[Note: Because I have not seen all of the Gamera movies all of these summaries with the exception of Gamera vs. Barugon and Gamera-Guardian of the Universe are from the Shrine of Gamera.]

 Gamera the Invincible (1965):

Gamera, a.k.a. Gamera the Invincible, was the first of the Japanese monster movies to feature a child in the lead role, and the last of the genre to be filmed in black and white. Gamera was also the only movie in the series to be released to theatres in the United States, unlike the following installments of the series which were only shown on American television, with new footage featuring Brian Donlevy and Albert Dekker added. It is a period of war, and an aircraft equipped with nuclear weapons is shot down in the Arctic. The plane crashes and causes a nuclear blast, awakening the giant prehistoric turtle, Gamera. Gamera attacks a nearby ship, then heads to Japan, where he destroys a geothermal power plant. A plan to temporarily freeze the creature and turn it on its back using explosives proves unable to stop it, and Gamera heads for Tokyo and wreaks havoc on the bustling metropolis. A new plan to use a trail of fire to lure the giant turtle into a rocket that will be shot into space is put into effect, but just as Gamera begins to follow the trail, rain begins to fall and extinguishes the trail.  

My thoughts: Have not seen this movie.

My rating: N/A

Gamera vs. Barugon (1966):

The movie begins with a brief summary of Gamera: The Invincible.

Three Japanese treasure hunters head to New Guinea to look for a mysterious giant opal.  Once they find it one of the treasure hunters is bitten by a scorpion and dies.  As his friend is grieving the third treasure hunter throws some dynamite into the cave sealing it off.  Luckily he is recovered by the island natives and treated for his injuries.  Back on the boat to Japan, the third member of the expedition is admiring his prize.  During the trip back to Japan the opal is exposed to infrared light from a medicinal lamp causing the opal to hatch and out steps the young monster Barugon.  It quickly grows to its full size and begins to attack Kobe, Japan; the Japanese military quickly attacks Barugon and fails.  Eventually the military tries to launch a missile attack against Barugon, but before they could launch the missiles Barugon fires his most powerful weapon a Rainbow fired from the spines on its back.  This attack generates a lot of heat, which brings in Gamera.  This is a pretty short fight; Barugon uses his freezing mist to knock out Gamera, and continues on his rampage.  The man from the expedition then arrives back from New Guinea with one of the native girls who has a plan to defeat Barugon.  It involves a 5,000-karat to lure the creature into a lake, which will cause Barugon to lose his strength.  The plan fails as Barugon just ignores the diamond.  The team of scientist then describes that because the opal was exposed to infrared radiation it accelerated the growth of the creature, so if they exposed the diamond to that radiation then Barugon would follow it.  This time the plan works once they Barugon to the lake the diamond is stolen by the other member of the expedition team, who is quickly swallowed by Barugon, bye-bye diamond.  Then the military figures out that the rainbow weapon does not harm mirrors.  So the military builds a giant mirror to reflect the ray back at Barugon.  This plan woks as well but it only injures the monster the military then attempts to get the monster to fire again but he will not fire it again because he knows it will hit him.  Meanwhile backs in Kobe things are beginning to thaw-out.  Gamera regains consciousness and heads toward Barugon.  Barugon is badly injured and Gamera easily drags him into lake drowning Barugon, after a pretty good fight scene. 

 My thoughts: A pretty good movie overall, the only thing that it lacks is an intriguing story to keep you on your toes throughout the entire movie.

My rating:

Gamera vs. Gyaos (1967):

Also known as Return of the Giant Monsters, Gamera vs. Gyaos proved to be the most popular of the Gamera movies in Japan. A volcanic eruption arouses a huge vampire bat that has a special affinity for human blood. Gamera appears and battles the creature on two occasions, but he is forced to withdraw each time after being injured by an ultrasonic beam emitted by Gyaos that has laser-like cutting power. Soon the Japanese scientists discover that sunlight is harmful to the giant bat, explaining why it only appears at night. A plan to lure Gyaos with a substance similar to blood onto a rotating restaurant located on top of a hotel is put into effect. The scientists hope that the spinning action will disorient Gyaos so that he will be unable to return to his u underground lair when the sun rises. The plan works until the restaurant's spinning mechanism breaks, and Gyaos escapes.

