View Larger Image

Gamera 2 - Attack of Legion Director: Shusuke Kaneko Number of Items: 1 Format: Color Running Time: 100 minutes Studio: A.D. Vision Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2003-04-29 Buy from Amazon

From Description From the same crew who brought us the effects-juiced Gamera: Guardian of the Universe comes an even more CGI-enhanced adventure for our tortugan hero: A freak meteor shower near Sapporo, Japan brings with is more than just a killer light show. Electrical problems, over-grown plant life and a whole slew of rather irritable critters also drop in to threaten the human race. Local science instructor Midori Honami (Miki Mizuno) is called to assist the brave Colonel Watarase (Toshiyuki Nagashima) in the military's oft-confused attempts to save mankind. They must find a way to successfully combine efforts with their reptilian protector, or both will face ultimate distruction from the Earth's bugged-out invaders. Join the battle as Gamera and his bipedal pals work to repel the Attack of Legion!

Customer Reviews: Total numer of reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 "I wanted to like this more..." ...but the movie feels like a rush job. The special effects did not impress me all that much and the characters spent most of the movie running after or from the monsters. This entry sadly lacks a human element and the Gamera Girl from the first is utterly wasted here. Yes the movie has some nifty moments in it, but after seeing the first Gamera and how well its director Shusuke Kaneko handled his take on Godzilla, I was expecting so much more. On a more up positive note, the disc is crammed with juicy extras. Kaiju fans will enjoy it, just keep in mind that its just another sequel that is not equal to the first. "Getting Better !!!" Some people say the plot and SPX is getting no better but what more do you want?G flicks hardly imporve until 1985 and thats a long time consider all those g flicks they did and the story line didnt change much either.This Spx really takes over and the monster battles is great and legion quite look so challeging hes packing please believe.Overal just buy this and the other 2 as well. "Legion of Quality" Gamera: Guardian of the Universe vastly improved upon the poorness of the old Gamera films. This second film in the new series continues to do that. Shusuke Kaneko continues his work, taking place two years later, with the decision to return to the alien-invasion roots of the older 60's and 70's films. It might be considered a gutsy move, but it pays off. This film is much less disjointed than the beginning of the first one. It begins with an American weather station noting some unusual activity that they label a freak meteor shower. On the night of the shower, one large meteor creates a trail through the trees and disappears. It's tracks appear to be slowing down. Soon after, various incidents are reported with transmissions problems and sightings of strange creatures, including an attack on a subway car, that culminates in a giant flower-pod emerging in a tall building. The oxygen in the area becomes dangerously flammable, giving the army little ability to stop the strange invasion until Gamera appears to combat the flower, as well as the invaders known as Legion. There's a lot of science and figuring when it comes to the aliens in this film. While it's very easy for that to become boring, it's very interesting the first couple times through. The aliens are insect-like by nature, and there are both small ones, and a big one, for Gamera and the army to deal with. Of the trilogy, this is the only one where the plot isn't disjointed at the beginning, and it's also the only one where Gamera and the Japanese military are not disjointed. They actually work together here against a common threat from outside Earth. The special effects improve upon the previous film. While the full-CG Gamera looks very bad most of the time, it's not used often, and CG is used mostly as an assisting tool, like it should be. The suits look excellent, and they managed to find a way for Gamera's "jet" flying to look better by giving him gliders on his arms that morph away when he no longer needs them. The battles are exciting, with a combination of flashy fights and suit brawls. As with the first movie's DVD, this one comes loaded with extras. Featurettes, documentaries, etc, and of course, the Japanese language track. The movie is somewhat less emotional than it's predecessor (or it's follower), but it's still an entertaining movie, a great middle-path in the new Gamera trilogy, and an excellent kaiju film overall. "Amazing, But Not The Best" I got Gamera 2 and 3 for my birthday and I was so happy! When I saw this tape I was very satisfied with it. This movie and DVD is great! I like this movie still, but it never was the best. I mean it was good but the worst of the new Gamera series. One thing that helped it amazingly is that Legion was not just cool looking is very inventive for a space monster! It's like an exact insect version of Gayos. This is my rating for it. Gamera Costume:A- This suit is great but the head's too small. Enemy Costumes:A I would put plus but I don't have that key on my computor. Enemy Origen(s):A Like I said for costumes. Plot:B Good but has been used before. Effects:A- Good but the worst in the series. Actors:A You could really get that feeling from them. Final Grade:A- "A kaiju eiga masterpiece" In a sentence: A rollercoaster of a kaiju movie, absolutely bursting at the seams with intense action, likable characters, and a convincing story, Attack of Legion is easily in the same ballpark as the genre's finest. The middle child of the Heisei Gamera trilogy, Attack of Legion proves itself to be more than worthy of the greatness of the other films. In fact, Attack of Legion is perhaps the single best film in this critically-acclaimed series, and perhaps one of the best kaiju films ever