TBF, Mags, you have been doing a lot of the heavylifting for the quest, so this will be in good hands.
To be clear to everyone, this is just me burning out on imagination of the quest, since my muse has been hitting me over the head a lot with so many different ideas that I just can't find myself too interested in this.
I'll still hang out here, though, since this still does have a sepcial place in my heart.
I'd like to thank you all for making this a wonderful experience while it lasted.
I'd also like to thank @Magoose, @Fluffy_serpent, and @Martin Noctis for doing so much to help prepare and write this quest. I couldn't have done it without you all.
Almost a thousand and two-hundred pages, over two years of quest and three months of my life, and I finally caught on. This was one heck of a ride, and I only have one thing remaining to say.
I CALL DIBS ON UNDERTALE YELLOW. if someone wants to work on it as well, just ping me
Across America in 90 Days Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Written by: Paul Schrader
Produced by: Edward Neumeier
Production and Distribution Studio: Lucasfilms Unlimited
Starring: Bill Paxton, Eric Stolz
"You wanted to see me, Boss?" Quentin Tarantino asked nervously.
"Have a seat Quentin." You offered, with the 19 year old awkwardly sitting down in front of you. You don't think you gave off anything like an intimidating aura or were a tough boss, but ever since Empire Strikes Back, it was hard to get people to be casual with you.
"You don't need to act like a kid getting called to the Principal's Office." You joked, trying to alleviate some tension.
"Yeah will, I've never really had much talks in the office which didn't have something a little harsh." Tarantino retorted, to which you shrugged your shoulders, as that may be the case.
"Well, the reason why I asked you here today was because Dave shared from me that you believe that a filmmaker should only make 10 films, and then afterwards they basically lose their talent and enter a long decline." At that Tarantino froze and started sweating, mumbling something of a response before you raised your hand. "I'm not offended or anything Quentin, it's just that if you only plan to make 10 films with us, I want to know if this shall be set in stone so we can discuss your long-term employment."
Tarantino took a minute to compose himself, likely under some fear that he would face consequences, even though you really just wanted to seek clarification on what the hell he was thinking. After a heavy sigh, he spoke.
"So, I was just-kind of thinking, at least in my personal beliefs, that once a filmmaker has made ten movies, that they reached their peak and they enter a decline."
"Why?" You simply asked. You could very easily see many filmmakers having gone through this, hell that hack Cimino crashed and burned in a few. But it was a bit silly to have such an ironclad law to movies.
"Well, it's like athletics you know. Magic Johnson and Steve Young aren't going to be star athletes forever. Everyone's skill fades as they get older, and I think a lot of filmmakers lose their edge after their 10th. They get full of themselves, content with their styles, really stop innovating or adapting to the times. That's why, a Director should stop at their 10th, leave on a high note." Tarantino argued.
"You do realize that Steven Spielberg has made exactly 10 movies? Should I call George, cancel production on Temple of Doom and fire Steve because his 11th means the movie's gonna fail?" You pressed forward, making Tarantino look downward and bashful.
"Well, there's some exceptions." He mumbled.
You sighed, "Quentin, if you are deadset on this rule you created, then fine by me, you've still got nine great films left to go. You do realize though, that over half of them likely won't be movies you write."
At that Tarantino looked at you confused, and a bit betrayed, "What are you referring to?"
"Quentin, here at Lucasfilms we have a lot of freedom given to our filmmakers and like for them to be able to pursue their ideal projects. However, in return for such freedom, they have to create one project of our design. You make one for yourself, and then you make one for us."
"All of your directoral films were personal projects or made by Carrie." Quentin retorted, then added an embarrassed "Sir."
"Well I am the co-owner of the studio, when you helped to found it, you're given a lot of leeway." You said, shaking your head, "Quentin, I'm not trying to punish you or restrict you, but that's just the way it is here, even George is planning on directing a movie next year from the Script Room." You said, perking up his interest.
"Let's be honest Quentin. Would any other studio have been willing to hire a teenager straight out of high school, and let him direct a feature film of his own script with very liberal usage of N-bombs and graphic violence."
"None." Quentin whispered.
"It was a good decision, Reservoir Dogs is a great movie." You complimented, wanting to lift the poor guy's spirits up which you did with a smile. "And I look forward to more movies born from your pen. But if that's gonna happen, I need you to do films for us just like all the other directors, and that would mean you can only make five films from your scripts."
