The classic Gamera was directed Noriaki Yuasa, who helmed all seven of the
original Gamera entries in the Showa era series between 1965 and 1971, and
stars Eiji Funakoshi (Fires On The Plain), Harumi Kiritachi, Junichiro Yamashiko
and Jutaro Hojo (Wrath of Daimajin). The subsequent franchise was more kid-
friendly (yet ironically bloodier) than Godzilla, who became less menacing and
more cuddly himself during the Sixties. The Gamera series was creative in the
monstrous nemeses that it pitted against the towering turtle, the most famous
being the flying, pointy- headed Gyaos, who was resurrected for the successful trio
of movies in the Heisei-era series between 1995 and 1999.Like all classic monster movies, it is the folly of man that unleashes a ginormous
beast upon the world. This time it is literal fallout from the Cold War — a Soviet
bomber is shot down over U.S. airspace in the Arctic Ocean, with the massive
radiation from the resultant atomic explosion awakening the ancient, gargantuan
Gamera. A long-forgotten legend of the lost continent of Atlantis, the 200-foot-long,
fire-eating turtle isn’t in a good mood, and proving impervious to all manmade
weapons, the colossal chelonian smashes a cataclysmic swath across the globe.
But when he arrives in Tokyo, a small boy forms an odd connection with him,
allowing authorities to unleash “Plan Z.”Gamera: The Giant Monster DVD – $9.99 – Amazon

From Japan – the country that brought us such mythical movie monsters as
Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah – storms Gamera, the titanic terrapin
feared by adults and loved by children. On May 18, 2010, Shout! Factory will
unleash Gamera, The Giant Monster – Special Edition on DVD for the first time in
its unedited original version, with English subtitles — in anamorphic widescreen
from an all-new HD master. The DVD includes a 12- page booklet with an essay
by director Noriaki Yuasa, a photo gallery, trailers and more.

Gammera The Invincible (1965)(Gamera)
The Super-Monster even the H-Bomb cannot destroy!A group of Soviet fighter planes carrying nuclear weapons is shot down of the North Pole. The resulting crash detonates one of the bombs waking
a giant prehistoric turtle, Gamera (Gammera), from a million year old hibernation. The titanic turtle takes little time destroying a research ship
before taking off in search of the energy it needs to recharge itself.Unlike Godzilla the destruction Gamera dishes out on Japan is not nature striking back at mankind, but a simple quest for food. Also, like Godzilla,
mankind’s vast array of weapons have no effect on the monster. A plan to sedate the creature long enough for tons of dynamite are placed around
it and detonated does nothing to curve the carnage.

In a move somewhat out of character the monster saves the life of young boy who was watching the creature from a lighthouse the monster would
destroy. Gamera would reach out it’s gigantic hand and catch the lad in mid fall and place him safely on the ground. From this point on Gamera
would be known as the protector of children.

The world’s science community would come up with one final plan to save mankind. Gamera would be lured to a remote island where a giant
rocket was constructed to transport the creature far into space where it could never return.

Success!

Gamera would take the bait and become trapped in the massive nose cone of the spaceship. Earth was saved……well until the next film anyway.

In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s Toho had the monopoly on Kaiju (Monster Films) made in Japan. Another film maker Daiei was about to
change that with the release of the film “Daikaiju Gamera” or as we know it here in the US “Gamera the Invincible”. Gamera would prove to be a
success for Daiei and spawn it’s own series of films just like their rival Godzilla. In the world of kaiju though Gamera would always play second
string behind Toho’s mighty monster. The stories and special effects always seemed to be a step below the competition. Eventually Daiei would
put their turtle on the shelf while the Godzilla franchise would keep on making films.

In the mid 1990’s that would all change. Daiei would decide to bring Gamra out of mothballs and restart the series with new direction, new
monsters, and state of the art scripts and effects. The timing was perfect for Daiei. Toho had just decided to give the Godzilla series a break and
focus on other projects. The stage was set and the door wide open for a Gamera comeback. The first of the new series “Gamera Guardian of the
Universe” would draw great praise from critics and fans alike. In most ways these new Gamera films would be better than the Godzilla films that
Toho had been making. Gamera was now on top. The series had new life and Gamera was again on the kaiju scene. Plans have been played
with for some time for the two kaiju kings to square off. Godzilla vs. Gamera has been rumored to be a future project for a long time. Future,
because Toho has put Godzilla on a ten year hiatus, while Gamera has been slated for a new set of films on its own.

