News

With bankruptcy looming over, Daiei decided to release one more Gamera movie to cash in on the giant turtle’s popularity. The budget was to be the same as the “Gamera vs. Jiger” but the plot, a return to the more child-friendly alien installments like “Gamera vs. Viras” or “Gamera vs. Guiron.” This couldn’t save Daiei Film and the company went bankrupt soon after the July release of the flick, forcing another to distribute the recently released movie. As a result, “Gamera vs. Zigra” turned out being the last Gamera film in a very long time if we don’t count the disastrous “Gamera: Super Monsters” from 1980.

A shark-shaped spaceship kidnaps a buggy from the surface of the Moon. On Earth, the same sentient ship kidnaps two marine biologists and their children, Kenichi (Yasushi Sakagami) and Helen (Gloria Zoellner) who are on an expedition to research about ocean pollution.

Unsurprisingly, after the huge success that “Gamera vs. Guiron” proved to be, the failing film company was quick to grab onto the cash cow that the giant turtle series turned to be and commission another installment. This time, though, there was a sponsor in the face of the 1970 World Expo in Osaka. This brought a much bigger budget (35 million yen as opposed to 20 million for the previous installment) and for the first time in a couple of films, a plot that does not include aliens.

Western Islands, 1970. A group of scientists finds a large whistle-shaped monument and decides to bring it to Expo 70 in Osaka, despite the protests the of country’s elders. This awakes the giant monster Jiger who despite Gamera’s try to stop it, arrives in Japan and obliterates half of Osaka. During one of the fights between the two behemoths, Jiger pierces Gamera...

“Gamera vs. Viras” was to be the final film in the series but its success in the box office spurred Daiei Film to ask Noriaki Yuasa to continue the series with the main focus being children. The budget was to be the same as the previous installment, a paltry 20 million yen (more than a few times smaller than that of the original “Gojira”), and the shooting schedule was again a few weeks. The movie premiered in March 1969 and was, again, a huge success, earning more money than Toho’s “All Monsters Attack.”

One night, Akio (Nobuhiro Kajima), his sister Tomoko (Miyuki Akiyama), and their friend Tom (Christopher Murphy) see a flying saucer landing near their house. Like any healthy and curious about technology children, they go investigating without telling their parents. Akio and Tom end up on the planet Terra where two female aliens who subsist on...

Gamera fans rejoice! Arrow Video is releasing Gamera: The Complete Collection, an insane new limited collector's edition blu-ray box set, on August 18, 2020 in the US and August 17, 2020 in the UK. This limited edition collectors' set traces the decades-long evolution of Gamera, from the "friend of all children" in his more light-hearted earlier films, to the Guardian of the Universe in the groundbreaking 1990s reboot series, often hailed as three of the best kaiju films ever made.

Gamera: The Complete Collection Limited Edition Blu-ray Boxset Contents

&#8226 Limited collectors' edition packaging, housed in a large-format rigid box, fully illustrated by Matt Frank&#8226 Casebound, fully-illustrated disc book containing eight Blu-ray discs&#8226 High Definition (1080p) versions of all twelve films, with lossless original Japanese audio and a complete collection of English dub tracks, including classic American International dubs on the &#8226 Showa-era films remastered from original MGM elements&#8226 Hardback 130-page comic book including a full-colour...

Arrow has provided us with official release details, a look at the cover art, and the new trailer for Gamera: The Complete Collection. This 8-disc set will be released on 8/18 in North America and 8/17 in the UK:

"This limited edition collectors' set traces the decades-long evolution of Gamera, from the "friend of all children" in his more light-hearted earlier films, to the Guardian of the Universe in the groundbreaking 1990s reboot series, often hailed as three of the best kaiju films ever made."

Collector's Edition Box Set Contents

Limited collectors' edition packaging, housed in a large-format rigid box, fully illustrated by Matt Frank Casebound, fully-illustrated disc book containing eight Blu-ray discs High Definition (1080p) versions of all twelve films, with lossless original Japanese audio and a complete collection of English dub tracks, including classic American International dubs on the Showa-era films remastered from original MGM elements Hardback 130-page comic book...

“Our ancient legends did mention fire-eating turtles, but in the 20th century, I must admit it’s very difficult to believe.”

