Gamera 2: Attack of Legion

Directed by: Shusuke Kaneko

Screenplay by: Kazunori Ito

Produced by: Daiei Film

Release Date: July 13, 1996

Lenght: 1 hour, 39 minutes

The second entry in Kaneko's Heisei Gamera Trilogy. Attack of Legion is an excellent example of a perfect sequel. With both writing and special effects taking an even bigger leap in quality.

The plot deals with the titular Legion. A swarm of silicon-based insectoid alien creatures, who plant their nests on populated areas of Japan, planting the seeds for planetary conquest. It's up to Gamera, everyone's favourite big old turtle to stop them. But between the military's lack of cooperation, and his enemy's viciousness, Gamera's resolve is tested to it's limit, putting into question the necessity of his bond with humanity against a threat that may not be that different from our own species...

The costume design is amazing. The monsters are both expressive and realistic. It's combination of digital and practical effects is seamless and still look incredible three decades later. Legion stands out from much of Gamera's rouge's gallery up to this point. Their design is terryfing, the cruelty and coldness of their kills, and the wounds they leave on Gamera, not out of sadism but rather cold calculated survival, is bound to leave an impression on the viewer. The alien antagonist is an excellent foil to the more mythologically inspired sensibilities of Kaneko's take on Gamera.

I've watched this movie quite a couple of times already. Once on my own, again with my boyfriend, and more recently once again with a friend group who have never seen a Gamera film before. Seeing it leave a strong impression on each first viewing is a testament to the film's quality. It's also amusing every time to see everyone's reaction to Gamera's ability to fly with his shell like a saucer, and how it inspired characters like Bowser and Blastoise.

So if you're unfamiliar with the franchise, this one is highly recommended. Minimum knowledge of the previous film, Guardian of the Universe, is needed to follow it along. And even then, the only relevant aspect is a woman acting as the mediator between Gamera and humanity. But it goes without saying that the first movie goes recommended as well. Same goes for Revenge of Iris, the next installment, which builds on the consequences of Attack of Legion beautifully. I honestly can't think of a trilogy more well-crafted than this one.

To close off, I'd like to leave you with a bit of trivia:

  • This is the first Daikaiju film to win Nihon SF Taisho Award, Japan's national science fiction award. This sparked a debate on it's community, because despite the film's high quality, scholars worried that it marked a decline for Japan's science fiction literature.
  • Legion's design might be based on Shamshel, the 4th Angel from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Most notably in the final battle, with rib-like claws on the inside of it's body and glowing tentacles that can pierce through anything.
  • Speaking of Evangelion, ADV Films, (in)famous for ther English dubbing of the anime, their ill-fated attempts to produce a Hollywood adaptation and a comedic localization of Ghost Stories, were the ones who dubbed and localized this and the other two Heisei Gamera films for the United States in the early 2000s. In the case of this title in particular, it's generally a good dub, but the quality of the voice acting shifts depending on how much screen-time a character gets. It also recieved a comical "Lake Texarkana" dub, which changed the dialogue for redneck jokes and the soundtrack to country music.