Gamera the Brave (2005) User Reviews

Gamera returns with his title "The Friend of All Children".

[kevinxirau · 7/10 · 26 October 2011]

I must say, this was an unexpected twist to the famous giant turtle. After having his successful run with the 90s trilogy, Gamera seemed to have taken a break. He returns in 2006 while his older brother/rival Godzilla is taking a vacation that ends in 2012. An all-new storyline is created for Gamera, once again gearing towards kids but with a more serious tone.

About thirty years after the first Gamera destroyed a flock of carnivorous Gyaos by blowing himself up to save humanity, a young boy named Toru finds an egg resting on a mysterious red stone. The egg hatches and out comes a cute baby turtle, who Toru finds companionship from. Named Toto, the turtle starts growing and exhibiting all too familiar powers: flight and fire-breathing. When Toto disappears one day, a giant sea monster called Zedus is going around eating countless victims. Toto arrives to the scene as the new Gamera to face this adversary, but it will take the intervention of Toru and his friends to help the giant turtle conquer this deadly foe.

This movie is surprisingly well done. None of the kids are annoying unlike the ones from the old films that make you wanna slap them in the face. All the characters have depth to them and emotions are conveyed very well. I was slightly moved by all this. The effects and creature designs are excellent and the battles between Gamera and Zedus are great.

I don't see much that's wrong with this installment of the Gamera series. I would like to see how they plan on continuing this cool saga. Check out this family/monster film and see for yourself.

A family kaiju movie

[gothic_a666 · 8/10 · 19 September 2010]

When one thinks of giant monster movies what comes to mind is not family entertainment. The Gamera franchise was originally geared toward a younger audience but this entry still comes as something of a surprise given later developments. Gamera The Brave is more along the lines of ET than an actual effort in the kaiju universe. Which is not to say that it is a bad movie. On the contrary, it is precisely the initial parts in which the young leads bond with the little turtle that assure that the viewer is committed to the monster battles once they take place.

The Gamera in this movie is also a child so there is a handicap involved that adds suspense to the outcome. The lead actor, a little boy recently orphaned of his mother, bonds emotionally with his cute pet and the movie provides opportunities for him to grow without becoming a mini adult as so often happens in such cases. Some of the staples of the genre are almost completely absent such as military maneuvers and government ineptitude. There is no interest in developing such plot lines because at its heart what matters is the interaction between the boy and the new Gamera.

The movie may disappoint fans of giant monsters but it offers something that a broader audience can relate to and enjoy. At times perhaps a bit too sappy it is nevertheless enlivened by tight action scenes that are cleverly thought out. There are even lyrical moments such as when the children run against the flow of a fleeing crowd.

Here is a gem of touching cinema that is well worth being watched.

New Millennium Gamera B+

[gigan-92 · 8/10 · 5 July 2012]

I was looking forward to seeing movie and at long last have. After Shusuke Kaneko's Gamera trilogy, as well as the Shinsei or Millennium Godzilla films, one was left wondering where Gamera had once more gone. Then came this movie, and anyone who's seen Kaneko's Gamera movies knows there's a lot to live up to. 90s Gamera was dark, bloody and very nihilistic in its tone and this film kind of veers away that. Like the classic films, the movie's central characters are children, but unlike the terribly campy 70s Gamera the acting here is more than solid enough. The story is emotionally strong, despite being slow at times but I rather enjoy the journey.

And the special effects are just top notch thru out. In an era where CGI is over-taking everything, this movie blends the old wit the new quite well. The opening pays tribute to "Gamera 3: Awakening of Irys" quite nicely, while also paying tribute to the vintage kaiju era. The monster designs are quite awesome, myself loving the new monster Zedus, who himself was inspired by Barugon of that classic 1966 film "Gamera vs. Barugon". Gyaos appears briefly in the beginning, but looks pretty damn awesome. One of my few complaints is the removal of Gamera's trademark roar thru much of the movie in favor of the 1976 King Kong roar. To begin with, I do not really care for the 1976 King Kong starring Jeff Bridges, but that's a whole nother review in itself (which I have reviewed if you want to check it out).

