Y’know, it’s funny. Kaiju movies can be so cheesy that it’s easy to forget how the genre started. Before these movies were basically WWE matches with rubber costumes, they were horror films. Giant unstoppable monsters or swarms of aliens are far more terrifying when you take away the goofy costumes and silly special effects.
On a completely unrelated note, let’s watch another Gamera movie!
The Heisei era hit the ground running with ‘Gamera: Guardian of the Universe‘. It was a great kaiju film through and through. Fun, exciting, horrifying, and thought provoking, it set a high bar for the rest of the series going forward.
Today, we’re going to find out if its sequel, ‘Gamera 2: Attack of Legion‘ can reach that bar. If not that, then we’ll see if it’s at least a fun giant monster film. So, without further ado, let’s get into the movie.
A freak meteor shower falls upon Japan. Soon after, a mysterious swarm of alien lifeforms begins to terrorize the country, devouring humans and constructing massive nests in the heart of Japanese cities. These creatures are quickly given a name: Legion. Humanity has been thrust into another desperate struggle for survival. Can even Gamera, the planet’s ultimate protector, overcome these deadly parasites?
This movie does something few kaiju sequels bother with: it builds off of the plot of the last film. Japan hasn’t magically rebuilt itself over the course of one year. Tokyo Tower is still a wreck after Gyaos made it its nest. Characters from the previous entry return in minor and major roles. It’s a solid sequel while still being a largely independent film.
Unfortunately, it does little to build on the themes of its predecessor. ‘Gamera: Guardian of the Universe‘ explored the idea of preservation against survival. At what point was it ethical to kill an endangered species when said species threatens mankind’s survival? ‘Attack of Legion‘ doesn’t concern itself with such questions. It keeps it simple, focusing on horror and kaiju action. Which isn’t a deal breaker, but it is somewhat disappointing.
The characters are also a downgrade. They weren’t especially interesting or memorable in the last movie, but at least they showed some modicum of personality. Here? It’s all plot all the time. Any humanity the cast gets is entirely from the actors, not the script. Luckily for us, the cast of this movie knocked it out of the park, so the issue of characterization is a minor one.
Thankfully, those are my only complaints about the story. Even with these issues, the film is pretty damn good!
I thought the last movie was dark. Turns out, I hadn’t seen anything yet! AoL cranks the horror and gore up to eleven, grounding the film’s events in a grim, gruesome reality.
Legion make for a fascinating and creepy antagonist. Gone are the silly costumes and snake-like eyes of aliens in the series’ past. Instead, we’re given a swarm of man-eating parasitic insects. The film compares them to leaf-cutter ants, who forage from nature to feed mushrooms growing in their colonies. They defeat Gamera not by turning into a giant monster (at first), but by overwhelming him with sheer force of numbers. It’s a terrifying twist of the usual kaiju formula.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a kaiju movie if Gamera didn’t have another giant monster to fight. What begins as a giant flying matriarch evolves into an energy-absorbing, lightning-spitting subterranean titan! Yet the don’t throw away everything that made the initial swarm terrifying and unique. While the big one battles Gamera, the little ones give our human characters an active role in the plot with their own desperate battle for survival. It’s a fantastic balance that makes Legion the coolest antagonist in the Gamera series to date!
Grim as this movie is, it’s not without its humor. Intentional or otherwise. Which is absolutely a good thing; this movie is so dour that the occasional bit of humor is much appreciated.
The opening scene gives us something I’ve been sorely missing since the very first Gamera movie: hilariously bad English dialogue. Writing wise, the scene is perfectly serviceable. But the actors are so stiff and awkward, with their nonsensical accents and wooden deliveries, that I can’t help but laugh. Not even a minute into the movie and I was laughing my ass off. It made me think I was in for a comedy!
Boy howdy, was I wrong…
The film also shows its age by giving us several scenes of early-90s Japanese internet. You could tell this movie was made at a time when most people didn’t understand how computers worked yet. Such as when the scientists click on a new tab and the browser… implodes on itself. It’s an entertaining little window into the times.
Dumb fun fact: this movie is filled with product placement for Kirin Ichiban, a Japanese beer brand. Which is my favorite beer; I used to drink it a lot with my bros. It’s good stuff.
Anyways, enough about my alcoholic preferences. Let’s talk about how the movie looks.
In terms of editing and cinematography, the movie hasn’t improved dramatically over its predecessor. Make no mistake, there are some damn good looking shots in this movie. That shot of a dead Gamera kneeling in the ruins of Sendai goes hard as FUCK!! But those are still complimented by slide transitions, awkward close-ups, and now: awkwardly placed still-frame flashbacks and montages.
Thankfully, the special effects, sets, and props all still look phenomenal. The miniature work is incredible, giving us some jaw-dropping city destruction work. However, the CGI was still limited by the times, so it’s still about as ugly as it was before. Luckily, its use is fairly limited, so this is a minor complaint.
As for the kaiju fights: they’re awesome! Gone are the silly choreographed moves and cheesy edits. It’s a slug match between two giant creatures throwing their weight at each other and shooting lasers; it’s everything the child inside me could have hoped for!
But what truly escalates them are the music. Or in this case, the lack thereof. For the most part, the fights have no OST backing them, letting you get fully immersed in the battle. Which makes the score much more impactful when it finally does hit!
Also, a minor thing, but I love that the movie is largely set during the winter. The snow and gray skies give it a unique aesthetic you rarely see from kaiju films. It fits the dour tone of the story, and to top it all off, it simply looks really cool.
Musically, this film is another 10/10! Koh Otani‘s orchestral score is every bit as incredible as it was in the last film! In case you don’t recognize that name, he’s the legend behind the score of ‘Shadow of the Colossus‘, one of the greatest video game soundtracks of all time! This movie’s OST is some of the best music to ever grace the genre! Most of his tracks are bombastic and exciting, which makes the rare somber songs even more beautiful.
‘Gamera 2: Attack of Legion‘ is a rock solid kaiju movie! Action, horror, a few laughs, it’s got it all! While I feel the first movie was still a better package overall, this is still a great sequel and a great film in its own right! I enjoyed my time with it from start to finish!
And then there were two. We’re in the last stretch of the Gamera series now. Will the Heisei era manage to stick the landing? Or are we about to see another fall from grace?
I just hope Koh Otani stuck around for the third movie. Even if that movie turns out to be awful, I’ll be happy if we get more of his music.
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