Gammera the Invincible

Gammera the Invincible (1966) is a Gamera classic that I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows a series of nuclear testing that awakens Gamera and he starts bearing down on Tokyo. Does Gamera plan to destroy Tokyo, teach the human race a lesson or both?

This movie is codirected by Sandy Howard (King of Africa) and Noriaki Yuasa (Gamera, Super Monster) and stars Albert Dekker (The Wild Bunch), Brian Donlevy (Impact), Diane J. Findlay (The Producers), John Baragrey (The Loves of Carmen) and Dick O'Neill (The Jerk).

The models used for this picture are fantastic. I loved how Gamera emerged from the snow to open the movie as well as the depiction of New York City. The toy boats and military equipment are fun and the lighthouse conclusion is fantastic. I'll always complain that the storyline is too close to Godzilla and Gamera looks like a toy turtle, but I still find these movies fun.

Overall, this is another fun Gamera addition to the monster genre that's an absolute must see. I would score this a 5/10 and strongly recommend it.

Gamera the Invincible (1966)

** (out of 4)

The stupid American government drops an atomic bomb at the North Pole and soon the gigantic turtle named Gamera is set free. He flies across the world before landing in Tokyo to destroy the city. I'm not a huge fan of these Japanese monster films but this one works….a little. Some of the special effects are nice including one scene where Gamera destroys a chemical plant but there's some laughable moments as well. I watched the English dubbed version, which gets a few more laughs due to the silly track.

Gammera is almost as fun as the famous Godzilla - it's not quite as good as Godzilla but it is a blast to watch. Silly looking special effects that will get you to smile, over-the-top story, the dialogue is sometimes hilarious but that is what makes a film like this one so much fun. And the theme song is so laughable... "Gammera! Gammera!"The film is watchable if you are into the "big monster" type of flicks.

If you liked Gammera the Invincible or Godzilla then you might like to make this movie a double feature with another fun Japanese film called Monster from a Prehistoric Planet (1967)... it's on the same wave-length as the other two films.

5/10

Gammera, one of the most famous Japanese monsters to hit the big screen in the 1960s makes his debut in this zero-budget, politically charged monster thriller. It is interesting to consider the tensions that were taking place between certain nations at the time that the movie was made, especially between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union. There is no effort made to disguise the animosity that existed between the two, more than likely since that bitterness was needed as a catalyst to bring Gammera back from 200 million years of hibernation. The U.S. shoots down a suspicious bomber, which turned out to be Russian, over the arctic region. As is to be expected from those sneaky Russians, the bomber was loaded with hydrogen bombs which, upon impact, explode with sufficient force to not only thaw but also infuriate the sleeping Gammera. Lots of havoc is wreaked upon poorly constructed models of cities and airplanes and landscapes and such, and there is some strange subplot about a little boy obsessed with turtles who wants to expose Gammera for the gentle creature that he really is. Inspiration for the Iron Giant, maybe? The special effects are astonishingly bad, but there was no budget and in the movie's defense, I have to say that the people involved in making it knew that they had no budget but they took very seriously their task of doing as much as they could with as little as they had.

Classic Japanese monster fare.

I purchased "Gammera the Invincible" at Suncoast Videos for $5.99 plus tax. It was on the sale rack, and I was honestly shocked because I think this movie is a gem to own for those who love monster movies. It's one of those flicks that you watch late at night, with a 2-liter of Pepsi and a bowl of popcorn. Better still, this is the kind of movie you watch on a lazy day after Thanksgiving, with a Turkey sandwich and a Coke.

Anyone looking for serious things from this movie is going to be disappointed. These kind of movies as best enjoyed with an open mind. The special effects for the year this flick was made are actually very decent.