GODZILLA came out in 1959 so you would think that some other company woulda came out with a rip-off movie before '65 and maybe they did but for whatever reason this is the most memorable of the Japanese giant radioactive monster-on-the-loose movies probably because it spawned a whole bunch of even sillier sequels. Gamera, as if anyone doesn't know this, is a ridiculous-looking giant flying fire-breathing prehistoric turtle and his films almost always add an annoying little kid to the monster thrills and there's a little turtle-obsessed weirdo in this too. This is, by far, the most boring of all of Gamera's films simply because he doesn't have a colorful monster enemy to fight and all he does is stomp around and break shit.
The American version of this titled GAMMERA THE INVINCIBLE, just like the original GODZILLA, featured scenes of badly acting American actors talking about how to fight the monster. The version called GAMERA is a newer dubbed version and is the one on MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 which is really the only way to sit through this without falling asleep.
Gammera the Invincible was made to cash in on Tohos Godzilla series and used actors in monster costumes. In this first Gammera movie hes a destructive monster but has a soft spot for children. Later on Gammera would defend humanity from other monsters and evil aliens. The special effects and miniatures are ok. These movies are fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteA turtle seems like one of the least likely animals to have flying around.
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