"Well...I could make it 10 films that I wrote and then stop." Quentin said weakly, though it was clear he had doubts of his own plans.
"Whatever you say." Either way it would take more than a decade for Tarantino to meet whatever standard he set so it was a far future concern. "I brought this up because script selection is gonna be in a few weeks and you're on the docket."
"Can I at least pick the script I'm gonna direct."
"Whatever one you want. Just don't turn a PG film into a rated R one just for the sake of it." This was how Quentin Tarantino ended up directing Across America in 90 Days, having been the first one in the room to pick a script and having strongly connected with the material. Paul Schraeder as the author was fairly concerned to say the least, that Tarantino might make it a violence fest with lots of hard R swears, though Quentin took to the film as a challenge to really step outside his comfort bubble and really test himself as a Director. What came out of it was pretty great.
Across America in 90 Days was a road trip comedy following...well the first ever road trip. Where in 1903, a man named Horatio Nelson Jackson took on a $50 bet to drive an automobile across the continental US, from the Pacific to the Atlantic. By far the most ambitious trip of its time for the early car, Horatio undergoes this great journey out of pride and love for the automobile and odd stuborness. Joined by a mechanic named Sewall Crocker and a dog they pick up named Bud, the trio race across America, encountering many odd characters and situations and going through the journey of a lifetime in the very first road trip.
It was on the surface a very simple premise that 20 years ago would have probably been a C-list Disney adventure movie. Though what made Across America special was how it took a very mundane premise and experience and made it a surreal spectacle, largely thanks to how everyone is reacting to the road trip with cars at the time considered a novelty and such an ambitious undertaking being bizarre and stupendous, thus taking something common and making it near fantasy. It also helps that the historical accounts paint an extremely humurous and quirky story.
This is seen in the film's intro which starts with a collection of posh businessmen discussing various topics of the day, which in Tarantino fashion goes on for four minutes though the dialogue and performances are really strong all around. Eventually, the conversation shifts to cars, with one businessman simply dismissing it as a spectacular fad. When Horatio hears this, he is completely outraged and confronts the man, though expectations are subverted when the confrontation is one-sided with Horatio acting as a shining knight for automobiles to defend them against the mild dislike of a bewildered stranger, thus setting the tone for the movie.
Paul had done a fantastic job in the script alone, adapting the fun and fascinating memoir of Jackson and Crocker's adventure and all the little quirks and oddities of the experience, though Tarantino really elevated it through his unique sense of humor and character-driven directing. While the overall plot could be considered very simple and it is relatively low stakes, its how the characters act in an almost anime-like larger than life fashion that really pulls in watchers with the reactions to this one of a kind and newborn adventure and the many misadventures that Jackson and Crocker get into crossing the country and just trying to stay in it at all really keep you engaged from start to finish.
Leading the film is Bill Paxton as Horatio. You wouldn't have pegged him for a comedic actor, but Bill showed some decent comedic chops, really bringing the eccentric historical personality of Horatio to the screen and transforming what should be a boring plot into a laughfest through Horatio's hyperfixations, sheer determination and larger than life attitude that made him such a contemporary legend. Horatio is just a fun guy overall, he's a man who does whatever he sets his mind to and will make Mount Everest on a Mole Hill to defend his passions and pursue his goals. Really likable and you can't help but root for him and laugh with him from start to finish. Bill adapted everything perfectly and followed Tarantino's style to its most perfect execution, a great consequence of having starred earlier in Reservoir Dogs.
Complimenting Bill is heavily unknown Eric Stolz as Sewall Crocker, the straight man to Horatio who gets roped in simply for the rather generous salary that Hoaratio offers to act as his mechanic. Sewall works great as an audience surrogate, being roped into Horatio's Quixotic Quest and slowly over the course of the film, goes from a straight man, to a fatigued mechanic in over his head, to the Sancho Panza to Horatio's Quixote and simply embracing the madness and going along with the ride. Bill and Eric share great chemistry and its great to see such an actor of low experience being given such a big and noticable break.
