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Gamera 3 - Revenge of Iris

Gamera 3 - Revenge of Iris

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $17.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Kaiju Masterpiece
Review: This is one hundred percent without a doubt one of the best kaiju films of our time. It has from monsters to excellent drama. In 1999, Gayos are all over the world. In the city of Shubuya, something huge happens. Gamera! The beast takes on Gayos, causing the city to burst into flames. In 1995, Gamera destroyed a young girl's parents. Now she will team up with the ultimate evil, a mutated Gayos. Asagi must now help the girl from fusing with the terrible burden. Get ready for the showdown that will make you jump from your seat!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Ultimate Kaiju Movie
Review: This is the best kaiju movie I've ever seen. The Gamera and Gyaos legend is given more details here. The creatures known as Gyaos have started appearing in areas outside of Japan. A research team has found a graveyard of Gamera skeletons on the ocean floor, just south of Japan. ...all before the opening credits.

Ayana's parents were killed during the events of the first movie. (She didn't appear in that movie. There's simply a flashback to the events.) She blames Gamera for their deaths, and her hatred causes Iris to be created.

Personally, I happen to like the more metaphysical elements in the story. They also explain why Japan attracts monsters. There is real emotion here. This isn't a shallow plot at all. Even the monsters seem to show emotions. This movie goes far beyond the simplistic kaiju movies of the 1960s and 1970s where there was a pro-wrestling quality to the fights. The Gamera movies have never been tame - even when the special effects were poor. In this newer trilogy, Gamera ends up with serious injuries. In the Godzilla series, Godzilla either bleeds or ends up completely destroyed. In Gamera 2, after defending the helicopter, you can see a chunk of Gamera's shell missing near his shoulder. In Gamera 3, he gets even more serious injuries.

Although there is still the traditional man-in-suit, this movie has some of the best special effects I've ever seen. (This doesn't include the opening titles which use clips from G1.) Gyaos is mainly done with CGI. The images of Iris and Gamera flying are most likely CGI too. The best special effect moments are Chapter 7 (for the fight between Gamera and Gyaos in the Shibuya District) and within Chapter 18 - (air battle between Gamera and Iris) starting at 1:11:36 (hour:minutes:seconds), briefly interrupted by a scene at Kyoto Station, and continues at 1:14:42. That second half has the best example of how much special effects have improved in kaiju films - involving the patriot missles.

Some reviewers feel the effects are better than TriStar's Godzilla. In some ways, I agree. Even the director indirectly admits he was trying to match that movie. I also feel G3 is far superior to Godzilla 2000. Gamera 3 was released March 6, 1999 in Japan. Godzilla 2000 was released on December 11, 1999 in Japan. I have not seen the 3 newer Godzilla movies yet so I can't compare G3 with them. (There are three more Godzilla movies after Godzilla 2000.) I think Shusuke Kaneko directed the one relased in 2001 which had Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Baragon.

Most of the extras are nice. I prefer the real material - the behind the scenes material, interviews, and trailers. I am truly sick of that song that ADV chose to repeat throughout some of the material here and on the G2 DVD. They could have varied the music some. I would have prefered muted music with some subtitled dialogue. We have more of the fake outtakes which I wish they would have called something like Fun In The Studio or anything else. Something similar was done on the DVD for Legend of the Last Labyrinth, but they labeled it as "Fun In The Studio With Coastal Recording." I'd rather see real outtakes - like the guy in the Gamera costume slipping on the set perhaps or an actor messing up lines. I'd rather have something real plus the made-up material, not just the made up stuff. I don't want a fake commentary either. I don't want to hear about some fictional person named "Ralph" who has appeared off screen in every Gamera movie or the limited casting opportunities for tentacled actors like Iris. If Kaneko or Higuchi have trouble with English, give us some fans or experts on the commentary tracks. The commentaries don't have to be serious like most seem to be, but they should be informative on some level. The Evangelion movies and Red Dwarf had some fun commentaries mixed with real background information.

This is the one movie in the trilogy where I know what was on the Japanese LaserDisc. There are more extras that could have been added like the Juliana music video. She sang the song during the ending credits. I don't know if music videos existed for the songs in the other two movies. I would have liked to have seen more of the public interviews rather just a few minutes.

Among the ADV Previews, there is the Gamera 1 preview with the quotes from reviewers including Roger Ebert's "Thumbs up!" (The reviews were for G1's limited US theatrical release.)

I do have a few technical issues with the movie like the graphics from the Dreamcast looking more like a Genesis or PC game and the fact a CD-R is used for the game. I know I'm being picky, but I notice this stuff. I still love the movie.

