Best Era of Godzilla

[fmvgamer]

Gamera the brave went back to the child audience "defender of children" of those early showa gamera movies which was a huge step back after the kaneko trilogy. The 90s heisei gamera trilogy by Kaneko was about as realistic as you can get in a movie with giant monsters clashing in a busy city. Casualties run high and destruction reigns despite gamera being a "defender of children".

[Angilasman]

^Of course, the reason Gamera 3 works so well is because it's playing with the audiences expectations of the Gamera series, the kids' films of the '60s and the more mature but still straightforwardly heroic image of the first two installments of the trilogy.

I wouldn't want Gamera always being that dark. It would be like everyone making Batman as grim as possible in the wake of Dark Knight Returns.

... waitaminute

[Calighoula]

^Of course, the reason Gamera 3 works so well is because it's playing with the audiences expectations of the Gamera series, the kids' films of the '60s and the more mature but still straightforwardly heroic image of the first two installments of the trilogy.

I wouldn't want Gamera always being that dark. It would be like everyone making Batman as grim as possible in the wake of Dark Knight Returns.

... waitaminute

You wouldn't always want it being that good, you mean?

[BeastieRunner]

Apparently I'm the only fan of the Millennium era.

[Angilasman]

You wouldn't always want it being that good, you mean?

But that's just it: Gamera 3 is all about playing with the audience's perception of Gamera. If they did it all the time it wouldn't resonate the same way.

... also, Gamera 2 is the best Gamera film! Love the characters, love the Queen Legion (one of my favorite monsters).

[Goggindowner]

Apparently I'm the only fan of the Millennium era.

I enjoyed the Millennium series well enough, especially 2000. I just didn't like how disjointed the entire thing was with every movie (with the exception of Tokyo SOS) being a sequel to the original 1954 movie.

I just prefer the Showa era.

[fmvgamer]

But that's just it: Gamera 3 is all about playing with the audience's perception of Gamera. If they did it all the time it wouldn't resonate the same way.

... also, Gamera 2 is the best Gamera film! Love the characters, love the Queen Legion (one of my favorite monsters).

Legion just reminds me of the bugs in starship troopers , first you have the walking bugs , then the flying bugs , then the big ass monster bug.

[Calighoula]

Apparently I'm the only fan of the Millennium era.

I like them all except Space Godzilla.

[Angilasman]

Legion just reminds me of the bugs in starship troopers , first you have the walking bugs , then the flying bugs , then the big ass monster bug.

I love the Legion in all their forms: the Queen, the drones, and the plants. Kaiju movies have a lot of alien invasions, but rarely have they been so well thought out as the purely biological symbiotic Legion. I adore the Queen Legion's design and its brilliant (yet totally simple) tricks to hide the form and movement of the guy in the monster suit.

Also, G2 has incredible practical effects: absolutely gorgeous miniature sets that are photographed so brilliantly. Gamera 3 uses a lot of CGI and composting to create a slicker look that smooths the transition from models to real things, but I guess I just prefer the 'last hurrah' of the mostly practical effects of G2.

A lot of people point to an X-Files influence in Gamera 2, but I feel it's an even older influence: THEM!, Rodan, Outer Limits, Ultra Q. It's very retro!

[Hilden B. Lade]

Speaking of Ultra and Gamera, I say that the Godzilla x Gamera x Ultraman team-up is long overdue...

Just imagine it.

[Vakanai]

Apparently I'm the only fan of the Millennium era.

Nope, I loved the Millennium series. I was under the impression most of that series was well received?
I think Showa mostly has nostalgia going for it. Like I said, I've been a fan of all eras and almost all Godzilla films.

Speaking of Ultra and Gamera, I say that the Godzilla x Gamera x Ultraman team-up is long overdue...

Just imagine it.

I don't know who holds the rights for Ultraman (or even who that character is) but different companies/studios/whatever owns Godzilla and Gamera. So a team up between those two on film is as likely as a team up between Batman and Spider-Man on film any time soon.

[BeastieRunner]

I like them all except Space Godzilla.

That wasn't a part of that series.

Space Godzilla was cool but the movie was really lame (even for a Godzilla movie).

[Angilasman]

I don't know who holds the rights for Ultraman (or even who that character is) but different companies/studios/whatever owns Godzilla and Gamera. So a team up between those two on film is as likely as a team up between Batman and Spider-Man on film any time soon.

Ultraman is owned by Tsuburaya Productions, the company started by Eiji Tsuburaya, the guy who did the effects for the original Godzilla/Toho sci-fi films.

... and speaking of Ultraman: Tsuburaya Pro. recently came out of bankruptcy and want to start getting Ultraman out there into the non-Asian world. The first evidence of that here in the States is the series Ultraman Max (2005) showing up on popular anime/Asian drama streaming site Crunchyroll.

[The Chou Lives]

Gamera the brave went back to the child audience "defender of children" of those early showa gamera movies which was a huge step back after the kaneko trilogy. The 90s heisei gamera trilogy by Kaneko was about as realistic as you can get in a movie with giant monsters clashing in a busy city. Casualties run high and destruction reigns despite gamera being a "defender of children".

Yeah they made Gamera like Godzilla in that trilogy.

In 60s Gamera was like. 'hey it's Gamera, we're saved!"

Heisei Gamera?

"Crpa it's Gamera.. RUN!!! RUN DARNIT!!"