Lastly of the main "Trio" as it were is the dog Bud, an American Bulldog. Bud's entrance in and of itself was hillarious, Horatio being presented a bulldog when he rushes back to a town in a mad dash to retrieve his jacket, he's just out of nowhere presented with Bud by a farmer who wants Horatio to use him as a mascot, an offer that Horatio happily accepts without hesitation. You love Bud. He's just such a perfect addition to the film who brings laughter simply by being in the moment, his derpy smile, chill nature and comical appearence with goggles winning over many fans and being a highlight of the movie. Bud works great in keeping levity in some of the more tense moments and bringing a good combination of cute and wacky to the scenes. You loved every scene with him and his little side adventures throughout the journey was some of the best usage of a live action dog in cinema. Bud just left you with warm feelings and you made sure to give Natalie plenty of belly rubs when you got home.
Though you don't have any hard data, you believe that Bud helped to soften America on bulldogs and pitbulls gradually over the 80s. Tarantino for himself had loved working with the various Bud actors so much he adopted a Pit Bull of his own named Brandy after filming was done.
Perhaps Across America would have worked great with other directors like Steve and Ron, though Tarantino brought his own style to production and in some cases really elevated it. His unique sense of comedy plays well to the script and the Tarantino trademark dialogue was absolutely perfect for a character-driven film when so much of it is a series of loosely connected vignettes of people simply reacting to the novelty of a car along with Horatio and Sewall's relationship. Admittedly, it did come with some caveats like a very generous employment of swear words which pushed it to PG-13 when it could have been PG (Though thankfully no usage of the N-word) and a few fight scenes which certainly didn't happen in real life. Though Tarantino would be subdued compared to his later work and some of the liberties compliment the various odd situations well.
Even though Tarantino pushed what was a two hour adventure into nearly three hours, you don't really feel the time as you get lost within the many fun characters sprinkled throughout and the comedy which never stops or loses its luster. Probably your favorite subplots are the man who thought the Vermont was a high speed train, and the two auto companies who started a proper race to reach the Atlantic and their failures, all the while Horatio and Sewall are completely ignorant to the fact that they're racing. Really, the multitude of vignettes and the oddities of every storyline reminded you strongly of an RPG and how Horatio and Sewall just kept getting themselves lost in side quests of the most frivolous main quest of all time, pretty funny to think about.
Across America in 90 Days would only receive half the total box office of Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs in spite of its greater appeal to general audiences, a likely consequence of being in Blockbuster season. Still, at least America actually gave it a shot and lead the gross this time, and it was enough of a psuedo-family film for many teens and pre-teens to attend. Attendance was quite comfortable across the summer and it was a hit in Europe where the train and bicyclist favored nations took an interest on how America's car obsession was born.
Audiences loved it across the board, finding it an extremely hilarious showcase of a forgotten epic and just a fun and heartwarming adventure story of two men out on a mission delivered by themselves. Though a few critics bemoaned the presence of many of Tarantino's unique directorial traits carried over from Reservoir Dogs, most agreed that it was an excellent period piece and there was heavy appreciation for the breaking of the many cliches and the creative humor displayed in the script and acting.
Unfortunately, this classic American tale wouldn't end on a complete happy note as VHS sales were....weird. Considering the recent reduction in VHS tapes following Return of the Jedi, this meant that Across America in 90 Days technically sold over 200,000 copies which is respectable for a film. But it lagged far behind its peers in Lucasfilms and the overall gross returns for home sales were miniscule to say the least. You can't really comprehend why it failed to resonate with home audiences when it had millions of poeple see it in theaters who generally liked it. Maybe the violence of Reservoir Dogs turned off many general audiences with this being a Tarantino film, but still it's pretty bizarre.
Oh well, hopefully it can find a second life on LucasTV with Brandon aiming to show it to fill the gap on movie nights. If nothing else, you're really proud of the movie for being a fantastic showcase of a niche and fun subject of American history when the overall fortunes of Lucasfilms historical movies had waned in the last few years.
Budget: $3,000,000 Domestic: $24,486,919 international: $12,461,182
Total Gross: $36,948,101
VHS: $490,322,938
The first time you ever heard about Gamera was a long time ago, back when you and George were still working on Star Wars and distributing movies from Toho. Back then, you recalled being given a couple of films from another studio that had allowed Toho to distribute them since they were on the verge of being bankrupt, and having nothing to do at the moment (oh, how innocent and carefree you were back then) you'd decided to take a look at them. The first one was the Tale of Zatoichi, which you eventually decided to give a try at distributing, and unfortunately did not catch on with the regular audience. A shame as well, since the rest of the saga was an improvement on the first film.
