GAMERA THE BRAVE

Now this is how you do a damn kid's movie!
Last night me and the woman checked out GAMERA THE BRAVE, the latest installment in the famous Kaiju (Japanese giant monster) series, and we both were very pleasantly surprised by it. We both kind of expected it to be entertaining, given how the previous trio of films featuring the giant flying, fire-breathing turtle were pretty good, but this latest entry is the best in the series yet. In fact, not only do I think it is, in many ways, the best Kaiju film I've ever seen, I think it just might be the pefect children's film.
It has cute moments aplenty (mainly involving a boy and his flying, fire-breathing baby turtle), a real respect for children and the one thing that you find in all truly great children's literature and movies: a major dark streak. At times, it's directed with the the style and intensity of a Japanese arthouse horror movie. And so when it was over, I found myself asking the question I'm often left with after watching foreign movies:
Why can't we make movies like this?
I think it maybe has to do with the fact that American children's films aren't made for children so much as they're made for their parents. People want to know that they're taking their kids to see a movie that is a.) going to be good and wholesome, with no scary or bloody bits, and b.) isn't going to bore them to tears. And so we get endless computer animated pieces of junk with celebrity voices (to keep the parents interested) that have absolutely zero respect for their (supposed) target audience. This is how we end up with crap like CARS. I found CORALINE a very welcome deviation from that formula, not least of all because it wasn't afraid to be dark and scary in a way that children really connect with.
Anyways, GAMERA THE BRAVE. Well worth investigating if you get the chance.
And really, can the sight of men in rubber monster suits smashing model cities ever really get tired?
Cheers,
B