Gamera - Frankensteins Monster aus dem Eis

This review is of the American version of the film which has additional scenes offering two of the movies favourite scientists, Albert Dekker (Dr. Cyclops) and Brian Donlevy (Prof. Quatermass) together. Once it became obvious that Toho Studios had a hit with Godzilla other studios wanted their own monsters. Daiei came up with a giant fire breathing, flying turtle. Well, why not? Freed from the arctic ice by (what else?) a nuclear explosion Gammera heads for (you guessed it!) Tokyo to cause the usual panic and destruction. Gammera is not a mutation of atomic radiation (like another giant monster who shall go nameless at this point) he comes from a time so remote in Earth's pre-history that his cell structure differs from all other living things. He gets energy from heat and eats fire to survive! This makes all modern weapons useless. What to do? The military comes up with Plan Z which is surely the most outrageous way of getting rid of a giant monster that has ever been used in a movie! Does it work? Well . . .until the sequel it does! Both versions of this film are fun though I have a preference for the original Japanese versions of all movies of this genre. Actually this movie has many incarnations. This version which was done in 1965, another version with different dubbing done by Sandy Frank in the 1980's and the original, subtitled Japanese version. They vary just enough to make each version original. Gammera, and this is the only movie where his name is spelled with two "m"'s, is a villain in this one but he learns rather quickly to become a good guy in the later sequels. There has been talk for the last 10 years about a movie where Gammera battles Godzilla. Toho Studios claims this will never happen. Still, you never can be sure.

What I loved about this movie is that Gamera is treated as a "bad-ass" villain monster out to destroy Tokyo like Godzilla in his earlier films. The rest of the movies turned Gamera into a child loving superhero. The effects were great rivaling and even surpassing most of the Godzilla films at the time. The scenes of American actors that were shot were actually quite well done. It was fun watching the U.S and Soviet ambassadors arguing at the U.N. Gamera looked pretty cool as well with his glowing eyes and elephant-like roar. Loved the psychedelic glowing animated flying sequences. Got to love that "Plan Z" over-the-top ending. And you can't help but dig that cool theme song. Gameraaaa! Gameraaaaa! Yeah!

In spite of being a fan of these Japanese monster movies, I saw it for the first time (that I know of) less than a year ago. (I'm referring to the "American" version.) It was pretty entertaining in general, but there was one thing that stood out for me, and that was a comedy scene (and I don't mean an "unintentionally funny" one). Early on in the movie, the monster was mistaken for a UFO, and there was a televised debate between an astronomer and a ufologist (a traditional set of antagonists, in and out of fiction). I'm not sure about the astronomer, but the ufologist was played by Alan Oppenheimer (he wasn't in the credits, but there's no mistaking him if you've seen a lot of sitcoms). Anyway, the debate got out of hand in a comical way, with both men getting really frantic to win it (maybe whoever wrote the scene was neutral about the UFO subject), and to me, it was funnier than 90 per cent of those comedy scenes about UFO's that you see now (with their overworked jokes about "probes" and abducted hillbillies and so on). Anyway, that's what the original "Gamera" means to me.

I am not going to comment on this film - enough has been said about it. I am going to comment on the two lead American actors - Brian Donlevy and Albert Dekker. Seeing these two in a film again brings back memories. The last time I saw them act together was in the 1942 film "Wake Island". If at all possible get this film and watch it (Available only on VHS). See what a great job these two actors can do with a well written script.

It doesn't make sense to give this film a bad rating - but it really doesn't make sense to rate it at all.

Don't assume that means that this film is so ridiculous, it's beyond redemption... well, it IS ridiculous and beyond redemption; but it is certainly enjoyable on its own terms.

If this film is easy to misunderstand, it's because it's really difficult to say what 'it's own terms' really are. It begins clearly intending to compete with the successful Godzilla series; but somewhere about mid-way, it suddenly decides to be about a lonely young boy. In order to salvage its science-fiction credentials, it then comes up with an impossible solution to the Gamera threat to the human race - I can't tell you what it is, but it would take the entire assets of the developed nations of the world to pull off - it might be better to let the big turtle stalk around and just stay out from beneath his feet.

On top of all this wild nonsense, the American release print, which is the only one I know available, adds on some wonderful campy stuff, like the televised debate about the possible existence of the big turtle, and lowest-budgeted attempt to portray a meeting of the UN Security Council you are ever likely to see - even the one in the Adam West Batman movie looks spectacular in comparison.

There is no way to wrap your brain around this one, so don't bother. A guilty pleasure to the max. And one more important point in its favor - unlike most of the other '60s Gamera films, this one moves along at a fine pace and never drags.

So microwave some kettle corn and munch down - you deserve not to take life so seriously you can't enjoy a bit of fluff like this.