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 ****
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JoeKarlosi29 September 2010
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razorbladeetches4 June 2005This used to be my least favorite of the original Gamera series but I watched it recently (minus the Joel and bots comments, since I have the old MST3K episode on tape) and I was really surprised with the special effects. The opening scene where Gamera (the narrator butchers his name too) attacks the damn was well done. There are a lot of cool miniatures and as it has been mentioned several times already- this movie is 'kenny' free.
Sadly, there really isn't a lot going on in this film. I do like the overall weirdness of it all: a giant flying turtle battling against a creature who attacks people with his tongue and a rainbow! Hey, it was the 60s ... what can I say? Sady Franks either had a brainstorming session or they were high when they made these movies.
There's actually a coherent plot to this movie and I suppose Gamera changes from a baddie to a good guy in this one. They just really stretch everything so thin and there aren't enough monster fight scenes to make me happy. I'm being really generous with rating this ... -
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. -
Sargebri5 November 2003This 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.
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dee.reid17 March 2007Shigeo 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 -
bensonmum28 September 2009A would be jewel thief thinks he's made it big when he gets his hands on the biggest opal he's ever seen. Unfortunately for the thief (and everyone else in Japan), it's not really an opal. Instead, it's a monster's egg – Barugon to be exact. Barugon hatches and begins a reign of terror across Japan. Different theories on how to stop the creature are tested, but to no avail. Just when things seem their bleakest, Gamera shows up and takes care of the situation.
A number of comments on IMDb proclaim that Gamera vs. Barugon is the best of the early Gamera films. While I agree, it's a bit like saying I prefer a tooth ache to a root canal– neither is something I want to experience on a regular basis. In all seriousness, it's not a bad movie, it's just not a very good one. Even with their best effort, Daiei could never match Toho. Daiei's monsters look cheap and clumsy compared with Toho's. And what's up with Barugon shooting a rainbow ray out of his butt? Completely ridiculous. And the final showdown between Gamera and Barugon is way too short. Toho would have been sure this fight scene took up the major portion of the movie.
Still, like I said, Gamera vs. Barugon is better than the usual Gamera offering. Why? Well, for one thing, Gamera is really more like a bit player in the movie. I never cared for Gamera's design so the less of Gamera the better. Next, Gamera vs. Barugon is actually a reasonably intelligent movie with a somewhat interesting subplot involving the jewel thief. I realize intelligence in a Gamera movie is relative, but at least this one doesn't include the usual gaggle of small Japanese kids exclaiming, "Gamera is the friend of all children!" I never quite understood how a monster that destroyed half of Japan goes on to be every child's best friend. Finally, I actually enjoyed some of the acting in Gamera vs. Barugon. Both leads, Kojior Hongo and especially the striking Kyoko Enami give nice performances.
For what it's worth, a 5/10 is the best I can do. -
williampsamuel7 December 2014For those of you who don't know, Gamera is a giant radioactive turtle/spaceship created by Daiei Motion Picture Company to cash in on the giant monster craze. Appearing in seven low budget films during the sixties and seventies, Gamera was to Godzilla what the Monkees were to the Beatles; a poor imitation, but entertaining nonetheless. Of course in this case the entertainment value came from how hilariously bad the films were. Imagine one of the campiest Godzilla movies, oh say Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster or vs. Gigan. Now imagine that is has a fraction of the budget, the monster costumes are twice as cheesy, and it makes half as much sense. That describes most entries in the series.
This, the second Gamera film, picks up right where the first left off, with stock footage from the ending of the previous film. This time Gamera gets to play the hero by fighting Barugon, a weird lizard/dog monster that has a crippling weakness to water, releases a freezing mist from its tongue, and fires devastating rainbows from its back. And no, I am not making this up. Fans of Toho Corporation's movies may notice that Barugon looks suspiciously like Baragon, a Toho monster who first appeared only a year before.
And the similarities to Toho's films don't end there. In a subplot that rips of both King Kong vs. Godzilla and Mothra vs. Godzilla, there's a group of criminals who scheme to recover a massive opal from an island in the South Pacific, not realizing that it's actually a monster egg. And in the interest of padding the runtime, the filmmakers also included a series of needlessly complex plans for defeating Barugon whose explanations make no sense. One of them involves getting the monster to attack his own reflection, and is code named Operation Rear View Mirror. Plus, just for kicks, they've thrown in some poorly staged fights between some of the human characters. In the end, the Barugon is of course defeated, the boy gets the girl, and everyone lives happily ever after despite the fact that another giant monster is still on the loose.
This entire production is slipshod, filled with plot holes, and just doesn't make much sense. And in the process of adapting it for American audiences, the distributors added a bunch of unnecessary narration, and a typically lousy dubbing job which includes parts where the actor's mouth just keeps moving while he says very little, lots of awkward pauses, and grand pronouncements like "I have to go now" and "Ah, I see." There's also a line about how "When an animal has been hurt by its mistake, it will never make the same mistake again." Apparently whoever wrote this line has never met a dog.
