Gamera tai uchu kaijû Bairasu (1968)

User Rating:

4.2/10   

Director:

Noriaki Yuasa

Writer:

Nisan Takahashi (writer)

Release Date:

20 March 1968 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Family | Horror | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Gamera the Flying Turtle falls under the spell of evil aliens, but two children free him and he returns to fight the aliens' monster, Viras.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Gamera | Turtle | Monster | World Domination

Cast

Kojiro Hongo	...	Scout Master Mr. Shimida
Toru Takatsuka	...	Masao Nakaya
Carl Craig	...	Jim Crane (as Kurl Crane)
Peter Williams	...	Dr. Dobie
Carl Clay	...	Carl Crane
Michiko Yaegaki	...	Girl Scout
Mari Atsumi	...	Junko Aoki
Junko Yashiro	...	Masako Shibata
Koji Fujiyama	...	Commander of Jietat
Genzô Wakayama	...	Voice of Boss
Chikara Hashimoto	...	General
Kenichiro Yamane	...	Mr. Shibata
Kenji Go	...	Commander at Dam
Akira Natsuki	...	Soldier
Ken Nakahara	...	Soldier

Also Known As:

Destroy All Planets
Gamera tai Viras
Gamera vs. Outer Space Monster Viras
Gamera vs. Viras

Runtime:

USA:75 min | USA:90 min (TV version)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Daiei Tokyo Studios, Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Daiei Studios

Trivia:

This is the first film in the series to include Caucasian actors in the original Japanese release. The scenes featuring Brian Donlevy and Albert Dekker in the first film, Daikaijû Gamera (1965), were filmed later on a Hollywood soundstage in much the same way that Raymond Burr was in Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956) as a way to help market that film in America.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Son of Svengoolie: Destroy All Planets (1968) (#1.125)" (1981)

Harder to Take than I Expected

No one goes into the old Gamera movies expecting brilliance. In fact, most watch them fairly openly to delve into the schlock, whether as a guilty pleasure or to enjoy mocking it. I am somewhere in the middle of these two. I have a massive high tolerance for "badness", especially when it is done in the spirit of earnest fun, but there was a couple of times where I just wanted to shut this one off.

The first reason was the flashbacks to which many viewers allude. Not only is there a roughly fifteen minute scene composed of much too large chunks of "fight" scenes from earlier movies, but there are at least two "major" scenes that are taken from the first and second movie and then played off as freshly happening. It is so poorly done, that the scenes from the first one are left in black and white, despite the rest of this movie being in color! The second reason was the utter illogic of this one, in places. A genius kid is one thing, if almost always annoying at times, but this one went above and beyond. Not only is the kid allowed to tamper with various things with almost no repercussion, but him and his friend are given far too much freedom in the middle half of the movie. It is almost like this is a kid's happy dream, as opposed to an abduction by a vindictive life force.

And the climatic decision...egads! All in all, I stuck with it, and finally just started laughing out loud at it machinations. The final scene has some really good moments, as well, including some really well staged smashes and jabs. I give it a solid five stars, I enjoyed it once my brain switched over into its mode of handling things.