GAMERA AT 60: FLYING, FIGHTING, SONGS, & SMASHES!!

GAMERA: THE GIANT MONSTER (1965) d. Noriaki Yuasa (Japan)
GAMERA: GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE (1995) d. Shusuke Kaneko (Japan)

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Japan’s second-most iconic kaiju (aka the Other Big G), Gamera evolved from a destructive force to a heroic protector of humanity. The early Showa era films (1965-1980) established Gamera, a giant, turtle-like creature, as a friendly figure for youngsters while also showcasing him battling various monstrous threats. Often lighthearted and less serious than their Godzilla counterparts, Gamera’s reputation as the “friend to all children” made him a beloved character around the world.

GAMERA: SUPER MONSTER (1980) movie review

Gamera: Super Monster (1980) d. Yuasa, Noriaki (Japan)

The original Showa series ground to a halt with this cheapjack revival of the heroic flying flamethrower on the half-shell, one in which 95% of the monster action comes courtesy of footage swiped from the previous seven features. By the late ’70s, Gamera’s home studio of Daiei was bankruptcy bound; in a last ditch effort to keep home fires burning, screenwriter Nisan Takahashi conjured a rickety story that focuses on a trio of Space Women (Mach Fumiake, Yaeko Kojima, Yoko Komatsu) charged with saving the Earth from an ill-mannered band of marauding aliens looking to set up camp - heavy on the camp.