The second one was the so-called Gamera film, and just one view of it was enough to make you understand just why Godzilla had no competitors in Japan if this was the kind of competition it had.
Perhaps you were a glutton for punishment, or perhaps at the time you had thought that it was not possible for an entire franchise to be that bad. Surely, what you'd seen had to be their lowest point, the series had to be better than the utter travesty and outright insulting level of intelligence towards the audience that you'd ever seen. Surely, even Daiei of all places would at least try to find a competent writer, or at least some other gimmick beyond just putting more children in a movie and hoping the little tykes to just clap along when they see the giant turtle appear, right?
...right?
Well, turns out that you ended up seeing the highlight of the franchise, as the rest just kept on going from bad to worse. Oh there were certainly some concepts that had potential here and there, and the monsters could be worked with at some points, but it all just seemed to be squandered into nothing more than a simple childish product that for all their flashiness could not catch up to Godzilla, and those films were already in decline by then!
Costumes and rubber suits that made the Kaiju's look like they were stoned, unimaginative monsters that really looked like just men in costumes, a lack of tension through the entire films due to how sanitized it was, children being used as main characters all the time and somehow being more knowledgeable than the adults themselves, villains that were just dumb, and scenes where the comedy just did not seemed to work. All of that along with how cheap the movie looked, and how much it seemed like the films were just advertisements for different locations than just a movie made for entertainment.
And don't even get you started on the overuse of Stock Footage! You swear, nearly all of those films were composed of it for at least half of their run time!
All in all, Gamera was not the kind of film you'd subject American audiences back then, and looking back on it, you0re glad you backed out at the time, if for different reasons than expected; once the deal with Toho was off, and many of your different writers and animators tried writing something that would show them off in some sort of weird one-off (which culminated in the much acclaimed Pacific Rim) there was a group that found the idea of sticking it to Godzilla with another Kaiju film, creating a new rival for the entire franchise to fight against, and it just so happened that while Toho had the rights to distribute Gamera, the rights for said Kaiju were still the property of Daiei.
Now, if only they could do something with said giant turtle.
You admit that their efforts may have slipped your notice somewhat, but then again, by then you and George had been busy trying to keep up with the expansion of Lucasfilms into one of the Big Five of Hollywood, not to mention that Mavis' masterpiece casted a big shadow over any other project that may have been involved with the idea of Kaiju movies...and it did not help that many of them were at best revenge porn repackaged.
But overall, it was that lack of attention that in a way also caught the eye of one of the freelance writers to work at the company.
Melissa Mathison was, in a way, someone that had been blessed with both the talent and the luck to thrive at Hollywood. Her family being friendly with Francis gave her the opportunity to break into the usually insular circle of Hollywood, and his encouragement helped her in writing a script for The Black Stallion, which caught Steven's eyes to have her work for him in future scripts. It was during one of said visits when on her way out she happened to run into the "Kaiju Group" as they'd taken to call themselves, and her curiosity over the project was born from the concept, the stories, and the sheer radical story genre that was the Kaiju films.
Needless to say, she was fascinated enough to at first lend a helping hand, before she began taking over the entire project by herself.
It was in many ways a combination that should not have worked; Melissa was a woman that had worked in mostly political and drama-based movies, focusing more on the emotions and characterization of the cast, something that was an antithesis in Kaiju films where the characters usually played second fiddle to the spectacle that was the Kaiju battles in the beginning, middle and end. Yet she found some odd kind of enjoyment in trying to crack the code, in finding a way that she could employ her talents in the overall story, in finding that chink in the armor that would allow her to finally accomplish her goal.
And she found it, oddly enough, in Gamera of all monsters.
In it, she found the perfect material and potential to work with; an already well-established monster franchise that would not be needed to be worked from the ground up... well, mostly. Not to mention that the entire concept of a monster that was somewhat friendly to humans was something that Godzilla had tried, yet never managed to fully accomplish, making it unfit through their many movies after the original. it was a niche that Gamera would fit perfectly on with just a little work in.
