Gamera (1965)

It will never be confused with Godzilla, 13 November 2007

To be such a legendary kaiju and to have spawned a hoard of sequel, Gamera is a decidedly pedestrian film. Gamera was originally designed to be Daiei Studio's answer to Toho's Godzilla, but it's really no competition. From the moment Gamera makes his first screen appearance, the creature looks terribly silly. While I can believe in any number of kaiju (Godzilla, Rodan, etc.), Gamera never works for me. A giant bipedal turtle with long arms and the ability to fly and breath fire – it's just too absurd for words.

But to be honest, the monster is the least of Gamera's problems. I don't know if the little Japanese boy, Kenny, is as annoying in the other versions, but I wanted to strangle him the moment he appeared on screen. And his constant protests to save Gamera because he is good and a friend to children everywhere is particularly stupid given Germa rampage through downtown Tokyo. Some friend, huh?

Another big weakness is the use of miniatures in Gamera. Toho was particularly adept at solid miniature work. Even when they looked like miniatures it didn't matter because they looked so cool. Sadly, based on this movie, I can't say the same thing about Daiei's work. The miniatures in Gamera look more like toys than anything else. Fisher Price makes more authentic looking boats. It's difficult to take anything seriously when the special effects are so weak.

Finally, the plot in Gamera is neither very good nor original. The parts that work seem to have been lifted from Godzilla and similar Toho movies. The parts that don't work are just plain old ridiculous. Take the final scenes and Gamera's fate – I sat with my mouth open in amazement at what the movie was asking me to swallow.

So in the end, while I can appreciate the importance of Gamera and its place in history, that doesn't mean I have to like it.

4/10