Gamera contre Barugon

This probably is the most adult oriented of all the Gamera films mainly because it is the only film in the original series not to feature a child as the main human character. However, I also think that it is the one of the weaker films in the series. The human characters aren't really that interesting and this is one of the flaws of the Gamera series. At least with the Godzilla series (or for that matter Toho kaiju films altogether) the human characters, especially in the earlier films, are fully dimensional whereas in the Gamera films they are treated as more of an afterthought. This film is not really one of the brighter moments in the whole Gamera series.

If you're a fan of Gamera from '90s trilogy, Gamera vs. Barugon may be the original Gamera movie for you.

The movie begins with Gamera's being freed from the rocket he was trapped in at the end of Gamera, the Gigantic Monster and returning to Earth to wreak havoc on a dam. He then disappears for a good 45 minutes while the movie follows a trio of treasure hunters to a tropical island on their quest to retrieve an opal the brother of one of the hunters hid in a cave during the Second World War. Not to give away too much, but the procurement of this opal leads to the emergence of Barugon, in the middle of Japan, who Gamera (eventually) fights in typical Gamera fashion.

Three things immediately stand out about the second entry in the Gamera series:

• There are no kids in this movie. As in its predecessor, Gamera is apparently motivated purely by a quest for energy sources.

• Gamera is barely in the movie. He opens the movie, returns to fight Barugon, then comes back after another long absence to fight Barugon again. The bulk of the movie deals with the birth of Barugon and the Japanese's attempts to defeat him. (Maybe this was the genesis of the military's conflict in Gamera: The Revenge of Iris over which monster to attack first.)

• Finally, the movie is in color, and Daiei seems eager to exploit that fact. The opening titles are played out over shapeless colors, and one of Barugon's weapons is a rainbow beam emanating from his back.

The movie contains some silly moments (most notably the theft of the diamond), but the human conflicts and relationships are played surprisingly straight and adult, at least in comparison to those in a typical Godzilla movie; everyone doesn't necessarily agree on strategy, and it's probably safe to say the two leads don't view each other as siblings. The biggest problem with the movie is its odd pacing, but without a delusional kid and several characters who do virtually nothing running around, Gamera vs. Barugon is a decided improvement over the original.

Shigeo Tanaka directed "Gamera vs. Barugon" in 1966, the second film to feature the giant fire-breathing turtle Gamera. I'll be the first to give "Gamera vs. Barugon" a fair review. This second entry into the original seven-film series is probably my favorite, simply because it doesn't feature any annoying Gamera friends; you know what I mean, kids. "Gamera vs. Barugon" is the only movie in the series to not feature annoying adolescents who can communicate with the monster. In this second feature, greedy fortune hunters head to New Guinea where they believe a priceless opal was hidden during the Second World War. Alas, they find it, but one of them is greedier than the other two and kills them both off (well, one of them is stung by a poisonous scorpion, and the other, the hero of the story, survives the attempted assassination). What the greedy man doesn't know, is that what he has in his possession is not a jewel at all, but a monster's egg, Barugon's egg. The infant monster, once exposed to infra-red heat rays, grows to its mature size and begins attacking Japan. Gamera interferes but is defeated quite easily by Barugon's freezing vapor. Meanwhile, the hero and a village girl travel back to Japan, using the ancient legends (combined with modern scientific technology) to try to defeat Barugon once and for all. When these plans fail miserably, it appears that only Gamera stands a chance of bringing Barugon's reign of terror upon Japan to an end. I'll understand this film's low rating, but believe me, as a Gamera fan (and Godzilla too), this is probably the best film in the series. Gamera is off-screen for the most part, and the new monster Barugon takes center stage laying waste to Japan. Forget the bad dubbing for once, too. The musical score is pretty exotic and atmospheric, almost comparable to anything featured in the "Godzilla" series of films. Still, for a movie that was made in '66, the effects hold up surprisingly well, even if it is easy to find the many faults with them. Believe it or not, I actually like the older kaiju films much rather than their special-effects/CGI-laden, modern-day counterparts. For these reasons, "Gamera vs. Barugon" gets a five out of 10 from me.

5/10

This was the first color sequel to the original black and white GAMERA, and it's pretty good though you have to be patient in waiting to see much of our favorite fire-breathing, flying turtle. A new monster named Barugon (not to be confused with the similarly-named creature from the Toho series of Japanese giant monster movies) is born and has the ability to freeze people and cities. The monster suits in this series were never quite up to the ones in the Godzilla films, but the effects in general are not too bad. The real fun in this one is savoring the villainous exploits of one of the main human characters... a sneaky creep named Onodera. He steals the show as one of a group of men on an expedition to New Guinea to retrieve a glowing opal believed to be worth millions. There's a fight sequence between this guy and another man who can barely walk late in the movie that's better (and much funnier) than the monsters' battle! **1/2 out of ****

This is the first Gamera movie I have watched. I remembered when I was a kid I rented a VHS copy of this film. Being a kid, I was pretty weary of certain scenes in this kaiju film, like the main villain's evil tactics. This is the first Gamera movie to feature him doing battle with another monster, named Barugon. While Gamera started out as a villainous monster, Barugon proved to be an even more menacing creature, threatening to destroy everything in its path.

As a kid, I enjoyed the film, and when I wanted to rent it again, the VHS copy wasn't available anymore, so I was pretty bummed out. But, years later, this film was shown on TV and, to my delight, I have decided I have got to watch it again and remembered I was entertained by it. The plot about dueling explorers trying to get their hands on an opal from an island while the natives warn them about dire consequences that follow if they take away the gem is pretty intriguing. The special effects were serviceable but the monster battles were decent and Barugon's tongue and rainbow weapons were a pretty cool effect. The Barugon suit looked like it was made out of cardboard and the monster itself wasn't portrayed as menacing enough - I would have liked to see a little more city destruction scenes. The second half of the movie just consists of the military attempting to destroy Barugon - pretty basic, but a little thrilling nonetheless.

Overall, it's a pretty good Gamera movie that ends up being the best in the first series. It is also the only one in the original series not to feature a kid as the main character. The rest of the Gamera films were very much aimed for youngsters and are too childish and corny for my enjoyment. If you would like to see Gamera in action, check out this movie, skip the rest in the series, and catch the newer ones made in the 1990s.

Grade B-