My thoughts: Have not seen this movie.

My rating: N/A

Gamera vs. Viras (1968):

Gamera vs. Virus, also known as Destroy All Planets, the first movie in the series to feature an uchu kaiju, or space monster, was released in Japan in the same year as DESTROY ALL MONSTERS, one of the most popular of the Godzilla films. Invaders from outer space appear in Japan. Gamera attacks them, but is fended off with a mind-controlling device, which the aliens manage to place on the neck of the monster. Widespread destruction occurs as Gamera is forced to do their bidding, but soon two small children being held captive by the invaders break free and destroy the mind-controlling device. Gamera then again attacks the aliens, and this time succeeds in destroying their spaceship, but a giant monster resembling a squid that is even larger than Gamera soon emerges from it.

Mt thoughts: Have not seen this movie.

My rating: N/A

Gamera vs. Guiron (1969):

Gamera vs. Guiron, or Attack of the Monsters is the only Gamera movie in which a creature from a previous series installment appears in new, rather than stock, footage. This film had a few of its more graphic fight scenes between the monsters edited out before its release to the United States. Two curious boys enter an alien spaceship that has landed in Japan, and the ship whisks them away to the planet Terra, an alternate Earth on the opposite side of the sun. After witnessing a battle between a giant creature with a sharp, pointed head (Guiron) and Gyaos, the children meet two alien women who lead them to believe that they will be pampered in the lap of luxury, when in fact the women plan to eat them. It's Gamera to the rescue!

My thoughts: Have not seen this movie.

My rating: N/A

Gamera vs. Jiger (1970):

Gamera vs. Jiger, as known as Gamera vs. Monster X, the only film in the series to feature a female monster, was set primarily at the 1970 World Exposition, which was held in Osaka at the same time the movie played in Japan. An ancient wooden pole with a face carved into it buried in the ground on an island in the South Pacific is dug up and sent to Japan for scientific study. Soon afterward, a huge prehistoric monster resembling a triceratops, which was being subdued by a sound harmful to it emitted by the pole, emerges from underground. Gamera, already on the island, then does battle with the creature, but is badly wounded by it. The creature makes it way to Japan, and there causes widespread destruction, but Gamera soon arrives to challenge it a second time. The two monsters again battle each other, and this time the creature manages to do even greater harm by impregnating Gamera with its offspring, which acts like a parasite within the body of the giant turtle.

My thoughts: Have not seen this movie.

My rating: N/A

Gamera vs. Zigra (1971):

Seen only on cable television in the United States, Gamera vs. Zigra is the last installment of the Gamera series and was released in Japan just a few months before Daiei went out of business for seven years due to insolvency. After destroying a base on the moon, an alien spaceship makes its way to Earth and settles on the ocean floor. An announcement then comes forth from the ship, declaring its plan to conquer the earth and use humans for food. The military proves ineffective against the ship, but Gamera soon appears and destroys it. A shark-like creature with a back ridged with a row of spikes (Zigra) emerges from the ship and quickly grows to enormous proportions due to the difference in water pressure between Earth and its home planet, Zigra. Gamera and Zigra battle under the sea, and Gamera brings Zigra to the shore for the battle's end. Gamera hurls a boulder at Zigra, which sticks on a spine on his face, causing him to lose balance and fall forward. Gamera then picks up another rock and uses it to play the opening notes of his theme song on the spikes of Zigra's back. Gamera concludes this performance with a dance in which he seems to laugh at his wittiness, and then proceeds to incinerate Zigra with a blast of flame from his mouth. Gamera then flies off, knowing that he has once again saved the world's children.