Anyways, definitely check out "Gamera the Brave".

Gamera goes back to its roots of befriending little kids on this 40th anniversary movie

[ebiros2 · 6/10 · 9 July 2011]

This movie is made as the 40 th anniversary movie of the Gamera series. The movie is made by Kadokawa Herald movies instead of the now defunct Daiei movie studio that made all previous Gamera series movies.

In 1973 Kyosuke (Kanji Tsuda) witnessed Gamera defeating a herd of Gyaos by exploding itself. People at the time thought Gamera sacrificed its own life to save the people. 33 years later, Kyosuke is a recent widower with young son Tooru (Ryo Fujioka) who is in fifth grade. One day Tooru sees a red glow on the neighboring island. When he gets there, he finds a sea turtle egg. The egg hatches and he finds a small turtle inside. He names it Toto and raises it secretly in his bedroom. One day little Toto is found flying above his father's head. The suspicion arises that Toto is actually another Gamera. Soon Toto disappears from Tooru's home. In the mean time, there are mysterious shipwrecks in the ocean. The culprit turns out to be a monster called Jidas. Jidas comes ashore and threatens Tooru's home town. Toto reappears, now grown into a monster sized turtle, battles Jidas to protect Tooru's family.

The movie was conceived to appeal to preteen audience, and the team work between Tooru and his friends and Toto becomes the central theme of this movie. Tooru backs Gamera saying "Toto is still a baby. So I need to give hims support.".

In this 40th anniversary movie, Gamera goes back its roots as friend of little children. Watch the teamwork between the children and Gamera to fight their nemesis Jidas. There're more emotion in this movie compared to the "Heisei Gamera Series (1995-1999)" and the battle between Gamera and Jidas is not the central theme, but communication between Tooru, his friends, and Toto becomes the focus of this story.

This movie is more story driven than any of the previous Gamera series movie, and is recommended for viewing.

Gamera is Back (Spoilers Throughout)

[OrlandoEastwood · 7/10 · 29 April 2007]

I've never been a fan of the older Gamera films, since they were real cheesy compared to the older Godzilla films. The Gamera films of the 90's were great and had a darker tone to it. This is a new Gamera, a mixture of old Gamera with the 90's Films. It starts out with a battle between an old villain of Gamera's, the Gyaos. Now, this Gamera, tough but weak as hell couldn't stand to the challenge and blows himself up. Then thirty years pass to present day in Japan. A man who witnessed Gamera's death is now a grown man with a deceased wife and and son. The son see's a red flashing light on the island where Gamera died, so the kid decides to check out and finds an egg. The egg quickly hatches it and raises and notices he get's unusually bigger and disappears. Then a monster, named Zedus, arrives and causes panic to the town. Then as the boy's father tries to save his son's friend from getting eaten, the once baby turtle is now Gamera and saves the boy's father and friend. Then a battle ensures between the monster and Gamera until the Baby Turtle kicks it's butt and the government step in and take the turtle away. Then Zedus returns to battle Gamera and tries to kill him for good.

This film does drag and we don't see Gamera in his larger stage, it's a little sulcata tortoise running around for the first half-hour. Then when we have action it's pretty much short which is not fun for the older fans of the serious. You can pretty much tell it's aimed at children of like 8 and under. I myself enjoyed it and give it a 7/10.

The monster who befriends our children returns in a strong performance

[FilmExpertWannabe · 7/10 · 19 December 2011]

If you're a fan of the Heisei Gamera films, you may find yourself displeased with this film, but give it a chance. Gamera the Brave marks a return to the Gamera franchise's roots as a friend of children and the movie is primarily aimed at this demographic. However, I will say that it's like other good children's movies in that it's well done enough that people of all ages should find a certain entertainment value.