For the first time ever worldwide, all twelve tales of the adventures of everyone’s favorite titanic terrapin are collected together in one deluxe Blu-ray boxset.

Gamera: The Complete Collection is coming August 18th From Arrow Video. Pre-order Here. Check out the Gamera: The Complete Collection trailer:

This limited edition collectors’ set traces the decades-long evolution of Gamera, from the “friend of all children” in his more light-hearted earlier films, to the Guardian of the Universe in the groundbreaking 1990s reboot series, often hailed as three of the best kaiju films ever made.

Collector’S Edition Box Set Contents

Limited collectors’ edition packaging, housed in a large-format rigid box, fully illustrated by Matt FrankCasebound, fully-illustrated disc book containing eight Blu-ray discsHigh Definition (1080p) versions of all twelve films, with...

**Massive spoilers for every Godzilla movie, with the exception of the 2014 reboot, and Mothra follow**

August 6th and 9th, 1945 forever changed the course of history. When the first nuclear bombs were dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, World War II ended, but a new fear was born that dominated the thoughts of all men, women, and children for decades to come. The Cold War, atomic bomb testing, a cartoon turtle telling children to “duck and cover”, and this new technology that had the actual potential to literally end the world changed the perception of what was scary. Art reflects life, so cinema began to capitalize on these fears. Gone were the days of creepy castles, cobwebs, bats, vampires, werewolves, and the other iconic images that ruled genre cinema in film’s earliest decades. Science fiction was larger than ever and giant ants, giant octopi, terror from beyond the stars, and...

If you’re looking for more Godzilla after having seen the new movie in theaters, you may be interested in a brand new mini-series from Idw, Cullen Bunn, and Dave Wachter. We have a look at the cover art for the first issue of Godzilla: Cataclysm and details on what you can expect from the limited five-issue series:

“This summer, the fire-breathing goliath, Godzilla faces a ravaged earth in the brand new mini-series Godzilla: Cataclysm! Like the previous critically acclaimed Godzilla mini-series, Godzilla: The Half-Century War, this new five-issue series explores a self-contained journey of epic proportions!

Last seen in the monster apocalypse, Godzilla has all but abandoned humanity. In the ashes of a nightmarish future, an elder tribe leader, Hiroshi, is haunted by the monsters of the past that nearly wiped out mankind. As danger begins to escalate for his tribe, the memories of the past may well be...

The multiplex isn't the only place you'll find Godzilla this summer as Idw Publishing has announced that the King of the Monsters will also be resurfacing in the pages of a new mini-series in which an apocalyptic wasteland awaits!

From the Press Release:

This summer the fire-breathing goliath Godzilla faces a ravaged earth in the brand new mini-series Godzilla: Cataclysm. Like the previous critically acclaimed Godzilla mini-series Godzilla: The Half-Century War, this new five-issue series explores a self-contained journey of epic proportions!

Last seen in the monster apocalypse, Godzilla has all but abandoned humanity. In the ashes of a nightmarish future, an elder tribe leader, Hiroshi, is haunted by the monsters of the past that nearly wiped out mankind. As danger begins to escalate for his tribe, the memories of the past may well be the key to saving the future.

Godzilla: Cataclysm will come crashing down starting this August.

With the mega-sized Godzilla reboot less than three months away, it's no surprise to see some classic King of the Monsters flicks getting Blu-ray releases. Zilla’s big screen return can no doubt be the inspiration for all of Gamera’s classic adventures getting their first-ever Us Blu-ray releases.

The films of Daiei Studios’ monster series Gamera are unleashed and available on Blu-ray for the first time! Your favorite giant turtle returns to Earth, leaving no fire-spitting scene behind.

Beautifully captured to their lavish original cuts, viewers can experience four times the thrills of these legendary sci-fi classics like they have never seen before!

Mill Creek Entertainment is releasing what they’re billing as the Gamera: Ultimate Collection on April 29th. The good news is that this is the first time ever any of the eight Showa-era Gamera movies have been released on Region 1 Blu-ray. The bad news is that...

Consider the merch wheel officially spinning for Guillermo del Toro's upcoming Pacific Rim monster mash. On tap right now is a sneak peek at the upcoming mobile game, which hits this summer, as well as a first look at Neca's Knifehead action figure from their forthcoming Pacific Rim line.

