Gamera 4: Truth (2003)

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Gamera 4: Truth
The Japanese poster for Gamera 4: Truth
Directed by Shinpei Hayashiya
Written by Shinpei Hayashiya
Music by Kow Otani, Tadashi Yamanouchi
Budget $2,500[1]
Running time 45 minutes (estimated)
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Gamera 4: Truth (駕瞑羅 (ガメラ)4 真実,   Gamera Fō: Shinjitsu)[a] is a Japanese Gamera fan film written, directed, and produced by Shinpei Hayashiya. Though non-canonical, it presents itself as a sequel to Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris and received approval from Gamera's then-rightsholder Daiei. It has never been released on home video and has rarely been shown in public since a series of free screenings in Japan in 2003.

Plot

The story picks up where Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris left off, with the JSDF rushing to confront the swarm of Hyper Gyaos invading Japan. Squadron after squadron of fighter jets fall before the monsters. A wounded Gamera takes off from the burning ruins of Kyoto to join the midair battle, where he spins off wild mana shots that pick off a few Hyper Gyaos. The tide of the battle turns when the survivors are joined by the Albino Gyaos, a more powerful, all-white version of the Hyper Gyaos. The entire flock takes aim and fires their supersonic beams on Gamera, causing him to plunge downward to a watery grave.

Following the battle, the Japanese government enlists the help of Nagamine and Osako to help the military search for the new monster. After locating it, the JSDF deploys a large force of tanks, rocket launchers, and helicopters, but the Albino Gyaos proves to be too strong for them. Later, the Albino Gyaos attacks the hotel that Osako is staying at, and he is presumed dead in the rubble. Finally, the military pits a heat ray tank, the SGPM-2, against the Albino Gyaos, but it too fails miserably.

One of the ancient Gamera skeletons is given mana power from the Earth and regenerates into a new Gamera. Landing in Yokohama Bay, this Gamera destroys everything in sight. The Albino Gyaos arrives to attack Gamera, and the two engage in a climactic battle, with the former deploying an energy shield and the latter unleashing a pair of plasma sabers. Gamera eventually prevails over his arch-nemesis, yet does not return to the sea. Instead, he continues his rampage, destroying and burning everything from Yokohama to Shinjuku. The JSDF launches a last-ditch offensive in Shinjuku using more SGPM-2s, but Gamera easily thwarts the attack. Suddenly, a huge explosion erupts from Gamera, and central Tokyo is reduced to smoldering ruins.

Afterwards, Osako turns up alive in Okinawa - as far away from Tokyo as possible - wondering how he always manages to survive such calamities. As he hobbles away, a news broadcast is overheard which mentions that the new Gamera opened a crater 1 kilometer wide and 400 meters deep in the center of Tokyo. The Japanese and U.S. military have found many unclassified prehistoric eggs deep within the crater.

Staff

Note: Names and positions sourced from the film's poster.

Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.

  • Directed by   Shinpei Hayashiya
  • Written by   Shinpei Hayashiya
  • Supervised by   Hirokatsu Kihara
  • Produced by   Shinpei Hayashiya
  • Stock music by   Kow Otani, Tadashi Yamanouchi
  • Cinematography by   Taka Arai, Nobuyuki Yamasaki
  • Visual effects by   Kazuya Hayashi

Cast

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

Appearances

Monsters

U.S. release

The only known screening of Gamera 4: Truth in the United States was a 2014 invite-only event held on the final day of G-Fest XXI in Rosemont, Illinois. Director Shinpei Hayashiya, a guest at the convention, introduced the film.

Gallery

Main article: Gamera 4: Truth/Gallery.

Video

Excerpts of Gamera 4: Truth
shown on Japanese television
Full TV interview with Shinpei Hayashiya

Trivia

  • According to Shusuke Kaneko, Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris was originally meant to include an epilogue which he described as similar to Gamera 4: Truth. In it, Gamera would have wiped out the Hyper Gyaos in Kyoto with an ultimate attack which also reduced the city to a smoldering ruin.[3] Kaneko has additionally commented that, if given the chance to direct a sequel to Gamera 3, he would likely begin it similarly to Gamera 4: Truth.[4]
  • Despite not sharing continuity with the Heisei trilogy, Gamera the Brave may sometimes be referred to as "Gamera 4." The Japanese Heisei Gamera 4K Digital Restoration Blu-ray Box abbreviates it as "G IV".
  • At least one showing of the film in Japan was preceded by three animated shorts called "Gametaro", parodying both Gamera and the Hamtaro franchise.[5]
  • The Gamera suit created for this film was reused as the turtle monster Onigames for the independent tokusatsu series Seikan Tokusou Assaultman. The newly-grafted head for the suit does not disguise Onigames' resemblance to Gamera, however, which is comically commented upon by one of the protagonists during the monster's arrival.[6][7]
  • The unreleased documentary Kaiju Gaiden is said to include interview segments with Shinpei Hayashiya and footage from Gamera 4: Truth.
  • Most of the music from the film is taken from Kow Otani's Gamera scores, with a track from Tadashi Yamanouchi's Gamera the Giant Monster score playing during the giant turtle's Tokyo rampage.

External links

Notes

  1. During a TV interview with Shinpei Hayashiya, footage from the movie was titled onscreen as Gamera 4: Truth - Complete Edition (ガメラ4・真実・完全版,   Gamera Fō Shinjitsu Kanzenban), with Gamera in katakana and interpuncts rather than a space.

References

This is a list of references for Gamera 4: Truth. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

  1. The latest news on GAMERA 4: The truth
  2. https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%AC%E3%83%A1%E3%83%A94_%E7%9C%9F%E5%AE%9F
  3. Takenouchi, Madoka (28 January 2021). "金子修介監督、平成ガメラ三部作を語る!令和ガメラにも「やる気十分」". Movie Walker Press. p. 3.
  4. "「駕暝羅4」角川大映公認?!自主映画を無料上映!". Chofu Cinema Club. 10 December 2019.
  5. 2003 Gamera 4: Truth - Monster Zero News Repost
  6. https://youtu.be/ZVxRDQnfops
  7. https://tokusatsu.fandom.com/wiki/Seikan_Tokusou_Assaultman

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