Starting with the core essence of the movie, the plot may be unoriginal but it works. It never set out to be some legendary masterpiece of cinema anyway. Our characters work well with each other and have good chemistry; the friends act and feel like friends, the parents act like parents, all good. The visuals used are excellent. Gamera looks good enough for what it is. I'm torn here since I'm not really a fan of this design but it is appropriate for depicting Toto as a young Gamera and not the adult we saw in the Heisei series, for example. It is what it is. I have to insert a cliché here and admit I was disappointed to see Gamera's classic roar discarded in favor of something generic, but I suppose it could've been worse. Zedus looks genuinely superb here in almost any angle or action sequence. Overall, the suits here are darn good and lend some credibility to the continuation of suits in a world that transition to CGI some time ago. To continue, the miniatures and model cities looked excellent. Someone clearly took care in making them.

Gamera the Brave is thoroughly well executed and may not continue in the fashion of the dark Heisei trilogy, but one must be able to appreciate more than just one style of film. I miss the 1990s Gamera movies as well, but this movie does its job well. Sadly, Gamera the Brave did not perform well at the box office in Japan, earning only $2.6 million. The word on the 'net is that this was to be the first film in a new trilogy but that was canceled after Gamera the Brave's financial failure. Numerous factors have played a role in Gamera's future being in limbo, but let's hope this wasn't the last outing for our favorite flying turtle.

Gamera the Pensive.

[OllieSuave-007 · 7/10 · 31 May 2014]

This is the first and only Millennium series Gamera that was ever filmed, returning him as a kid-friendly monster who this time is raised by a little boy named Toru (Ryô Tomioka) when he was first born and then grows up in full adult monster form, just in time to battle the evil, man-eating monster Zedus.

Of all the kid-themed Gamera movies, this is actually the best one to feature a kid as the main character. He is not annoying or screaming songs like the kid characters in the earlier Gamera movies and his relationship with Gamera is actually quite heartfelt. There is also some strong character development between Toru and his widowed father Kousuke (Kanji Tsuda), who in the movie's prologue witnessed a Gamera sacrificing himself to destroy the Gyaos birds, which I thought gives the movie a heroic, yet sad touch. There are also scenes where Toru frolics around the beach in a lazy afternoon with friends and where he reminisced about his late mother Miyuki (portrayed by Megumi Kobayashi of the "Rebirth of Mothra" trilogy). All this adds some pensive drama to an otherwise monster-action-packed film.

The special effects were quite good and the story has some decent monster action and battles (you really want to root for Gamera to defeat the cruel Zedus), though I thought the human drama does tend to drag the movie a little somewhat. It's not as thrilling or suspenseful as Gamera: Guardian of the Universe or Gamera: Attack of the Legion and it does not surpass most of the Godzilla movies in overall entertainment, but this is one of the better of all the Gamera films in my opinion.

Grade B-

The Kaiju Genre Lives

[ljones3 · 9/10 · 1 June 2006]

I was able to catch one of the last showings of Gamera this week in Hachioji, Tokyo, and I can say that the experience was a good one.

In 2004, as many already know, Toho announced that the king of kaiju, Godzilla, will be taking an indefinite vacation. This of course has happened before, but in Godzilla's absence someone needs to take the reigns. So, like before, the torch was passed to Godzilla's younger brother/rival Gamera.

Gamera took the torch, and ran with it. Hard. Here are some of the good things about this movie:

-Characters: The main human is a young boy (as always, after all, Gamera IS the friend of children). His mother is dead, and he lives with his father on an island fishing community. Gamera has a history on the island, so when the boy finds a fast-growing baby turtle which flies, some eyes are opened immediately... Other characters include a female neighbor with heart problems, the boys' friends, his father, and some evil government people. All are likable (or hateable), and the acting as far as I could tell was spot-on.

-Story: Its there, so this is not just the full-on kaiju fightfest that characterizes many Godzilla and Gamera movies. But we do have full-on kaiju fighting...

-Full-on Kaiju Fighting: This is probably the reason most people will see this movie, and it doesn't disappoint. The enemy monster this time around is a man-eating dinosaur named Jidas, and while he is not as charismatic as some of Gamera's other foes, he exudes evil and you will be rooting for the big-eyed turtle the whole time. The special effects are absolutely top-notch, in fact I think Jidas is one of the most convincing dinosaur suitmations I have ever seen.