Gotta say we love the Knifehead, especially since it's an obvious loving riff on the Guiron creature from the fifth classic Gamera movie, Gamera vs. Guiron. Check out all the goods below, and look for more on each of these products soon!

Look for Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro, in theatres July 12th of 2013. Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman, Rinko Kikuchi, Max Martini, Rob Kazinsky, Clifton Collins, Jr., and Diego Klattenhoff star.

Related News: Visit our Pacific Rim archive

Synopsis

From acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ epic sci-fi action adventure Pacific Rim.

Many classic movie monsters have had songs written about them. Few have a theme song that announces their triumphant appearance in the movie itself. Even fewer have theme songs performed by a chorus of children. Gamera is such a monster.

A giant flying, fire-breathing turtle with a fetish for young boys; Gamera was conceived by Daiei in 1965 as their answer to Toho’s Godzilla. Much like the “King of the Monsters”, Gamera would soon perform an about face and become a staunch defender of the human race in sequels even more kid-friendly than Godzilla’s most juvenile outings.

The Gamera movies are some of the strangest kiddy monster movies even made. Unapologetically kiddy, yet peppered with surprisingly violent moments of spurting geysers of monster blood and daikaiju dismemberment, not to mention the adolescent protagonists constantly being threatened with grievous bodily harm by alien invaders and man-eating monsters.

These kids need a hero,...

The Gamera Heisei trilogy are known as some of the best Japanese kaiju films, right up there next to the original Gojira. The first film came out the same year Godzilla 'died' in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. This trilogy would set Gamera on the map, no longer as a Godzilla cash-in. Let's face it, I enjoy Gamera vs. Guiron as much as the next kaiju fan, but the Showa Gamera films really weren't that good. The ones post Gamera vs. Gyaos were really laughable. Gamera 'died' in Super Monster in 1980. So fifteen later, he was revived for a new series of films. The super turtle was back, and seventeen years later, the film series still shines. This review will be on the first one, Guardian of the Universe. The story begins when a ship runs into something big. Soon after two people are attacked by something. One of them manages to...

The gang from the Satellite of Love are back, and this time their tackling the first five Gamera films. When being sent the new set (in a glorious tin, to boot!) I really couldn’t believe my eyes. Some of the crown jewels in the Mystery Science Theater 3000 line were the Gamera films, which were the Sandy Frank produced dubs of the films that he sold to American cinemas. Considering he sued them, there was little to no chance we fans thought we’d ever get these films on DVD unless we were at a convention of some sort and had to buy the bootlegs. But not anymore, thanks to Shout! Factory. And they hold up as fresh as when they first aired.

It all began in season three of the show, when they took on the black and white classic Gamera in the season’s second episode. The...

If your a fan of Japanese giant monster movies and Mystery Science Theater 3000, then you know that the Holy Grail of MST3K is the five elusive "Gamara" episodes. Shout! Factory has announced that the next MST3K box set will be the five "Gamara" movies. The Episodes Include "Gamara", "Gamara vs. Barugon", "Gamera vs. Gaos", "Gamera vs. Guiron", and "Gamera vs. Zigra". There has been a long rumor that syndicator Sandy Frank would never renew the…...

Gamera is really neat. Gamera is filled with meat. We'll all be eating Gamera this August when Shout! Factory releases the latest "Mystery Science Theater 3000" box set comprised entirely of the five old school Gamera movies featured on the show back in its prime.

The announcement that the "Mystery Science Theater 3000" Gamera episodes will finally be getting their long-anticipated DVD release is news many hardcore "MST3K" fans had begun to think they'd never hear. There was a long running rumor that syndicator Sandy Frank wouldn't allow them to renew the distribution rights for any episodes featuring his movies because he was angry over some good-natured ribbing he received from the series, but "MST3K" writer Kevin Murphy confirmed it was always just a dispute over money. With Shout! Factory releasing special editions of all of the old Gamera movies, it should come as no surprise they could put this DVD set together.

