Gamera : Gardien de l'univers

The film brings nothing new, revelatory, different than what Godzilla, or Rodan, or Varan have done 22 times before in their spin-offs. But complaining about it’s as useless as complaining that 90% of all Shaw-Brothers fights are also one-note. You have to take it as it is, as its own unique subgenre that has its own rules and deviating from them is not desirable in conservative Japan. In a cursory comparison I have to say that it has much worse effects than its contemporary Godzilla, the budget was probably lower, you can see that Gamera doesn't have such a big name as an overgrown lizard after all. Writing about the plot is pointless, it's like discussing a soap opera. In the end, the door is clearly open for two more sequels, with the same filmmaking team. (09/05/2017)

Sure, it's still sometimes quite straightforward when it comes to the special effects and the simplest possible method is chosen, but all the scenes here are new. And let's face it, that's quite an improvement in the series. It's not a groundbreaking film, but it tries to deliver exactly what the viewer expects within the genre. Monsters are here, battles too, and on top of that, explosions are added, so for me, it's definitely a nice progression within the series. (07/02/2016)