-Music: Powerful when it needs to be. Exactly what it should be in a kaiju movie: it aids the awe that someone should feel when watching 30-story monsters duke it out.

Why I didn't give it a ten: The only thing that disappointed me about this movie was the fact that they replaced Gamera's signature roar with a stock roar, which I believe has been previously used for various incarnations of King Kong. But, this is a very minor complaint. Go see this movie when you can!

Lots of green Gamera gore but still a kaiju for kids

[jamesrupert2014 · 7/10 · 18 February 2020]

Toru Aizawa (Ryo Tomioka), a young boy who recently lost his mother finds an egg that hatches into a friendly little turtle that eventually grows up to become Gamera... and just in time, as Japan is threatened by Zedus, an evil monster with a purple, weaponised tongue. The film is strictly for the kids, with the adults playing even lesser roles than they did in the original films. Even in his most mature form, this iteration of the tusked titan has a kid-friendly look (similar to E.T.) with a flattened face and large, doll-like eyes. His nemesis is an interesting lizardoid creature that is much more menacing looking then the silly-looking creatures the original Gamera battled. The special effects are OK for the most part but there isn't a lot of action (by kaiju eiga standards) as much of the film focuses on Toru, his pals, and his neighbor, a young girl due for surgery. I found the film slow-moving and a bit cloying at times but I am decades past the target audience - young viewers might be more interested in Toru and crew's adventures than I was. Worst of all, I missed the memorably chipper Gamera theme - the music in this film was serviceable but not infectiously whistleable. Accept the film for what it is: a reasonably well-made kids' adventure featuring an iconic (if silly) kaiju that is far more sophisticated (and therefore much less cheesy) than the giant, jet-propelled turtle's original juvenile outings.

Nice visuals, but...

[curl-6 · 5/10 · 11 March 2007]

The latest entry in the Gamera series is something of a a let-down, for me at least.

To start on the positive side of things, it boasts some of the best special effects work in any kaiju film to date, surpassing any of the Millennium Godzilla films. (Though in the case of GMK and Tokyo SOS, not by much) Also, Zedus (Jidas) is an awesome monster which is likeably evil, and looks great.

Unfortunately, pretty much everything else is below par. The story is overly simplistic and very child-orientated, the Gamera suit makes the cookie monster look intimidating, and the music is bland and even corny at times.

Problems also arise with the pacing, as the final battle is constantly interrupted by poorly placed scenes of human drama.

The worst part, however, is that for the most part, the final battle isn't that great to begin with, as it largely fails to evoke a strong sense of struggle, mostly because it's very one sided and frequently quite slow.

In the end, Gamera the Brave is a mediocre kaiju film, on par with Godzilla vs Megaguirus or Godzilla 2000. If you're a kaiju enthusiast, you may want to check it out, but if you want to see a great modern kaiju film, watch GMK* instead. (*Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-out Attack)

Much better than the cute looking Gamera makes you think its is

[dbborroughs · 8/10 · 22 January 2007]

Restart of the Gamera franchise is a throw back to "the kid in peril" Gamera movies of the 1970's is actually better than it has any right to be.

The movie begins in 1973 when Gamera dies fighting a group of Gaos (bat-like creatures). Jump to now. Strange monsters are a thing of the past and the government disbands its giant monster bureau. Meanwhile in a town near where Gamera died, Toru, a young boy, is dealing with the death of his mother a year before. His dad runs a local diner and doesn't have time to really spend with him so he gets by playing with his friends including the girl next door. The boy notices an odd red light on an island in the harbor. Swimming over to investigate Toru finds a glowing red stone and an egg from which hatches a tiny turtle. Toru names the turtle Toto, then takes it home as a pet. He is forced to hide Toto from his dad since Dad won't allow a pet because of the diner. To Toru's amazement Toto begins it grow rapidly and in a few days is almost as big as Toru himself. More amazing is the fact that Toto can fly. Crossing through this story are news stories of missing ships in the sea. No one is sure whats going on. Whats going on is a giant monster from under the sea has begun to develop a taste for human flesh and he's soon come ashore where the people are plenty. Will Toto be able to grow fast enough to save his friend Totu? Of course he can.

