Gamera vs. Monster X (a.k.a., War of the Monsters) (1970).
The Scoop:
We’re in the home stretch now, nearly done with the first series of Gamera films. This one — variously called “Gamera vs. Jiger,” “Gamera vs. Monster X” or “War of the Monsters” — was among the hardest to find for a number of years, until the advent of bargain bin DVDs.
In preparing for the 1970 World’s Fair in Tokyo, someone disturbs an ancient statue, releasing Jiger/Monster X upon the world. Things get stomped up a bit, then Gamera flies in to save the day. It’s all pretty standard kaiju stuff for the period… Until the monster injects its larvae into Gamera, which prompts the kids to take a ship, “Fantastic Voyage” style, inside Gamera to fish them out. That little bit of weirdness is refreshing after seeing the Gamera formula run into the ground over the past few films.
And guess what? No stock footage! (Amazing, I know.) However, on the negative side, the rubber suits look especially ludicrous this time around. So, you can’t win them all.
Best Bit:
Gamera’s fallen and can’t get up. D’oh!
Side Note:
If there are any auteurs behind the Gamera series, they are writer Nisan Takahashi (who scripted all seven of the original films, along with the 1980 rehash) and director Noriaki Yuasa (who directed seven of those eight films, plus served as special effects director for “Gamera vs. Barugon”).
Companion Viewing:
Sick of flying turtle movies yet?
Links:
IMDb.
Digitally Obsessed.
Take a Look:
Some condensed highlights:
Gamera vs. Guiron (a.k.a., Attack of the Monsters) (1969).
The Scoop:
This fifth film in the original Gamera cycle takes a strange turn (and for a Gamera movie, that’s really saying something), becoming a goofy, psychedelic kids movie.
Two children, who seem inordinately preoccupied with high toll of traffic accidents, discover an abandoned spaceship, so they decide to fly it back to its home planet. There, on the far side of the sun, they meet an alien civilization that consists entirely of two brain-eating women in tight costumes who want to conquer the Earth. Gamera comes along and saves the day by fighting Guiron, the alien girls’ pet razor-headed monster. An outer space version of Gaos even puts in an appearance to make it a true kaiju monster mash.
The poor quality of the dubbing in these movies reaches new lows here — especially ridiculous is the halting delivery by the scientist in the opening scene, which even puts William Shatner to shame. But it’s all great, colorful fun that, oddly enough, is actually helped by the raging technical incompetence of the American version. Probably the best of the Gamera films.
Best Line:
“They might be much more civilized up there than we are here on Earth, with no wars or traffic accidents.”
Side Note:
Tom, the American kid, is played by Christopher Murphy, who grew up to play supporting roles in “Valley Girl” (1983) and “The Abyss” (1989).
Companion Viewing:
“Godzilla vs. Megalon” (1973) and the other Gamera films.
Links:
IMDb.
Shrine of Gamers.
BadMovies.org.
1,000 Misspent Hours.
Take a Look:
Gamera dishes out a giant turtle sized beatdown. (Note the fine form on the high bar, setting a fight choreography trend that was years ahead of Gymkata.):
Gamera vs. Viras (a.k.a., Destroy All Planets) (1968).
The Scoop:
Sick of Gamera yet? I hope not!
You know how all your favorite sitcoms invariably have a clip show, consisting of a framing device followed by scenes from earlier episodes? Well, this is the equivalent of that for the Gamera series. You’d think the fourth episode would be too soon to go the nostalgic filler route, but you’d be wrong.
The film starts with a great opening sequence, probably the best in the series. Some aliens — in a ship that looks like it was made of ping pong balls — approach Earth as their leader makes a pompous speech about destroying humanity and taking over the planet. Then, without warning, Gamera pops up on their viewscreen and basically says, “It’s on, bitches!” and proceeds to tear their ship apart while the aliens pee their pants in terror.
After this fun, the credits roll and we’re whisked away to a Boy Scout jamboree where a scientist is also testing a new kind of submarine. It’s the same kitschy silliness you’d except from a kaiju movie, but done better than most. Two of the more precocious Boy Scouts are allowed to take the sub out for a spin, where they encounter Gamera in his undersea hideout.
Meanwhile, a second crew of aliens arrives to avenge their fallen comrades, and then the tedium begins. The aliens decide to learn all by can about Gamera by running a seemingly endless reel of his battles from the first three films.
When we finally get back to our main story, the aliens (who dress like French existentialists) kidnap the sub-driving Boy Scouts and try to battle Gamera with a mind control device. For the scene where the aliens make Gamera destroy Tokyo, director Noriaki Yuasa opted not to shoot new footage, but rather to use the rather incongruous black and white footage from the first movie.
Finally, when Gamera and the kids escape, the aliens merge into a single monster, a giant squid named Viras, only to be beaten down my Gamera.
Despite a couple of slow stretches, the main story action holds up pretty good in comparison the other Gamera films. Unfortunately, this is undermined by the over-reliance on old clips.
