Gamera: Millennium Era Films (2006—)

Gamera the Brave (2006)

Dir. Ryuta Tasaki

Kadokawa's re-imagining of Gamera is a significant departure from Daiei's Heisei era style and as such deserves to be judged by different criteria. It's very much a children's movie, but it's one that has the potential to touch their hearts and stay in residence there as they grow and mature.

It follows Toru (Ryo Tomioka), a boy not yet come to terms with the death of his mother a year before. Toru has friends but spends much of his time alone. When he finds a baby turtle, they form a strong bond. He protects it and as it grows it protects him in return.

It's a sentimental journey that isn't without its explosive moments, but the real punch in the story is the simplicity by which it's told and the lingering aspect of the perfect ending.

To date, that's the only film in the Millennium era. Kadokawa have released a proof of concept trailer for a new Gamera feature (search for 'Gamera 2015 Trailer' on YouTube to see it), but there's no date set yet. The tone is much closer to the Heisei era trilogy than The Brave was, but there's a lot of CGI involved. Hopefully that's just because it's a proof and the real deal will have proper, practical effects. If or when it gets made and released, I'll watch it and update this post.

This is unlikely to happen... but we can all dream, right?