This is a weird hybrid of the "Gamera and kids" films from the 70's and the gorier Gamera movies of recent vintage. Its a movie that shouldn't work for any number of reasons, the turtle is overly cute, the film for a good chunk of it is really a family drama/comedy which go against the nasty monster attacks. Somehow, I don't know why, it works. Maybe its because the characters seem real, even with the giant monsters. For some reason the filmmakers make you care about everyone, even the men in suit monsters. I was really pleasantly surprised.

No, its not a great film, especially when you compare the film to some of the recent giant monster films from Japan. But the film manages to over come its flaws (in particular a too precious for words kid relay toward the end of the film) to be a really solid adventure film that is more than just some people in suits beating on each other. (And yes the battles are, for the most part really good).

What may confuse some people is the cute look to the new Gamera, which makes the film seem like it would be perfect for really small kids. I'm certain that kids will like the film, but parents may wish to consider whether their kids can handle the blood (green though it maybe),some graphic spearing and the tearing of monster flesh. (I'm probably over stating the violence, however having only the pictures on the DVD case to go by, I was a little shocked by the couple of gory shots.) You have to keep in mind what type of movie this really is.

For me, a long time Gamera fan, this was a real treat. Worth seeing for anyone who likes the giant monster genre or those just wanting a non-run of the mill "family" movie (with giant monster fighting to the death) 7.5 out of 10, 8 out of 10 for IMDb purposes.

a good film, like a modern (and better) version of the showa Gamera films

[y-02311 · 6/10 · 26 February 2020]

Its good but it shouldnt be your first Gamera film, go watch the heisei Gamera trilogy first, you should watch Gamera: The Brave afterwards if you liked those but dont expect this to be like the heisei trilogy, if your in the right mood this is a good coming of age film

I Respect The Effects Work

[coconutkungfu-30704 · 4/10 · 24 February 2020]

I give this movie props for sticking to suitmation back in 2006 when strictly CGI was the preferred method of many. For the most part it looks quite good so with that in mind I have decided to give this film a 4/10. It gets a low score because everything else is rather bad: Baby Gamera is not as cool as the original, the kid-centric story does not interest me ( Kids might wanna add a star or two to the rating if they like Gamera) and the acting is not the best.

I hope Gamera can make a comeback with a decent film soon, the cool Kaiju design is wasted on mostly lesser movies.

A wholehearted kaiju movie for the entire family...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 9 September 2020]

Well, this 2006 movie titled "Gamera the Brave" (aka "Chiisaki yûsha-tachi: Gamera") is actually an enjoyable addition to the kaiju movie genre. However, you should keep in mind that this movie is the type of movie that appeals more to a younger audience than it does to a mature audience.

The storyline was pretty straight forward, as the kaiju movies tend to be. Two kaiju creatures end up duking it out in some Japanese city. Ain't they all like that essentially? But "Gamera the Brave" adds a more family-friendly layer to the storyline, as it revolves around a child who has lost his mother, finding what he believes to be an ordinary turtle with accelerated growth. But as a dragon-like kaiju awakens to wreck havoc, the turtle proves to be Gamera, a creature capable of duking it out with the vicious kaiju.

The effects in "Gamera the Brave" were actually good, especially when taking into consideration the genre and what it is usually known for. So this 2006 movie definitely upped the game a bit.

The acting in the movie was good, and that definitely added a good layer of enjoyment to the overall feel of the movie.

If you enjoy kaiju movies, then you should definitely take the time to sit down and watch this 2006 movie from writer Yukari Tatsui and director Ryuta Tasaki. My rating of this movie lands on a six out of ten stars.

A Smart and Family Friendly Kaiju Adventure!

[USSEnterpriseF · 9/10 · 6 April 2007]

When I recently saw Ultraman Mebius and the Ultraman Brothers on the internet I was slightly disappointed. The effects were too over-the-top ,the acting was kind of cheesy, and the ending was unsatisfying. But Gamera: the Brave was another story. I recently bought this DVD off of Yesasia.com and I was thrilled, the action was superb, the story was touching and the characters made you care. This new film was nothing like the 90s predecessors that had a much darker, serious approach. This is not to say this movie was cheesy or corny, in fact the opening scene was awe inspiring and intense. I still felt it was a great way to introduce this to children. This Gamera isn't your typical monster, he has heart.

