| Gamera 2: Attack of Legion | |||||
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 Theatrical release poster | |||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | ガメラ2 レギオン襲来 | ||||
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| Directed by | Shusuke Kaneko | ||||
| Screenplay by | Kazunori Ito[1] | ||||
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |||||
| Cinematography | Junichi Tozawa[1] | ||||
| Edited by | Shizuo Arakawa[1] | ||||
| Music by | Kow Otani[1] | ||||
Production companies | |||||
| Distributed by | Toho | ||||
Release date |
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Running time | 100 minutes[1] | ||||
| Country | Japan | ||||
| Language | Japanese | ||||
| Budget | $5 million[2] | ||||
| Box office | $6.5 million[3] | ||||
Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (ガメラ2 レギオン襲来,Gamera Tsū: Region Shūrai;lit. 'Gamera 2: Invasion of Legion')[a] is a 1996 Japanesekaiju film directed byShusuke Kaneko, with special effects byShinji Higuchi. Produced by Daiei Film and distributed byToho, the film is the 10th entry in theGamera film series, as well as the second film in the franchise'sHeisei period, serving as a direct sequel to the 1995 filmGamera: Guardian of the Universe. The film starsToshiyuki Nagashima,Miki Mizuno, Tamotsu Ishibashi, andMitsuru Fukikoshi, withAyako Fujitani andYukijirō Hotaru reprising their roles from the previous film, and withAkira Ohashi portraying the titular monsterGamera.
Gamera 2: Attack of Legion also featuresMizuho Yoshida as Legion Queen, the leader of a race of insectoid silicon-based extraterrestrials that invade Earth, prompting Gamera to come to the planet's defense. The film was released theatrically in Japan on July 13, 1996, and was followed byGamera 3: Revenge of Iris in 1999.
A variety seriesHow Do You Like Wednesday? is largely inspired by the trilogy, and several music and telops and formats used for trailers and various scenes of the program are reused from the trilogy. As the film features Hokkaido,Yō Ōizumi,Takayuki Suzui, andKen Yasuda appeared as extras, making it the first film career for Ōizumi.[6][7]
One year after the battle betweenGamera and the Gyaos,[b] a large meteor crashes inHokkaido. TheJapan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), led by colonel Yusuke Watarase, investigate the crash site; unbeknown to the investigation team, several insect-likeextraterrestrial creatures have emerged from the meteor. Meanwhile, a series of telecommunication failures garners the attention ofNTT, whose engineers discover that the underground lines in the affected area have been completely removed. Network engineer Obitsu notices that the missing cables form a straight path that head south from the crash site.
The creatures make their way to the city ofSapporo, where they attackSapporo Municipal Subway and make a hive in the subway tunnels. When Watarase and a team of JGSDF soldiers enter the tunnel to investigate, a large pod-like structure emerges from the ground. Watarase then discovers that the pod is dramatically increasing the oxygen levels in the surrounding area. Watarase then teams up with Obitsu and Miss Honami, a science instructor; the three realize that the pod is a biological launch pad that will shoot a seed into space to colonize another planet, with the increased oxygen levels helping to increase the explosion of the launch.
The three also realize that any attempt to destroy the pod will also result in the destruction of Sapporo. With the seed about to launch, Gamera rises from the ocean and flies to Sapporo. Gamera uproots the pod before it can launch, but is then swarmed by the creatures and is forced to retreat. After Gamera flies away, a large creature emerges from underground to start another hive, with one of Watarase's soldiers Hanatani dubbing the creatures "Legion".
The Legion makes their way toSendai to start a second hive. Watarase orders Honami to evacuate the city; as she is evacuating she runs into Asagi Kusanagi, a teenage schoolgirl who shares a psychic connection to Gamera. As Honami and Asagi's helicopter attempts to evacuate the Legion Queen and Gamera emerge and engage in a fight. The queen, having stalled nearly long enough for the pod to launch, severely injures Gamera and retreats back underground as Honami and Asagi escape, while Watarase orders his men to evacuate the city. Gamera manages to destroy the pod before it launches, but the resulting explosion destroys the city and seemingly kills Gamera in the blast.
Watarase, Obitsu, and Honami meet again and realize that the Legion aresilicon-based creatures that are attracted to electromagnetic sources. They also realize that the Legion, having become desperate after two failed attempts, will targetTokyo next and will face little resistance due to the presumed death of Gamera. Honami returns toSendai Station ruins to meet with Asagi to see if it's possible to revive Gamera. Asagi reaches out to Gamera and he is eventually revived, but the connection between him and Asagi is severed as her amulet shatters.
TheJapanese prime minister orders the mobilization of all JSDF to cutoff the Legion before the swarm can reach Tokyo. Gamera fights the Legion Queen while the defense forces take down the smaller creatures with help from Obitsu and Watarase using a trap at a local power plant. Gamera rips off the queen's horns, seemingly defeating her; however, the queen rises and unleashes a new attack of laser whips that rip Gamera's flesh.
With the Legion Queen seemingly having gained the upper hand, Gamera draws upon the mana of humans from around the world and his chest opens up, revealing a plasma cannon. Gamera fires upon the queen, blowing her apart and killing her. As the soldiers watch Gamera fly off into the sky, Asagi tearfully bids him farewell.
The film began production in 1995.[8] Shortly after it was announcedA.D. Vision would give thefirst film a theatrical release, it was further announced that the sequel was now in post-production under the then working title ofGamera 2: Raygion Attacks with the first film's creative team returning.[2]
The explosion of theSapporo Municipal Subway byJSDF was inspired by the depictions of an elevator shaft and its destruction in the 1988 filmDie Hard.[9]
Gamera 2: Attack of Legion was released theatrically in Japan on July 13, 1996, where it was distributed byToho.[1] It was released directly to video onDVD in the United States in 2003 byADV Films.[1]
The film was the firstdaikaiju film to win theNihon SF Taisho Award (the JapaneseNebula Award) in 1996.[10] This decision sparked a fierce debate in the Japanese Science Fiction community, with many critics arguing that it signaled the decline of Japanese SF literature.[11]
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