Gamera Vs. Barugon, the second entry in Daiei Studios’ monster series, was directed by veteran Shigeo Tanaka (The Great Wall) and is more
lavish than the original in terms of scale and scope — it was shot in spectacular color! Noriaki Yuasa (Gamera, The Giant Monster) was charged
with helming the visual effects for this outing, and the results are fantastic!Even though Japan’s Self-Defense Forces sent Gamera hurtling into space in a giant rocket at the climax of Gamera: The Giant Monster, a stray
meteor soon collides with his flying metal prison, freeing the ginormous turtle and allowing him to spin back to Earth. That sounds like it spells
doom for Japan, but when another colossal creature named Barugon is awoken from an ancient slumber, all Hell breaks loose. And only Gamera
can stop him.After three greedy Japanese explorers steal a rare opal in New Guinea, not realizing that it is actually a monster egg, and unwittingly subject it to
infrared radiation, it hatches and grows to immense size. Barugon is not simply bad because he’s big: His elongated tongue, itself a deadly
weapon, can emit a freezing spray, while he has the ability to shoot a deadly, laser-like rainbow from his back. And when our favorite fire-spitting
Gamera becomes trapped in the creature’s frozen grip, mankind looks like it could be doomed. Can one of the explorers, Keisuke Hirata (Kojiro
Hongo, Satan’s Sword), and a New Guinea native, Karen (Kyoko Enami, The Woman Gambler), help to defeat Barugon before it plunges Japan
into a new Ice Age?

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe … Reviewed In Deutsch

Ein japanischer Plutoniumfrachter läuft auf Grund, obwohl er sich eigentlich in tiefen
Gewässern befindet. Doch wer rechnet hier schon mit einem riesigen Atoll, dass
durchs Meer treibt. Gleichzeitig wird verschwindet die Bevölkerung einer wenig
besiedelten Insel, in den letzten Funksprüche ist von riesigen Vögeln die Rede.
Und tatsächlich sind drei riesige Vögel namens Gyaos auf Menschenjagd – und
dabei ziemlich hungrig. Das japanische Militär möchte sie lebend im örtlichen
Stadion einfangen, doch auch das treibende Atoll hat da ein Wörtchen mitzureden.
Denn immerhin birgt es ein Geheimnis: den Retter der Welt…

Gamera! Welch klangvoller Name für einen Fan von liebevoll gemachtem Trash!
Was ist aber Gamera, für Leute die es nicht kennen? Die japanischen
Toho-Studios feierten mit ihren Godzillafilmen ab 1954 riesige Erfolge und spülten
auch im Ausland immense Mengen an Geld in die Kassen der Produktionsfirma.
Mit Godzilla schuf man eine Figur die sich prima zum Franchise ausbauen ließ, so
dass es wenig verwunderlich ist, dass mehrere Produktionsfirmen auf den Zug
mit aufspringen wollten. Die Godzilla-Filme sind natürlich die bekanntesten,
erfolgreichsten und auch zahlreichsten Filme dieser Art, doch die japanischen
Daiei Studios schufen 1965 ein Konkurrenzprodukt, dass es immerhin auch auf 12
Filme brachte, was neben den 28 Filmen von Godzilla natürlich eher überschaubar
bleibt: Gamera war geboren. 1965 stand die Riesenschildkröte erstmals vor der
Kamera, im aus Kostengründen in schwarz-weiß gedrehten Film “Gamera – The
Invincible”, der zugleich auch der letzte Film dieser Art in s/w sein sollte. Die Filme
wurden mit deutlich weniger Geld als das Konkurrenzprodukt von Toho gedreht,
sorgen vor allem aufgrund der technischen Machart heute noch für so manchen
Lacher, doch das sollte sich irgendwann ändern.

1967 erschien “Gamera vs. Gyaos”, der nicht wirklich in Erinnerung blieb, doch
Gyaos wurde zu einem recht beliebten Monster, und als anlässlich des 30-jährigen
Jubiliäums des Franchise ein neuer Film produziert werden sollte, durfte auch
Gyaos auf die Leinwand zurückkehren. Vorhang auf für “Gamera: Guardian of the
Universe”!