Gamera the Brave (2006)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Fantastic!

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

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.

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.

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.

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.