Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (ガメラ 大怪獣空中決戦, Gamera: Daikaijū Kūchū Kessen, Gamera: Giant Monster Midair Battle), is a 1995 science fiction kaiju film directed by Shusuke Kaneko and written by Kazunori Itō. It is a reboot of the Gamera film franchise, taking the character and franchise in a more serious and darker direction, away from the campy tone of the original films, and targeting a more mature audience. It was a co-production of Hakuhodo, Daiei Film and Nippon Television, and was the first Gamera film not to be released by Daiei Film.

The film follows Asagi Kusanagi and her father and colleagues, Yoshinari Yonemori and Mayumi Nagamine, as environmental pollution reawakens ancient giant monsters, the giant turtle Gamera and three carnivorous giant vampire bats Gyaos, to do battle for the salvation of the human race.

The film was released in Japan on March 11, 1995 and was a critical and financial success, earning ¥520,000,000 ($6,000,000 USD) at the box office. It has been widely acclaimed by fans and critics and is regarded as a classic of the Kaiju genre. The film spawned two sequels, Gamera 2: Attack of Legion and Gamera 3: Awakening of Irys. It is the ninth entry in the Gamera film series and first in Shusuke Kaneko's Gamera trilogy.

Synopsis

A ship carrying plutonium collides with a floating atoll off the eastern coast of the Philippines, one of many incidents occurring throughout the area. As the anomalous formation approaches Japan, a team of scientists led by Naoya Kusanagi (Akira Onodera) discover orihalcum amulets and a stone slab covered in Etrurian runes on the atoll. During the investigation, the atoll suddenly quakes, destroying the slab and throwing the scientists into the ocean. One member of the team, Marine Officer Yoshinari Yonemori (Tsuyoshi Ihara), sees the eye and tusk of a giant turtle.

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