And boy did she work with it. Melissa may not have understood fully just what kind of tropes were used in this new movie genre, but she was a quick learner, and she had the advantage of nearly the entire library of Godzilla films that Lucasfilms had managed to acquire back when they worked in close relationship with Toho. Figuring out just what worked and what did not, the correct moments that could be improved, and the many ways that certain scenes and actors just seemed to be superfluous to the entire premise, helped her in identifying both the strengths and weaknesses of what would hopefully become the rebirth of a franchise.
Frankly, when you first received the final draft, you could only think that there had to be something in the water that made it so that all the producers or executives in Hollywood could not recognize one's talent until they came to work for Lucasfilms, since Melissa's work was one of the best adaptations that you'd seen so far of a Kaiju film. Not only that, but she had actually updated the formula for Gamera, and made it more relevant to the time period, while also introducing new concepts that can help to better flesh out the new introduction of the series.
The story begins with the discovery of ancient ruins by Dr. Naoya Kusanagi, which highlights the existence of an old Lemurian Civilization, with many different archeological pieces, among them one that has the shape of a Ying-Yang Symbol. Unbeknownst to many however, their actions have managed to release a great monster from a Preserve Island who is now attacking any and all scientists without anyone understanding what is going on. Said monster is quickly revealed to be Gyaos, the flying monster who was Gamera's archenemy through the previous films. Dr. Kusanagi, when he returns home, brings his papers with him, unaware that the accidently brought the Ying-Yang shaped Orichalcum Amulet, which his daughter, Asagi Kusanagi, grabs thinking is a souvenir, but in doing so awakens Gamera, who forms a bond with her.
This introduction alone helps set the rest of the film, with the new characters like Officer Yonimari and Dr. Nagamine both following the age-old tradition of including the military and scientific establishment in order to find a solution, yet it also enhances it by making them actually relevant to the plot instead of just window dressing for the rest of the movie. Asagi herself also is seen as more than just a plot device for Gamera to face the evil monster, but instead she is also fleshed out, with several scenes to showcase her interests and personality, one that explains much of why she takes the decisions she does, like helping her father and being so interested on Gamera and her friends.
The story also manages to make Gamera both threatening and dangerous at the same time, yet it also helps in keeping his reputation as more of a protector than a destroyer as well. Through the confrontations with Gyaos there are moments where Gamera, despite all the chaos and destruction he brings, shows a near compassionate side that can also be ambiguous, like the moment where he saves a child, yet no one can be sure if it was deliberate or just chance.
The interactions between the characters are magnificent as well. Instead of the near cartoonish situations that they are usually trapped in, this story puts a more mature and more serious interactions between the Kaiju problems and the human solutions; there are no children trying to find a way to overcome aliens here, as instead Dr. Nagamine works with the Japan government to try and trap Gyaos before Gamera has to fight him again.
The main emphasis however, is in how the fights are described overall. No longer are they to be just the enemy monster causing Havok with only some small scenes showing Gamera fighting, but instead there are many different scenes where Gamera faces Gyaos. Perhaps it's your own optimism shining through, but the moment you read their description, you could not help but think that this might actually be the one Gamera film where the fights might actually be amazing rather than just outright goofy.
Overall, the story was perfect, delivering just the right amount of human interactions and relationships, while keeping to the theme of monsters fighting other monsters. It was something that you could see Lucasfilms being involved with... if you had the rights to it. At the end of the day, seeing the script in your hands, you were reminded that in order to work with the character and property, you'd need the approval of Daiei to make it true, and you did not know how they would react when you came to look for a collaboration.
Well, you might have underestimated just how much in bad shape their studio was, since they nearly threw themselves at your feet in thanks when you went to suggest a collaboration. Just what the heck?! Turns out that the studio had been in really rough shape for years now, with nearly no movies being able to be produced due to lack of funds, their previous properties now needing to be distributed by others (as you knew) and their attempts at resurrecting the Gamera franchise had ended up in disaster.
Yes, they tried making another Gamera movie, and it was as bad if not worse than the others. Make the job of rebooting the franchise harder why don't you?
Basically, they were desperate for any way to pay off their debts, and manage to make films once more. Just the fact that Lucasfilms wanted to work with them would have had them jumping in joy, that you already had a script and it was for one of their franchises only sweetened the deal even further. The struggles to make it a reality however... oh boy.
