A retrospective covering the entire franchise lasts 43-minutes. Another behind-the-scenes feature lasts an hour, with effects filming mixed in. From there, How to Make a Gamera Movie runs 37-minutes, with the director providing a rough tutorial on special effects filmmaking. SciFi Japan’s Keith Aiken and Bob Johnson provide dry commentary (and limited production info), but sadly, August Ragone does NOT have an introduction, the only film in the set he’s absent from. Wide debris fields, panicked crowds, and flying/jumping creatures offer ample opportunity for channel separation. Stick to the DTS-HD 5.1, naturally extending the soundstage to fill the room during action. A few explosions rattle things, but cautiously – this mix doesn’t dip into the lowest Hz, only the surface levels.Īs the most modern film, surround use excels, but do note stereo options for both Japanese and English language tracks are offered. Steps and destruction elicit a response from the subwoofer. Not reference tier, but grading on a curve (in a set mostly with mono tracks and three ‘90s era 5.1 mixes), giant monsters add genuine rumble to their fights. Of the films in Arrow’s Gamera Blu-ray box set, Gamera the Brave holds the deepest low-end impact. The warmth suits the tone, appealing on its own, even without the attractive pop of most films aimed at this demographic. Primaries smooth over, reduced in their potency by digital grading. It leaves things flattened and lifeless, mirroring the sharpness’ dull appearance.Ĭoated in sepia tones, Gamera the Brave was almost certainly the first color corrected film in the franchise. Black levels never reach sufficient density, as if when Gamera the Brave came over to the States, IRE levels were never set correctly. Menial grain poses no genuine challenge to the encode, well resolved and consistent. Resolution lags behind more recent efforts, leaving a softened image, lacking in fine detail. While not unwatchable or terrible, it’s time for a new scan. An undervalued middle school classic.Īrrow appears to port the same master used by Media Blasters in a now out-of-print, stand-alone Blu-ray release. The whole movie carries this balance, situated flawlessly between new and old, becoming a Gamera movie step stool for kids too old for say, Gamera vs Guiron, but too young for Gamera 3. Gamera comes up against an agile monster Zedus, an unexplained lizard/dragon/serpent beast, a worthy foe, revealing a carefully expressed sinister-but-safe look. If anything, it’s worth celebrating how careful and mature this is, providing both action and violence alongside emotion. Importantly, Gamera the Brave is still sincere kaiju cinema the gentleness isn’t cause for derision. Gamera the Brave brings the same ideology, but with honest subtlety rather than Saturday morning, brain-eating aliens. Original series director Noriaki Yuasa fanned these themes, staging stories where adults reject or ignore their young ones. Toru defies his father Kousuke (Kanji Tsuda), leading to an abusive slap before Kousuke relents, realizing it’s best to instill confidence in his son. Initially, there’s no trust between father and son. Toru and friends sync up to overcome their fears, making the rescue. When grown, Gamera is snared by a lousy government official. As a hatchling, Gamera – nicknamed Toto – provides Toru with entertainment, friendly antics, and companionship. The idea stems from a smart consideration of this character, who instead of letting little ones fly on his shell, gives them tools to find themselves or their courage. Rather than directly save kids though, he (indirectly) emotionally heals them. He looks the part too, Gamera himself just a child with rounded eyes, soft features, and mild disposition. It’s gut-wrenching, a child distant from his now single father, often alone, and because of various pressures, unable to mourn.Īs per classic Gamera lore, this is a friend to all children. “My mother is a box of ashes in the ground,” he says. Asked to honor his recently deceased mother, Toru rejects the thought of heaven. In the first modern day scene, Toru (Ryo Tomioka) stands behind his father at a small cemetery. This giant turtle movie deals in grief and belief, weaving through a small, vintage-like coastal town. It’s an honest, mellow, and pure giant monster movie, made for a child’s sensibilities, but willing to dramatically engage them. Gamera the Brave was that vision, just a decade later. When Daiei first considered bringing Gamera back in the early ‘90s, the studio wanted a gentle, kid-friendly movie, conducive to the original Showa series.
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