Wahoo! Man, Shout! Factory is doing a swell job on not only the Roger Corman films on new special edition Blu-rays/DVDs, but also their amazing reissues of the classic Showa Gamera films. I’ve personally reviewed each of the six prior releases (here, here, here, and here), and on March 15th, 2011 Shout! Factory will release the final two films on DVD, in Gamera vs. Zigra and Gamera: The Super Monster.

Extras are slim and are much like the prior double-billed DVDs, with new transfers, trailers, and publicity galleries. From the press release: The wait is over! On March 15, 2011, Shout! Factory will unleash the final two films in the illustrious Gamera franchise: Gamera vs. Zigra and Gamera: The Super Monster!

Witness twice the excitement as Gamera takes on the malevolent underwater alien creature Zigra and then revists each of his deadliest foes on by one while trying to save the word!

It's hard to believe that we're already at the end of Shout! Factory's release of the original Gamera franchise. The final two films are here, and we have to admit we're a little sad but happy to have every film looking and sounding better than ever! If only there were Blu-rays on the horizon ...

From the Press Release

The wait is over! On March 15, 2011, Shout! Factory will unleash the final two films in the illustrious Gamera franchise: Gamera vs. Zigra and Gamera: The Super Monster!

Witness twice the excitement as Gamera takes on the malevolent underwater alien creature Zigra and then revists each of his deadliest foes on by one while trying to save the word! Both films feature newly remstered transfers in their original Japanese language as well as Enlighs dubs.

Until the partnership of Shout! Factory and Kadokawa Pictures in May 2010, the original Gamera films were woefully underrepresented...

Until I run out of cool giftable stuff to tell you about or until we run out of days till Christmas, I’ll be sharing some neat-o things that your geeky pals might enjoy, or that you might want to give to yourself, if you’ve been especially good this year. Shout! Factory, the venerable DVD distributor of all things wonderfully cheesy and geeky, is out with a new line of DVDs celebrating all things Gamera. Early Gamera, anyway. You remember Gamera -- you saw him once in a while on Mystery Science Theater 3000. He’s the cheap knockoff Godzilla, a giant nukular mutantized prehistoric turtle who started out, in the early 1960s, as a monster who destroys cities but rapidly morphed into a defender of Japan and a friend to children. On four DVDs -- all available separately -- you get six Gamera movies: Gamera, Gamera vs. Barugon,...

Gamera does gymanstics in Gamera vs. Guiron. It's hard to put that into words, and it's even harder to process upon viewing, a massive turtle swinging from some small bridge between two buildings. Oh, and he actually dismounts with a perfect landing. That's the end for this franchise in most viewer's minds. By 1969, Daiei Studios financial woes are apparent on screen. The rear projection screen has an awful obvious tear near the top, not to mention streaks of dirt and wear. The suit for Guiron, goofy as it is, falls apart as the movie heads towards its climax, his (her?) red stripes peeling away and his back covering bowing and bending while he moves. It's a truly outlandish monster, not that Viras wasn't in the previous movie. What evolutionary by product states that a creature needs to shoot giant throwing stars at objects? Better yet, evolution seems to love playing tricks on its creatures,...

Another Tuesday has passed, another week of awesome DVD and Blu-ray releases to help relieve you of all of your hard earned cash. This week I take a look at incredible silent film collection being released by our friends at Kino Lorber, a surprisingly funny show from HBO, and a ton of stuff that I haven’t see yet, but am interested in.

I’m linking all of the covers to their Amazon counterparts, and will include Netflix options for those titles worthy of a rental instead of a purchase. By purchasing the discs through our site, you’re helping us out!

I obviously skipped several of the bigger titles like Robin Hood, for various reasons. I wasn’t sent any of the big stuff to review, and for the titles I wasn’t sent, I wanted to weed through all of the junk, to find the real gems.

Let...

Carlsbad - LEGOs…those colorful blocks that snap together so easily. Many view them as a childhood toy, but they’re serious fun among collectors and adult builders. They can vacation at the American LEGOland. They can get those rare pieces at Lego stores across the country in malls. Lego video games featuring Star Wars, Batman and Indiana Jones are all the rage. Keeping up with what’s happening in Lego is about as foreboding a task as your mother keeping up with your LEGOs.