To begin with, Japan, for all that has westernized, is still a land where reputation holds sway even more than any other country you've been to. Any mistake, big or small, is something that will stick to you for the rest of your life, and everyone will not be shy in reminding you of it every single day. For actors this is worse, which engenders a degree of near paranoia when selecting works, as well as a hierarchical vision when it comes to which kind of movies one would or should be involved with.
Of course, there's also the issue of money, and just how much of it can help bridge the gap.
It was a combination of both which allowed Kazuki Ōmori to join in as the director for the film. One of Japan's best well-known directors, he had previously rejected the idea outright when Daiei tried to contact him with it, thinking it was some sort of insult for them to even try to make him direct another Gamera movie. You would have been glad to move on to a different director, but the Daiei representative insisted that they needed both Kazuki's talents and reputation if they wanted to salvage somewhat the premiere of the film.
Which was your cue to travel and speak with the man himself.
You did not know what to expect from him during the meeting, yet he surprised you by remaining cordial with you, even as he refused to take the job. It was only a combination of pleading and having him read the script that he actually grew intrigued enough on where this new film was moving forward to. Gone where the childish antics, and it was replaced with a degree of maturity and horror that you could see how it speaked to him on a more deeper level. His questions soon moved from the story itself to the more technical details of the film, the budget, the casting, how much interfering from the studio he would get, etc.
You knew you had him hooked when he started demanding to select the actor for Gamera.
From there, the production began, though not without troubles as despite Kazuki's reputation giving a level of respect to the project, it could still not erase nearly two decades of a failing franchise. Newspapers and magazines abounded with articles mocking the film, the idea of trying to reboot the franchise just three years after the last attempt, and though they refrained from outright insulting Kazuki, they made sure to strike everywhere else around him. Variety shows made sketches about the upcoming disaster, and finding actors for the film became an exercise in both patience and temperance, to the point that the main lead was given to a girl who had yet to graduate from Highschool.
But hey, at least you had a good actor for Gamera. Kenpachiro Satsuma, stuntman and former actor who played many of the monsters that Godzilla fought against in the previous entries, was perhaps one of the best qualified to bring about Gamera in just the right way as the script demanded. And form the test footage you saw he had accomplished that and more, his experience making it possible to just need one take whenever he appeared, and his more animalistic take on Gamera becoming the norm for the future if you had any say in it. The man was a master with the suit, which you could hardly believe, making the entire body language work in his favor in every scene.
You don't know how Kazuki did it, but you're darn glad that he convinced him to join in... Now you just needed to convince the rest of the world to come and watch the movie. Good thing you had Mike with you for that, as he could easily make sure that the same strategies used to promote Godzilla in America could now be brought to bear to for Gamera, and expanding it even more. Calling the film the evolution of Kaiju movies, the next step of cinema, though calling it the "Rebirth of an old classic" might be stretching it a bit too much, in the end, hardly anyone in America knew about Gamera, so perhaps you could forgive that small fib.
In Japan however, there was an uphill battle to try and make enough people come and watch the film, critics were already proclaiming it as "Lucasfilms Folly", convinced of the utter failure it would be. Heck, even Toho was joining in, though using the press in order to market their upcoming new movie. Even Mike told you how it was a blessing that most of the filming was left to Daiei, since it meant that the overall budget was less than one would expect. At the end of the day, everyone was expecting a massive flop, with most of the audience basically going to see it first-hand.
Well, you were happy to disappoint. The day of the premiere had the halls packed, and the American audience eager to see the newest Kaiju entrance in years. They did not even care that it was not Godzilla, just that it was an actual Kaiju film, one that would bring about the thrills and battles that everyone expected.
Well, they got that and more alright, as the movie showed an entire new dimension, a natural evolution on the genre, when the film refused to show any kind of kiddy or cute music to counter the violence, when the comedy and slapstick that usually adorned it was discarded, and the gorgeous music by Koichi Sugiyama filled everyone's ears. Instead, there was tension, horror, concern, wonder, and a storyline that would have entranced any and all who would have decided to watch the film. Gamera, in his full glory, made his grand American debut to the delight of all watchers, and there was not a single one of them who would regret this day.
