can't find prey here, it'll attack Japan!

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Alternate Versions

The UK version replaces some pieces of the film's original score in favor of heavy metal tunes.

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Connections

References Mothra (1961)

User Reviews

Gamera gives a good first performance

Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe is a pretty good movie, I would have to say just about on par with the Godzilla films from the Hesai series. It has more plot than most kaiju flicks, and has pretty good suits. If you view it as what it is (namely, the first in a trilogy) then it is a pretty good first part. It develops the theme that will continue with the next two instalments, and does a good job of convaying the many plot twists and new developments. While both of it's sequals surpass it in almost every way, this is still a very good movie. Another plus is that it is the only one of the trilogy that has aired on TV, albeit in a cropped and dubbed version.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

16 April 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe

Filming Locations:

Tokyo, Japan

Box Office

Budget:

JPY5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Daiei Studios, Hakuhodo, NTV Network

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1