Joe Meno organizes the Lego universe through BrickJournal magazine. The periodical announces upcoming products, events and how-to articles by top buildings. It’s a coffeetable magazine featuring all the Lego pieces your kids lost under the sofa. The pages are addictive even for someone mildly interested in Lego with illustrations that show how the plastic building blocks can snap into amazing works of art. For...

The second DVD featuring some Gamera rumbles this week from Shout! Factory is a fun duo of films, dealing with a kaiju knife fight and some World’s Fair action. And we get a shoddy return of a villain in such a way that itwill draw a giggle or two. Many people say this was the beginning of the end for the franchise, but I’m a bit of an optimist when it comes to these films.

Gamera Vs. Guiron is an interesting film from 1969. It has one of my favorite baddie movie monsters of all time (Guiron) and has one of my favorite kill scenes as well. It wasn’t until now that I got to see this film uncut the way it was supposed to be, due to rights issues and Sandy Frank butchering it like he does. It tells the story of Akio and Tom, who spot...

We have an interesting bunch of DVD titles this week as well as a special book appearance. On the DVD list we have foreign monsters (from UK & Japan) competing with each other as well as against remakes of big screen features. There is also a special on Norwegian black metal that some may find more interesting. Finally, the book is the second in a trilogy of books co-authored by Guillermo Del Toro.

The Experiment

Directed by Paul Scheuring

This shocking psychological thriller unfolds when 24 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a study designed to evaluate the affects of power and control. Values are tested and lines are crossed when seemingly normal participants are pushed to the breaking point as the experiment spirals out of control. The Experiment is a remake of Das Experiment (review) and stars Adrien Brody, Forest Whitaker, Clifton Collins Jr.,...

The good folks over at Shout! Factory are blessing us with four new Gamera classics on two double feature DVD's and we've got all the goods you need to keep you in the know.

Special Features

If you loved the first two Special Edition home entertainment releases of the original Gamera movies – Gamera, The Giant Monster and Gamera Vs. Barugon, prepare yourself for four times the fun! On September 21, 2010, Shout! Factory will further unleash four more Gamera movies (the original Japanese version) from the Showa series in two Double-Feature Collector’s Edition DVD sets: Gamera Vs. Gyaos/ Gamera Vs. Viras and Gamera Vs. Guiron/Gamera Vs. Jiger. Featuring all-new anamorphic widescreen transfers, each Double-Feature DVD set includes both the original Japanese and infamous English dubbed versions of each film along with publicity galleries. A must-have for film enthusiasts and collectors, aggregate your Gamera movie collection with these two Double-Feature Collector’s Edition DVD sets.

The company that has given us countless goodies this year including a bevy of Roger Corman titles along with the resurrection of Gamera, Shout! Factory, is not only one of the first out of the gate with its San Diego Comic-Con news, but Shout! is ready to tackle the show with a vengeance!

From the Press Release

Shout! Factory returns to Comic-Con International San Diego 2010 with a stellar lineup featuring upcoming and current home entertainment juggernauts that will be showcased in a special panel discussion, media appearances, special signings, interactive fan activities and Comic-Con exclusives at the Shout! Factory booth (#3749, main show floor) throughout the convention. Fan favorite filmmakers, creators and select stars from Shout! Factory’s branded properties scheduled to attend include: Roger Corman, Julie Corman, Joe Dante (Piranha, Trailers from Hell, Gremlins), Allan Holzman (Galaxy of Terror, Forbidden World), Sid Haig (Galaxy of Terror, The Devil’s Rejects), Mary Woronov (Death Race 2000,...

Any day when we can report on a new classic Gamera flick getting the treatment that it deserves is a good one, and Shout! Factory has just dropped the 411 on upcoming release of Gamera vs. Barugon.

From the Press Release

"Returned from his exile into space, Gamera is the last survivor of a species of colossal chelonians, rumored to have originated 8,000 years ago from the lost continent of Atlantis. This titanic terrapin is feared by adults and loved by children.

Hot off the heel from the excitement of fan favorite Gamera, The Giant Monster – Special Edition DVD, Shout! Factory will unleash the second film in the original series, Gamera vs. Barugon – Special Edition on July 6, 2010. The DVD contains a collectible reversible cover, a special booklet featuring an essay by actor Kojiro Hongo, audio commentary with August Ragone and Jason Varney, publicity galleries and widescreen presentation of the original movie from...