Three years following Legion’s defeat, Gyaos begin to emerge throughout Japan, sending Gamera into a frenzied rage as a new threat rises to challenge his supremacy. Iris, fuelled by its psychic connection to Ayana, a young girl who lost her parents during Gamera’s battle with Super Gyaos in 1995, seeks revenge. Finally shedding his ‘friend to all children’ moniker, an angry, animalistic Gamera leaves devastation in its wake, stopping at nothing to destroy Iris.

This stunning conclusion to Shusuke Kaneko’s Heisei trilogy completes the journey of the benevolent beast from Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995) to an unfeeling, instinctual monster. By reframing the events of the first film as a tragedy that carried much collateral damage, rather then the hopeful victory it was initially depicted as, Revenge of Iris forces us to consider what humanity’s relationship to these giant creatures really means, and question just what it is we’re cheering for when one triumphs over another.

With some of the most impressive practical kaiju effects in all of cinema and thrilling action that balances spectacle with emotion, this final chapter is essential viewing. See Gamera 2: Attack of Legion on Saturday 4 July, then join us to complete this epic 90s saga.

Kaijuly: Planet - Meltdown

For Kaijuly’s third year at the Showroom, we’re going bigger and better, with a weekend-long concentrated dose of seven kaiju classics.

Explore Kaijuly: Planet - Meltdown

Director Shusuke Kaneko
Year 1999
Duration 1h 50m
Language Japanese with English subtitles
Cast Shinobu Nakayama, Ai Maeda, Yukijirô Hotaru