The special effects of this film were also more believable than Ultraman Mebius, certain scenes, like a battle that takes place on a bridge between the main bad guy (Zedus) and Toto (Gamera) ensues that really makes you go "WOW! That was cool!" All things considered I went away from this movie with practically tears in my eyes, the resolution is wonderful. Even though this film wasn't the most successful movie (it's equivalent to the small popularity "Eragon" enjoyed) there are rumors of sequels in the works, AND I WELCOME THEM! TWO THUMBS WAY UP!

Nice movie, to a point... But sold out to the kids eh?

[isfahani · 5/10 · 15 January 2007]

After seeing the 90's Gamera films recently (ok, I got a lot to catch up on...) and thinking "Wow, these meet - and in some cases beat - some of the Godzilla films of the past 15-20 years, hope there's more on the way" I finally got a chance to see this, now that there's a DVD release with English subs. The story as a continuation from the last films makes some sense, thankfully, if you outright ignore the 'cliffhanger' end of "Revenge of Iris" aka Gamera 3.

I was enjoying it as a sort of cheap lighthearted affair with lots of character dead end developments, right up until "the children" were shoehorned en masse into the film as a plot device. (you'll see what I mean if you haven't already - big forehead slap and groan) It's not that I mind yet another Kaiju sell out (the big G certainly had his day) but after watching the Star Wars franchise got his way (and SW was just as big an influence on my childhood as Godzilla et al) it's just a little too disappointing.

And am I to understand they're going to make more of these sort? I hope not, but if so IMO there should be a progression of sorts back to the big bad turtle I love so well.

Gamera The Great

[harrypomm · 8/10 · 23 January 2007]

I was never a fan of this flying turtle in the old days. However, they have completely repurposed him for the 21st century and the results are stunning.

Silly effects are supported by a strong, but simple, story and a little depth of characterization. The visual style of the film is what really shines. The Director's skillful use of camera moves and angles and a strong sense of composition really raises this film.

I would love to see what this Director could do with Godzilla (if he ever returns).

For once, a film's title accurately describes the film's content.

Cutesy kaiju flick

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 30 June 2018]

GAMERA THE BRAVE is the last, to date, of the Japanese Gamera series of kaiju movies. It's a cheap and cheerful affair that manages to entertain despite the cliches of the story and the fact that it doesn't really have much in the way of budget to play with. For the first half of the running time, this is a cutesy, child-focused adventure in which a kid grieving for his dead mother finds a hatching turtle egg. He soon takes Gamera home and watches him grow to an incredible size. The second half of the film is a low-rent kaiju flick through and through, with Gamera combating a bigger and more fearsome opponent; the usual destruction ensues. Although this is cheesy stuff, packed full of dodgy CGI effects you're likely to laugh at, it does the job and I found it quite endearing despite the overload of sentiment.

Best "Kid-Friendly" Gamera yet

[ChungMo · 8/10 · 26 March 2008]

The original Gamera series quickly aimed for the 5 to 8 year old set after two attempts at the standard "adult" monster film typified by the Godzilla series (although these kept lowering the age bracket with each film). Gamera films usually revolved around turtle loving children put in peril by aliens until their rescue by Gamera. The children sometimes would help Gamera either by cheering him on or in a more disgusting case, going into his body and fighting a parasite infection. Strangely, the original Gamera films features more gore and gross damage to the monsters then the Godzilla films ever attempted. The revived series directed by Shusuke Kaneko featured a more mature approach although Gamera had a psychic connection with a teenage girl. Kaneko also introduced a more integrated approach to the kaiju genre and raised the bar for all kaiju films. The re-revived series has aimed to return to Gamera's roots in the 1960's, once again presenting Gamera as "friend of all children".