The interactions between the characters, the grand battles between the monsters, the settings which actually made the film be more cinematic instead of making the film look cheap as hell, and the special effects made by ILM made the film a delight to watch, the pure entertainment matching so many of the fans tastes that there was already a huge movement that was expecting a new renaissance for the genre, the old fans already coming out once more to support their new favorite, even if there were still some holdovers that claimed Godzilla was better.
Sure, it mostly appealed to the fans of said genre, but for its first outing in the country, it was not bad at all. Many expressed their love of the character and the story, showing their delight at seeing a movie be so realistic about the Kaiju's, while also finally taking it seriously. Critics where their usual self and decrying it as just another "adventure" for Lucasfilms, another step in the "wrong" direction, trying to tackle a genre that has already been proven to be both unprofitable and derivative.
At this point, you should have learnt to tune them out already.
And in Japan, though it began slow, soon there were more and more who by word of mouth were soon flocking to the big screens to see the biggest twist so far. It had begun with some comments about how the Gamera film was actually good, followed by articles by reviewers who praised the story, settings, music, acting, etc. nearly all full marks to the entire film, not being able to keep their eyes away from the entire spectacle. It continued with interviews to the cast, the director being praised for his magnificent work, talks about whether this was a one-off or a sequel, as the audience having felt a new form of entertainment now demanded more.
From a movie that was expected at most to gain $3 Million it soon overcame and made double in Japan, making up for half of the international earnings. Daiei is over the moon with the results for the first time in a long time having made a massive profit from their investment, and already in talks with Lucasfilm to continue their partnership. Kazuki Ōmori is willing to come back to the franchise as well, provided he is allowed to write for the next entry as well, already thinking of having Gamera fight some sort of plant monster. Well, he's not getting any complaints from you there.
The VHS sales were something else though, as despite the relatively low performance in the American Market, nearly everyone in the country seemed to want to own a copy. it did not surprise you though, whether one was a new or old fan, or perhaps someone who'd heard of the film later on, no one could deny that Gamera: Guardian of the Universe was an incredibly fun movie, with an excellent cast, an amazing protagonist in the form of Gamera, and the intriguing premise of having a monster protect humanity, along with the ongoing mystery of the Lemurian civilization and what may be behind it.
As for Toho... well, news from your insiders is that apparently, to paraphrase, they all collectively shat their pants. They had been so sure that another attempt at reviving the Gamera franchise was just an exercise in futility, even with Lucasfilms being behind it. Never in their wildest dreams would they have thought that it would not only be a success, but that it would be called the herald for the renaissance of the Kaiju movies, just before they debuted their own Rebirth of Godzilla.
Well, it couldn't have happened to a better person.
All in all a good and fun movie. Also a nice middle finger to Toho. Godzillas got a rival and with their cut of the profits Daiei's back on the map and will most likely be making movies again. Both of which will hopefully cut into Toho's profits in the future.
Culminating in his cameo appearance as Non-Core Member Black Ranger in our first original super sentai series.
Then we have Green Ranger. AKA Bruce Ranger, who's currently wearing the 10th iteration of his Ranger Suit after muscle flexes violently destroyed the previous 9.
Culminating in his cameo appearance as Non-Core Member Black Ranger in our first original super sentai series.
Then we have Green Ranger. AKA Bruce Ranger, who's currently wearing the 10th iteration of his Ranger Suit after muscle flexes violently destroyed the previous 9.
I'd be all for having the Power Rangers: Forever Red episode be a special where Bruce, Michael and George (perhaps Stan if he can) are the main villains facing the Rangers.
Despite the memes, Quest Eisner and IRL Eisner are not actually that far off from one another, so there probably wouldn't actually be that much animosity.
They've been smacking us around the ring from the start of the fight, and just as it seems we're closing the gap, it turns out that they weren't even trying?!
They've been smacking us around the ring from the start of the fight, and just as it seems we're closing the gap, it turns out that they weren't even trying?!
High tech high quality with a price tag to match, verses quality on a budget. And Nintendo knew how to really push that quality on a budget angle. It was always gonna be a tough fight.
High tech high quality with a price tag to match, verses quality on a budget. And Nintendo knew how to really push that quality on a budget angle. It was always gonna be a tough fight.
