G-Saviour

Plot

In Universal Century 0223, the Earth Federation has collapsed and space colonies, now independent Settlements, are divided between the Congress of Settlement Nations (CONSENT) and the Settlement Freedom League. Mark Curran, an ex-CONSENT pilot working at the Hydro-Gen research facility, saves CONSENT lieutenant Tim Holloway. The facility is then seized by Congressional forces led by Mark's former superior Jack Halle. Mark rescues Cynthia Graves, a Gaean rebel, from execution.

CONSENT, facing a global food shortage, threatens to attack the neutral Side 8 Settlement of Gaea. Mark helps Cynthia escape; she shows him an underwater food-growing enzyme. They flee with Cynthia's interns Franz Dieter and Kobi, joined by Mark's fiancée Mimi Devere. Jack frames Mark for murder.

The group reaches New Manhattan on Side 4, where Philippe San Simeone of the Illuminati gives Mark the prototype mobile suit G-Saviour. Mark initially refuses but later pilots it to clear a debris field en route to Gaea.

Production

Work on the G-Saviour multimedia project began in October 1995 with a promotional trailer completed in March 1997. Film production started in June 1998 as part of the Gundam Big Bang Project, alongside the Turn-A Gundam television series, marking the franchise's 20th anniversary. Gundam co-creator Yoshiyuki Tomino was not involved.

The cast is predominantly Canadian, with Japanese dubbed for the Japanese version. Filming locations included the Orpheum Theatre and Simon Fraser University Burnaby campus in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia. It is the second live-action Gundam attempt, following the 1997 interactive video game Gundam 0079: The War for Earth, and is unique among Gundam properties for not using the word 'Gundam' in its title or dialogue.

Media

A radio drama series set before the film was broadcast on Japanese FM stations and released on CD from December 2000 as a 'Sound Cinema' series by Pioneer LDC, comprising three parts: Red Wings of Icarus, Before the Mission, and Deep Sea Prometheus. A two-volume novelisation by Yoshie Kawahara with illustrations by Masahisa Suzuki was published in Japan in December 2000 as part of the Shueisha D Superdash Bunko series. Sunrise Interactive published a PlayStation 2 action game developed by Atelier Sai on September 14, 2000, which continues the story after the film with new characters and exclusive mobile suits; it was the first Gundam game for the PlayStation 2. A three-part manga serialised in Famitsu elaborates on the game's first two stages but has not been collected into a volume.

Reception

G-Saviour has received mixed responses. An Anime News Network review described it as a pleasing mix of science fiction and adventure, while MAHQ criticised its extremely clichéd Hollywood-style writing. Some reviewers noted that although the CGI effects look great, the mobile suits were not utilised as well as fans of the anime series might have expected.