Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.”
While monitoring the skies NASA detects a massive meteor shower heading for Earth. Midori Honami (Miki Mizuno) is a science teacher on a field trip with a group of kids. They witness one large meteorite land in the mountains in Northern Japan near Sapporo City. When the Japanese Self-Defense Forces go to investigate they realize that the meteorite is gone. At night, however, the sky glows green.
Midori is curator of the Sapporo Science Center. She and her director Akio Nojiri (Yusuke Kawazu) go out to investigate the phenomenon. When their car dies they are approached by Colonel Yusuke Watarase (Toshiyuki Nagashima) and First Lt. Hanatani (Tamotsu Ishibashi). Watarase has his men assist in getting their car started. Conversation between the scientists and the soldiers revolves around the meteorite.
The next night an alarm goes off at a warehouse. The security guards witness what they call a giant insect-like creature devouring glass. There have also been reports of thefts of fiber optic cables. Midori notices that the reports have been moving north. Colonel Watarase calls Midori and asks her for assistance in finding out what is going on. Midori puts forward a hypothesis that extra-terrestrial life could have landed on Earth.
In the subways of Sapporo the extra-terrestrial creates a nest. Watarase investigates and finds alien creatures along with what looks like a pod. Midori proposes that the insects and the pod have a symbiotic relationship. The insects feed the pod silicon and the pod releases huge amounts of oxygen. The JSDF determines that the huge increase in oxygen is incompatible with human life. They must destroy the pod. Unfortunately to do so would also destroy Sapporo. Midori tells Watarase that the pod, when it flowers, will explode and send its seed into space to colonize other planets.
Gamera arrives and pulls the flowered plant out by its roots. Swarms of worker insects engulf Gamera. One of the soldiers calls the swarm “Legion” after a bible quote. While Gamera is fighting the swarm the Queen Legion flies off to create another nest. Gamera’s work is not done.
“Gamera 2: Attack of Legion” was released in 1996 and was directed by Shusuke Kaneko. It is a Kaiju superhero movie. It is also the 10th entry in the Gamera series and the second in the Heisei period reboot. It is also a direct sequel to “Gamera: Guardian of the Universe” 1995. The film was produced by Daiei Motion Picture Company and distributed by TOHO.
So far I’m liking this new Gamera. Production values have gone way up, the special effects are larger and better, the story is interesting and the music score is impressive. Gamera has grown up.
The song played over the ending credits is called “Sky”. It is performed by the Japanese rock band Ulfuls. It took two people to operate the Mother Legion suit, Mizuho Yoshida and Toshinori Sasaki. The in suit performer of Gamera was Akira Ohashi.
Ayako Fujitani makes a cameo appearance as Asagi Kusanagi the girl that had the spiritual connection with Gamera in the first re-boot of the franchise, “Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe”.
The name give to the Legion species is Symbiotic Legion. They are an alien race of insectoid creatures. They cultivate enormous plants that allow them to spread to other planets. The Mother Legion uses an army of soldier insects to help her defend the pod. Many of Legions attributes are similar to various Earth insects.
In the reboot of Gamera, the giant turtle is a guardian genetically engineered by the ancient civilization of Atlantis. Gamera’s job is to defend the Earth from Atlantis’ previously created creature Gyaos. The first time around Gamera defeated Gyaos but Atlantis was destroyed in the process. Gamera remained inside a rock atoll for thousands of years until man’s pollution revived Gyaos. When it came to battling Legion, Gamera had to draw energy from the Earth itself to put forward enough energy to combat the extra-terrestrial.
English dubbed
Japanese subtitled