My issues with the extras aside, G3 is a wonderful movie that I would highly recommend. There is a chance non-kaiju fans may enjoy it too.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: One of the Better Monster movies out there
Review: This movie is a great film. It has incredible effects work for a low-budget foreign film, better than many American blockbusters of the same era (American Godzilla, anyone?). However, that's not to say it doesn't have flaws. The story isn't as conclusive as it should be, considering it's the final act. Although case of a movie like "The Matrix Revolutions", not answering everything the viewer asks keeps it mysterious and interesting, in a series like Gamera it just seems lazy. Even still, the movie's good points outweigh its bad by a long shot. In comparison to the other Gamera Trilogy films, I'd place it slightly below the fun-filled adventure "Gamera: Guardian of the Universe" and higher than the pretty-but-ultimately-pointless "Gamera 2: Attack of Legion".

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Gamera 3 Is A Must See Film For All
Review: This movie is absolutely mind-blowing in so many ways. It wasn't until I watched the interview with the film's special effects director (I apologize for forgetting his name) that I developed my deepest love for Gamera 3. The cinematography is haunting, the special effects are incredible (and believable), and the story is fascinating. At the ripe old age of thirty, I have re-entered the world of having nightmares from watching a movie....and that's a great thing. I just can't stress enough how much I LOVE this film and the other two recent Gamera movies.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Gamera 3 Is A Must See Film For All
Review: This movie is absolutely mind-blowing in so many ways. It wasn't until I watched the interview with the film's special effects director (I apologize for forgetting his name) that I developed my deepest love for Gamera 3. The cinematography is haunting, the special effects are incredible (and believable), and the story is fascinating. At the ripe old age of thirty, I have re-entered the world of having nightmares from watching a movie....and that's a great thing. I just can't stress enough how much I LOVE this film and the other two recent Gamera movies.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent monster movie
Review: This movie is an excellent Japanese monster movie. The effects in this film are very well developed. This latest entry in the new Gamera franchise is loaded with eye-popping monster mayhem. The mix of live and model scenes are excellent and not nearly as transparent as some of the other monster movies of the late 90's.

The story is decent and can carry you through the movie without too many cringes.

The DVD mastering is excellent with top notch video and audio. The Outakes are priceless as you watch an old Japanese man inviting a scientist to "come on down and have some chicken and grits" while his wife hacks at a dead Gyaos.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Dude, Come On!
Review: This was f***in awesome! I was always a huge fan of monster movies ... and this one is the bets one i've seen that stays true to the authenticity of the Japanese films (because America sucks balls!) So, man, if Godzilla movies would become this good (like the late 90's Godzilal films) i would need a towel every time i watched them! The aerial fight between Gamera and Iris, America can't do that! Only someone who knew how to make a good monster movie could take Gamera, beef him up, and make this film whip that much a**! (Sorry, i guess i have to censor) But, just get this if you are a fan of Godzilla, or Gamera ... eitehr one, this film impressed me, i Love it! ... Great Kaiju film, and just plain out damn good movie! Let The Fighting Begin!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Gamera - the perfect ending to a perfect trilogy
Review: This, without a doubt, is a masterpeice of, not just the giant monster genre, but films in general. Gamera started back in the 60s with more horrible FX and worse storylines than the infamous later movies of the Showa Godzilla series. However, in 1995, Gamera was resurrected as his main competition died out (seemingly) in "Godzilla vs. Destoroyah." The Heisei Gamera trilogy was a fine example of how good japanese monster movies could be if time and initiative are put into them. This film is the best of the trilogy, and shows just how great it is to be able to enjoy kaiju. The SFX are nearly flawless, and even the monster suits portray believable movements, showing that suitmation isn't as terrible as it is so claimed to be. The story of this film makes sense, and one can actually care for the actors. It's a shame that the Shinsei Godzilla series (99-03) didn't take an example from this film. "Godzilla 2000," the reintroduction of the Godzilla series while Gamera was ending, was a major disappointment compared to this film. If you are unsure about the giant monster genre, watch the Gamera trilogy (in order preferably, or else some parts of G3 won't make since) before looking at the Godzilla and Showa Gamera movies (but don't expect anything better unless you are watching the original uncut Japanese 1954 version of "Godzilla").

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: GREAT FX, MEDIOCRE STORY
Review: While this is clearly the most visually stunning of the three Gamera films--the sequence where Gamera fights Gyaos in downtown Tokyo will set the benchmark of Kaiju battles--the story relies so much on the metaphysical that it's hard to understand. Add two characters who do nothing but extrapolate this confusing plot just before they die senselessly, and you find yourself scratching your head and wondering how this could come from the same writer/director as the first two Gamera films. Still the monsters are great, and turning Gamera into an anti-hero--as hinted at with the closing line of Gamera 2--was inspired. The special effects will knock you out of your seat, and for that alone the movie is worth the purchase price.


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