Director Ryuta Tazaki comes from Japanese sci-fi action television with quite a resume with the Japanese Power Ranger Shows and never ending Kamen Rider series. This film shows little of his TV roots as this film is very well directed, well photographed with some modest experimentation with visuals and sound design. The film has a sort of naturalism that you don't usually get in a kaiju film. The hero just lost his mom to a car crash and his friend is afraid she won't live thru a heart operation in the hospital. THe parents are working class shop owners. A few moments of over-sentimentality and cuteness are here but the rest of the film makes up for it. The special effects live up to the level of the Kaneko Gamera films with a couple of shots that are excellent. Tazaki doesn't have Kaneko's dramatic flair for the action scenes but they are well done. As a note, this film does have some rather gross green gore when Gamera is hurt during the fights, this may upset children here in the west.

Once again Gamera sets a high standard. Recommended.

A review for the adult Kaiju fans.

[godzilla179 · 4/10 · 6 March 2009]

RUN...do not walk away from this movie!!!!! Aimed at the very young kids, this movie will bore you to tears. If the Gamera trilogy of the 90's raised the bar, this film just lowered it. It's slow paced and the monster fighting is good, but seldom seen. This movie had me dry heaving in the cat box. Just a very poor offering after a phenomenal 90's series.

SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT!!!!!!!!!!! Here are the top 10 reasons Gamera fans of the 90's series will HATE this film.

10. This movie is a drama that follows a kid trying to cope with the death of his mother and fears losing baby Gamera to a fight after knowing his father saw the adult Gamera die.

9. You see the adult Gamera for maybe a minute at the beginning of the film. He gets his butt kicked by a few Gyaos and self destructs??? He looks old and lethargic. Plus he looks nothing like any gamera you've ever seen. His suit looked cheap and rushed.

8. The young Gamera you see through the rest of the film looks like a Pokemon. Big-eyed and cute...it will remind you of the baby Godzilla from Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla 2. Gamera is now too cute.

7. This movie has the pace of watching a NASCAR race during a 3 hour rain delay. I watched this movie with 2 other Gamera fans and nobody was happy with how slowly this film moved along. I've seen an SUV full of fat people going up a mountain road move faster.

6. Like Godzilla:Final Wars, this movie had very little kaiju time on screen. Final Wars had much more, actually, and better fights although short.

5. Kids take the title role. The friend of all children theme and poor writing killed the original Gamera series in the 1970's and history repeats itself in the 2000's. The most successful Gamera films abandoned the Sesame Street feel and went to a darker place. Why go back to a failed formula? This was to be a new trilogy and poor ticket sales killed any hope for this story to continue (thank god).

4. Gamera lost his iconic roar. He now sounds like an Elephant with strep throat.

3. This movie may produce a new Olympic event.....Imagine a relay race that involves sending very young children into harm's way. You have to see the ending to understand this point. Where were the parents? Oh yea..right there sending their kids into a kaiju battle zone.

2. The special effects were good, but sub-par for a Gamera movie. Legion and Iris had better effects. The best effect was showing the apple sized baby Gamera fly. Not too impressive.

1. This movie is just not what adult kaiju fans come to expect. The director was involved in Power Rangers and it shows. It comes off like a cross between ET, Always: Sunset on Third Street and TMNT. Kudos if you know all 3 references.

Rental at best or watch once if you buy it to complete the DVD series.

Rebirth of Gamera!

[paladin98133 · 8/10 · 14 March 2015]

While the latest Gamera film is more "kid friendly" than the 90's trilogy, it still maintains enough death and destruction to be a watchable film for adults. I was also impressed with how well the special effects turned out. It is refreshing to see a film where CG isn't used as a catch all for effects. As good as CG has gotten, there is still a very tactile realism to model and make-up effects that can still look good when done well. As mentioned earlier, the story is aimed at children but it is taken seriously and doesn't spare the audience from the carnage that would happen when giant monsters fight or why a monster would be so bad that we would put up with Gamera's usual "bull in a china shop" style of heroics. The main character does get a bit annoying with his protectiveness of and failure to accept that his "Toto" is Gamera. The monster fights were done well enough to painfully leave me hungry for more. With as well as this one turned out, it really deserves a sequel.