Best Bit:
Did I mention I liked the opening sequence?
Side Note:
Kojiro Hondo, who plays the scout master, has had a long and distinguished career in Japanese film and television. In addition to all his other credits, he has appeared in two other Gamera movies — “Gamera vs. Barugon” (1966) and “Gamera: Guardian of the Universe” (1995).
Companion Viewing:
Normally I’d recommend the other Gamera films, but I don’t have to since they’re already included here.
Links:
IMDb.
Sci-Fi Movie Page.
Take a Look:
The Japanese trailer:
Here’s that fabulous opening sequence. (You know, I’m probably a lot fonder of this than I have a right to be.):
Gamera vs. Gaos (1967).
The Scoop:
Ready for more Gamera, boys and girls?
“Gamera vs. Gaos” is the third entry in the increasingly silly Gamera series, and after the creative flop of “Gamera vs. Barugon,” it’s back to basics. The obligatory child characters return in the form of Eiichi (Naoyuki Abe) and his pals, who seem to have nothing better to do than to help scientists fight giant monsters. And the plot is mostly a rehash of the first film, with the important difference that Gamera is now on the side of the heroic scientists. Replacing Gamera in the big-monster-awakened-by-natural-disaster role is Gaos, a giant bat who is unleashed by a volcanic explosion.
As expected, the monster battles take center stage here, with only enough scenes with the human actors to keep a basic plot humming along. The effects work is actually worse than in the previous movies, and the action — written by Nisan Takahashi and directed by Noriaka Yuasa — takes a turn for the strange, culminating atop a giant rotating, blood-spewing fountain.
If you’re a fan of the kitschy or bizarre, or even just flat-out, uncomplicated kaiju fun, “Gamera vs. Gaos” is a step in the right direction over the previous two films. But it’s just a taste of what’s to come for the series.
Best Line:
“Don’t forget to come visit us, Gamera! Don’t forget!”
Side Note:
The original Japanese title is “Daikaijû kûchûsen: Gamera tai Gyaosu,” which translates literally to the wonderful “Giant Monster Mid-Air Battle: Gamera vs. Gaos.”
Companion Viewing:
The other Gamera films.
Links:
IMDb.
Badmovies.org.
1,000 Misspent Hours.
Take a Look:
The German-language trailer:
Marvel at these special effects!
Gamera vs. Barugon (a.k.a., War of the Monsters) (1966).
The Scoop:
The flying turtle madness continues!
Let’s move on to the second installment in the Gamera franchise, “Gamera vs. Barugon.” This time around not only is the action in color, but Gamera also makes the leap from nuclear-spawned menace to friendly protector of the Earth, just like Godzilla did in his series a decade earlier.
The bad guy role is filled by Barugon, a four-legged dinosaur/lizard/dog type thing who shoots a hilariously non-menacing rainbow ray from his back, and who can also freeze things with his tongue. Quite the odd combination, but trust me, this is one of least strange things we’ll see in this series.
Some treasure hunters set the plot in motion when they bring a giant opal back to civilization, only to discover that the opal is actually an egg. Pretty soon, out pops Barugon, who proceeds to stomp the crap out of the parts of Tokyo that hadn’t previously been stomped in the other kaiju movies. Finally, Gamera shows up to put the critter in his place.
On the human side we get the usual roles we’re used to seeing in these movies — committed scientist, bland girlfriend, rigid military brass, etc. They’re played ably enough by the likes of Kojiro Hondo, Kyoko Emani, Yuzo Hayakawa and Takuya Fujioka, but there’s really not much for them to do. Even Gamera doesn’t get much to do other than show up at the end to lay the smack down.
This is pretty much the Barugon show from start to finish, resulting in what is easily the most boring of the Gamera series.
Best Line:
“That monster destroys everything with his tongue!”
Side Note:
The original Japanese title is “Daikaiju Keto: Gamera tai Barugon” (literally translated, “Giant Monster Duel: Gamera Against Barugon”). When American International Pictures bought the film for U.S. distribution in the late 1960s, they cut 14 minutes of footage and retitled it “War of the Monsters.” In the 1980s, Sandy Frank secured the video distribution rights. He restored the missing footage, redubbed the dialogue and retitled the whole thing “Gamera vs. Barugon.” So which version should you see? Frankly, it doesn’t really matter since the missing footage is so yawn-inducing, it doesn’t actually detract from the movie. But it sure makes it go by quicker.
Companion Viewing:
Any other Gamera or Godzilla film you can get your hands on.
Links:
IMDb.
1,000 Misspent Hours.
The Shrine of Gamera.
Take a Look:
Not too many clips or info online on this one (it’s got a much lower profile than the other 1960s Gamera movies, mostly due to its quality), so here’s the first part of the “Mystery Science Theater 3000” treatment. Click through for more:
Desuko Movie Spot. 