Simply Perfect

Sadly Over-hyped

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

In this outing, our colossal, jet-powered guardian-turtle has to deal with both a giant, knife-headed advisory and a pair of brain-eating space-babes. Briefly, two boys sneak onto a flying saucer that takes them to a 'counter Earth' (a planet orbiting unseen on the other side of the sun) inhabited by Barbella and Florbella, the two sexy, silver-clad aliens, their enslaved monster Guiron, and a host of 'space-Gyaos' (similar to the one that attacked Earth in 1967's "Return of the Giant Monsters"). The women, ostensibly kindly and courteous hosts, turn out to be evil and only Gamera can save the two boys (and perhaps all of humankind) from consumption. The movie is a budget concoction, with time-filling clips from previous films (as the girls study the boys' memories for weaknesses) and all of the kaiju 'action' taking place on a single, inexpensive looking 'alien world' set. Like most of the original Gamera films, kids are the target audience but the movie has a surprisingly brutal edge. The opening battle between Guiron and one of the Gyaos ends with the flying monster being dismembered while still alive (this scene seems to be commonly edited out: it is not on my DVD or on the free on-line versions I checked, and I don't remember it from way back when I watched this movie on TV, but its purple-gruesomeness can be found on You-tube). There is also a scene where one of the boys has his head shaved in preparation for cutting open his skull to get at his brain (stopped just in time) and numerous shots of a wounded Gamera bleeding. The special effects vary in effectiveness. The scenes on the alien planet and in the spacegirls' base are imaginative examples of budget-tokusatsu, with 'teleportation' booths and a surreal backdrop, but the monster brawls are simplistic and silly (relatively speaking), with one scene of Gamera doing a number of rotations around a 'high bar' before proudly sticking the landing in front of a bemused Guiron. I watched dubbed version that was an odd of mix of (sort of) scientifically correct (it would take a many years for an Apollo spacecraft to get to another star) to ridiculously wrong (the boys, both amateur astronomers, mix up 'star' and 'planet'). In addition to the aliens and the boys, we get a little sister continuously pouting because no one will believe her about the UFO, a comic-relief cop, and the boys' mothers, one of whom keeps offering amateur child-rearing psychology. The story is pretty typical of the first generation Gamera films and the movie is on par with the rest of the series, so if you liked the towering turtle's earlier adventures, you'll probably enjoy this one as well (but try to find an edgy, uncensored version for maximum impact).

Campfest Gamera returns in this dozy of a movie where two boys stumble upon a flying saucer and ended up being flown to space. They are confronted by two women aliens who hypnotize the children so they would became rations for them later on. Throw in a knife-nosed space monster named Guiron, a little girl's pleas to the adults about the alien abduction, and a corny Officer named Cornjob into the mix and you have a Gamera flick that tips the cheese scale.Like the previous movie, this story utilizes the recycled alien-invasion plot. The special effects were pretty awful; the monster suits were not realistic or imaginative at all and the monster battle scenes were very campy (Gamera doing gymnastics on a high bar while fighting Guiron?!). And, the character development and substance were non-existent.Again, this film looks like an episode of a children's variety show. I know the filmmakers wanted to target the younger audience, but, at least, throw in some heroic and purposeful adult characters and make the plot elements sound at least believable (the lead kid characters want world peace and an end to traffic accidents?!).There are some scenes that are so bad, it's fun to watch, and, have to say some scenes of the aliens pursuing the kids were a little thrilling. Watch only if you like extreme camp and cheese factor. Grade D

This is a very hokie movie but it is also entertaining because it is so lame-o. Gamera is the defender of children in this one. Two kids, one Japanese and the other white and I guess American end up on another planet where two women, obviously Asian, want to eat the kids brains so they can learn about Earth because their planet is dying and they want to go there. The aliens have their own monster that looks like a cross between a crocodile and a great white shark. Any way once the kids show up on the alien planet things start to happen. Gamera shows up and fights sharkodile more than once finally winning. The alien women are defeated and the Gamers returns the kids to earth. Very trite but hey so is the old Godzilla movies.

Pretty outrageous chapter in the GAMERA series. Two boys stumble upon an actual flying saucer and step inside, only to get whisked away to a planet inhabited by another ludicrous-looking monster. This one's named Guiron, and he crawls about on all fours but has a head which is constructed like a huge, long butcher knife with eyeballs. This comes in handy for nodding on his monster opponents (like Gyaos, who makes a cameo appearance) and slicing them to ribbons. The boys are also met by two lovely Japanese alien women who pretend to be all kind and accommodating, but who in reality are spicing them up so they can eat the kids' brains. Pretty disturbing stuff for a very child-friendly movie! Gamera the protector must fly to the rescue to fight Guiron and rescue the children. The special effects got more and more fake looking as this series progressed, and the plastic monsters make the ones from the rivaling Toho Studios look positively dazzling in comparison. ** out of ****