Gamera was originally created as a rip-off of Godzilla by Toho’s rival Daiei, but over time the giant space turtle morphed from rampaging monster to benevolent defender of humanity and friend of children. The classic series lasted seven films, and was rebooted for three more in the 90s. Gamera the Brave is a second reboot, casting Gamera as a tiny baby turtle that hatches from an egg left by its predecessor and quickly becomes very, very big. Toru, a boy whose mother has recently died and who is struggling to connect with his father and friends, discovers this egg and raises Gamera Mark II as “Toto,” a delightful flying pet turtle that has a few surprises up it’s shell.
An incredibly cliche children’s animal film plot unfolds: boy and pet bond, boy learns lessons about life from pet, pet is endangered, boy must convince father to risk all to help save pet. Blah. Regardless, beautiful cinematography and effects, solid editing and pacing and a true emotional core elevate this film above its somewhat stale plot, and make it one of the best Kaiju films I’ve seen.
Clearly for children, I was surprised by the violence in this film. People are devoured off-camera, monsters are stabbed repeatedly, and green and purple blood sprays everywhere. From what I’ve read of Japanese culture, this kind of violence is considered acceptable for children’s entertainment, and I think deep down it plays to kids of any culture. What child doesn’t try to mime the affect of gun shot wounds while playing war, or tuck his arms in his shirt so he can claim they’ve been cut off, or pretend to be a dinosaur eating its pray? The violence here isn’t sadistic or intense, it’s just graphic in a childish sort of way.
Loving the somewhat raw aesthetic of classic Kaiju, I was wary of delving into its modern equivalent, but Gamera the Brave sidesteps everything I feared. Computer graphics play a part, but practical effects always take precedent. Gamera is even played by a real turtle in early scenes, later to be replaced by an animatronic model and finally a finely detailed costume. The cool thing about suitmation in modern filmmaking is that instead of being shot solely on miniature sound stages, as in the classics, actors in suits can be shot on blue screen and added into footage of actual locations. This process, along with some complex miniature work, is artfully integrated by the filmmakers and makes for some spectacular monster on monster fight scenes. It’s a testament to the power of the real in film. Real monster costumes plus real locations equal a much stronger sense of real texture and a heightened sense of reality, something CG can never fully accomplish.
Enthralling visuals coupled with good acting and a well told, if cliche story make Gamera The Brave entertaining cinema. I recommend it even if you’re not the kind of person who goes out for giant monster films.
Note: Being that I am on a massive giant monster films kick, expect more Kaiju Reviews soon.