My thoughts: Have not seen this movie.

My rating: N/A

Super Monster Gamera (1980):

SUPER MONSTER GAMERA was pieced together almost entirely from stock footage. Scenes from all seven of the previous Gamera films, and a few from STAR BLAZERS and GALAXY EXPRESS 999, two Japanese animated television series, were included. A small amount of new footage was shot featuring a new model of Gamera, as well as a spaceship closely resembling a Star Destroyer from STAR WARS, but it did little to hide the fact that the production budget for the movie was extremely limited. Space pirates from the planet Zanon send a number of different monsters to attack mankind as part of their plan to take over the Earth, but Gamera manages to defeat them all. The pirates then succeed in placing a device, which will allow them to control Gamera on back of the neck of the giant turtle, and the monster wreaks havoc as it is compelled to obey their orders.

My thoughts: Have not seen this movie.

My rating: N/A

Gamera-Guardian of the Universe (1995):

A large ship under military escort is transporting a large amount of weapons grade plutonium when it runs aground in water that’s over 3000 meters deep, it has struck a rather large floating atoll.  Meanwhile on Himegami Island two terrified people are running from a mysterious creature that catches and eats them.  Dr. Mayumi Nagamine is sent to investigate, she finds a rather large bird pellet, and dives in (ala Jurassic Park) and finds a pen that belonged to one of the men eaten in the beginning.  As they are searching for the birds one of them fly’s overhead toward Japan, the doctor and her team gives chase in their helicopter and they discover that there are two more of the birds.  Back at the atoll a group of scientists are examining it when they find a stone tablet with an inscription on it “The last hope Gamera, we bestow it the cradle of time…May it awaken with Gyaos, the shadow of evil.”  Then the tablet breaks apart awakening the atoll, which is Gamera and it begins to head toward Japan.  Meanwhile the Japanese government approves a plan to capture the three Gyaos inside a stadium.  The plan works but they only capture two of the three, luckily Gamera shows up and kills the other with one swipe.  As it proceeds to the stadium towards the other two Gyaos.  They escape as well but Gamera takes off and follows them.  Later, on Himegami Island the Gyaos have returned and are attacking a small village Gamera shows up once again and obliterates another Gyaos with one of his fireballs.  The other shows up and fly’s off, Gamera follows it.  The Japanese military thinks that Gamera is the bigger threat and launches a couple of missiles at him and Gamera falls out of the sky.  The Military sends in some tanks that knock the giant turtle on its back the remaining Gyaos swoops in and blasts Gamera with its sonic laser.  Gamera flies off to the ocean to heal its wounds.  After this the Gyaos attacks Japan picking a bullet train right off the tracks and proceeds to devour the passengers as it grows to full size.  The military then launches a swarm of missiles at the sleeping Gyaos waking the creature proves to be a mistake as it fly’s off toward Tokyo Tower the missiles miss Gyaos and nail Tokyo Tower.  The Gyaos then makes Tokyo Tower its nest for the night.  The next morning Gamera is moving towards the Gyaos and surfaces right underneath Tokyo Tower and fires a fireball at the Gyaos missing it but destroying the nest and the eggs in the nest crash to the ground and shatter.  Gamera chases Gyaos through the air eventually flying into outer space.  Gamera latches onto Gyaos and kills his jets and both the creatures plummet toward earth.  Gyaos severs the foot that Gamera has latched onto and breaks away leaving Gamera to hit an oil refinery on the ground.  Gyaos lands and thinks he’s destroyed Gamera but all of the fire around crash site is being sucked in revealing an extremely pissed off Gamera, who proceeds to incinerate the Gyaos with one of his fireballs.  Gamera then heads out to sea, the End.

My thoughts: This movie kicks ass.  If you like Kaiju you must own this movie.

My rating:

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