Gamera the Brave

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 23 November 2023]

Chiisaki Yusha-tachi Gamera (Little Hero: Gamera) is the 12th Gamera movie and the second reboot. It's also the first movie in the series made by Kadokawa Daiei Studio after the company purchased Daiei Film. There was no sequel and no more Gamera films until 2023's Gamera Rebirth animated series.

In 1973, Kousuke (Kanji Tsuda) watched as the town of Shima, Mie was destroyed by several Gyaos until Gamera saved the day, helping everyone to escape before destroying himself to stop the threat. Thirty three years later, he's a widower with a son named Toru (Ryo Tomioka). Life is hard and his son worries constantly about losing everyone in his life after the death of his mother.

One day, he and his friends Katsuya and Ishimaru discover an egg near where Gamera was last seen. It soon grows into a small turtle that can spin and fly just like the larger kaiju. He's just in time, as there's another kaiju called Zedus who is eating people and destroying cities. He easily defeats Toto who is saved by the government and healed. However, the red stone that is needed to give him his full power has been given to Toru's friend Mai (Kaho) for luck as she goes into surgery.

Directed by Ryuta Tasaki, who has directed several Kamen Rider movies, and written by Yukari Tatsui, this had some complain that it was too kid-friendly. Maybe they hadn't watched any Gamera movies before, those that believed all the older movies were for grown-ups.

Worthy semi-reboot to the Gamera franchise

[andybob-3 · 8/10 · 30 January 2015]

Decades after watching Gamera sacrifice himself to destroy monsters threatening the world, a recently widowed man's son finds a strange glowing stone with an egg nestled in it, and when a baby turtles hatches he decides to secretly keep it as a pet. But the boy soon discovers that his cute but seemingly normal little turtle is anything but that as it learns to fly, breath fire and grows at an astonishing rate. Suspecting his pet is in fact a descendant of the legendary Gamera he begins to worry if it will ultimately meet the same fate, and when a vicious giant monster begins to attack Japan he is unable to stop his friend from rising to meet the challenge, however unprepared.

Very well written and endearing semi-reboot to the Gamera franchise is far from perfect, having plenty of plot holes and gets a little too silly towards the end, but for me being someone who grew up watching the original films in all their cheesy splendor it hits all the right cords.

I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10 though IMDb doesn't allow 1/2 votes so I gave it an 8, not for everyone but veterans of the originals will almost certainly appreciate it.

Cutest Kids Kaiju Movie

[timothygartin · 8/10 · 16 March 2020]

I really enjoyed the Gamera trilogy. As a lifetime fan of kaiju movies, Gamera is one of my favorite monsters. This movie has a special charm to it that no other monster movie has. It is cute. It succeeds where other monster movies directly aimed at children have failed. That said, it is very entertaining for adults as well.

Gamera is a joy in this movie. The tiny turtle and effects are great. The child actors are very good as well. It has a compelling story that keeps you interested. It also links very well to the trilogy.

This is a hit. I wish there were more.

A stand alone tale of fantasy.

[MlleSedTortue · 8/10 · 29 November 2020]

Gamera the Brave is unique in the series as it is the last film of the Hesiei era, and last one overall. As such is serves as a unintended but appropriate send off that is filled with spirit and soul. The film makes a wise decision by going in a different direction from the trilogy before it, instead opting to take inspiration from the original Gamera series. This may seem like a surprising decision since those film don't get much love but it seems to target the core of the character, a childhood imagination. Ryo Tomioka portrays the young Toru and he does a great as coming of a normal kid who's stumbled upon a fantastic discovery. His relationship with his father is also a nice addition as the dynamic is of a single father raising a son. Gamera here is named Toto, who lacks his classic roar, but still has that same never surrender personality of the original Gamera. The enemy monster is Zedus, which is not all that unique, but does deliver some great fights between the two. The effects are well done, mixing hand made practical with CGI augmentation. One shot in particular that I love is when Toto crashes into a house and you see all the details inside, such as furniture, clothes, ect. It's a same there were no more Gamera films after this but hopefully one day he'll return.