created. While the premise of the story is quite basic, its complications are quite interesting and it is supported by solid characters. In addition to this solid story, Attack of Legion has bar-none the finest effects in any kaiju movie yet seen in America (Except perhaps Gamera 3), which is saying a lot considering its age (Nearly 9 years). Yes, it even rivals and exceeds the visual flair of Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. which was released earlier last year. The title, Attack of Legion, is all too appropriete given the film's subject matter. It's an undeniably simple story, revolving around a violent alien species transported to Earth via massive missle-launching flowers. They're here and they want to take over, dagnabbit. Its the way that the story is told that makes it so interesting: it has some believable scientific roots, and it takes itself seriously enough as to allow a very strong suspension of disbelief. Never once does it bite off more than it can chew, however, which is a very good thing and perhaps one of the largest flaws many films in the genre have. In any case, it's leaps above Gamera: Guardian of the Universe's story. Attack of Legion takes a decidedly darker approach to presentation than most kaiju movies. It never once plays down to children, especially in terms of violence. Perhaps this single fact is what makes this movie so unique and awesome: It's not afraid to throw a little suspense-horror in there, particularly in one surprisingly effective sequence where the Legion monsters attack a train. Innocent people not only die, but the train conductor is absolutely splattered across a window, and yes, it leaves a lot of blood. This happens relatively early in the movie, and it absolutely sold me. Finally there would be a truly mature kaiju movie. Finally there would be a movie that wouldn't be looked down upon by non-kaiju fans. Finally there would be a series that could very well surpass Godzilla's legacy. The train conducter isn't the only one that bleeds either: Gamera sheds a very large amount of blood all over a building during a very well done escaping sequence. Okay, I like blood a little too much. The monster designs live up elegantly to the high standards set by every other facet of the movie. The Legion monsters match their insectoid alien personalities with utmost perfection, and the final large Legion is a very unique and powerful looking monster. Surprisingly, the creatures (Save for Gamera, ironically the lowest-quality of the monsters) don't even look very fake in their numerous sequences. In fact, they would look incredibly lifelike if only they moved a little more than their rigid bodies seem to allow. Gamera, while clearly more kinetically-able than Godzilla, looks quite a bit worse in comparison to his opposition, which is a shame because he is the film's hero. Even so, his movements are entertaining and he's a flying turtle that launches fireballs, so it's hard to stay mad at him. The monsters would perhaps not look so good if not for some very well-done camera work. The director clearly knows what he's working with, and he pulls it off with utmost mastery. There are several shots that stand out in my mind as unique and very effective, complimenting the monsters at every angle. For instance, there is a sequence in the movie where the Legion minions attack a Kirin beer warehouse in order to eat precious, precious glass, and two bumbling security guards encounter them. You see the monsters only twice in this whole scene: once only in shadow, and again through the boxes of Kirin beer. It sounds very simple, and it is in esscence, but it lends a large amount of believability whereas a less-skilled director would perhaps shoot the monsters head-on. The same goes for the train sequence: You see very little of the actual Legion monsters in this particular instance (But don't worry - you see them in massive quantity later on), yet this lends an incredible amount of suspense. Not all of his shots are so simply-effective, however. There are a significant amount of artistic shots that lend a certain grace of beauty to Gamera, such as when he is engulfed in the massive flower's blast. Such delicious little perks that the kaiju genre disregards in all too many cases. I also must tip my hat to the director in regards to his risky though utterly amazing balance of CG techniques and old school model techniques. Brilliant! These visuals are often used to support the film's subtler values. There is quite a bit of Christian symbolism, and Gamera is even conveyed as a Christ-figure. Many would perhaps be turned off by the Lord being symbolized in a giant, alien-crushing turtle, but that's exactly makes kaiju cinema so brilliant: they're good movies. Gamera is by far more of a character than any Keanu Reeves character ever, yet people dismiss kaiju eiga at first glance. Despite this powerful symbolism, the movie acknowledges that its emphasis is more on action, and it never runs away with itself ala The Matrix Revolutions. The messages and symbols are gentle up until the movie's final minute in which two main characters have a brief exchange in dialogue that's the kaiju eiga trademark, "Don't mess with nature." Okay, we've all heard it a million times, but this message actually goes quite a ways to evolve the Gamera character from the good to the conditionally-good, a wise move on the creator's part. What more is there to say? Gamera 2: The Attack of Legion needs to be seen. It's perfect for entry-level kaiju fans, as it is loaded with fun action sequences, but it also goes quite a bit deeper. Not quite as deep as something such as Godzilla vs. Mothra, but the difference is that Attack of Legion is simply a good time. Think of it as a poetry slam. There's loud noises, good characters, and you can read into things if you want, though it's hardly required. Attack of Legion is easily amongst the top 5 kaiju eiga ever created.