What I'm trying to say here is that Gamera vs. Barugon is not a good movie, but neither is it a horrible movie. In the end, it's saved by its own cheesiness. It doesn't quite achieve the so-bad-it's-good status of War of the Gargantuas or Plan 9 from Outer Space, but it is often amusing and contains many laughs, even if they are unintentional. And there's also the whole weirdness factor going for it; I mean come on, a monster does shoot destructive rainbows. So the original print isn't all that bad, and will probably please small children. And in the hands of Joel Robinson and his robot pals, Gamera vs. Barugon made one of Mystery Science Theater 3000's best episodes. By all means, watch this version, and even if you wind up stuck with the original, it could be worse. -
Aylmer9 December 2002I have to agree with the first comment and say that this is the best of pre-1995 the Gamera's. I've seen five of them, Guiron and Zigra both being indescribably bad (even when I watched them as a 13 year old I thought so). This one is honestly pretty good, a step-up from the stone age-looking Gamera, which was made in 1965 but looked like it was made in 1954! First off, there isn't too much flashback footage and when it is used, it's actually well-edited and has some pretty cool narration and atmospheric music. There's a random dam attack scene which I still cant figure out why it's there, and then the real story starts with the protagonists finding a jewel that eventually turns into the secondary monster.
Gamera plays a pretty minor second-fiddle this time around, with Barugon, an admittedly more interesting monster, hogging most of the screentime destroying things. I really liked the plotting with the greedy guy accidentally waking the monster with his heat-lamp, and then getting eaten when he ruins the army's plan by trying to steal a giant diamond.
This has the best music and best scenes of destruction of any of the Gamera movies and most of Jun Fukuda's Godzilla films. While it's still Daiei, which most of the time is sub-Toho in every respect, this film shows that around 1966 Daiei actually managed to surpass Toho every now and then effects-wise. Good directing too: the tone is surprisingly mature this time around and it's got a really dark and humorless undercurrent to the whole thing.
My favorite Gamera movie, followed by the... so unintentionally hilarious, it makes me crack up thinking about it... Gamera vs. Gaos. -
ebiros214 December 2013When I see this movie now, it's flaws stands out, but it was a movie made for kids, and at the time, had acceptable quality. Surprisingly, Gamera franchise itself is still alive even after the demise of Daiei movie studio.
Egg of Barugon that is said to hatch once every 1000 years gets to Japan by way of thieves who mistook it for a huge opal. Gamera attracted by Barugon's rainbow rays butts head with Barugon at Osaka castle. Gamera is frozen by Barugon's icing tongue but returns to duke it out at lake Biwa for the final battle.
Well, this is the second installment of the Gamera series, and first one done in color. Koji Hongo who played the part of ship's captain in 1995 "Gamera Guardian of the Universe" 29 years after this movie was made is the star in this movie. Actress Kyoko Enami who started her career at Daiei and then went on to have a long career also stars in this movie as Kara, the girl from village in New Guinea.
The success of this move ensured Gamera movie as a franchise that continues to this day. First three Showa Gamera movies was a huge hit when they came out. Gamera isn't all that human friendly yet in this movie, and shows the gradual evolution of its character.
The scenes involving the thieves didn't match the mood of the movie. It looked like they belong to Daiei's gangster movies. But asides from that, the movie was okay, and the movie succeeds as the second installment of Gamera series. -
OllieSuave-00714 June 2007This 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- -
Flixer195723 August 2002**May Contain Spoilers**
Round One was hilarious but this one is an out-and-out knee-slapper. After being launched into space at the end of his initial screen triumph Gamera, everybody's favorite flying turtle monster, comes down to Earth and hibernates in a handy volcano. He snoozes merrily away until lured back into action by a flabby-looking saurian named Baragon. (No explanation is given for these monikers, by the waythe monsters just turn up and the filmmakers arbitrarily call them by names that sound as goofy as the monsters look.) The Baragon suit in this picture isn't as funny as the one in FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD but it still makes this entry worth watching. Baragon has a long tongue that turns his foes into ice and he neutralizes missiles by shooting rainbows out of his back. Baragon bleeds blue when wounded, and one of the silly color-blind heroes calls the gore "purple." In later adventuresand the flying flatulent turtle had a few of themGamera became a friend to humans rather than a destroyer. That makes about as much sense as latter-day Tom and Jerry cartoons where the protagonists got along rather than pounding the s**t out of each other. Give me a good old fashioned monster slug-fest any day of the week. -
Gamera tai Barugon was the first in a long line of often Horrendous sequels, a film which in my view is a lost and well forgotten gem. The sequel to the first Gamera film, "Gammera The Invincible" a black and white cheap but fun knock off of the very successful and prestigious (at the time especially since it was the year of Godzilla vs Monster Zero, the pinnacle high water mark in terms of production values and casting), the first film was such a hit Daiei went on to make the Daimajin films and this Gamera sequel.
Now apparently I own the Sandy Frank version, seeing as how this film is only available on extremely low budget DVD packs, mine came with an especially grainy blurred and discolored version of the film with terrible audio quality. However despite this almost terminal flaw to the watch-ability of a film, I not only sat through it, but hugely enjoyed it.
I wasn't just impressed that a knock off series could have a quality story to tell, but its production values were pretty decent and the characters actually involving. The film begins with 3 men out to find an enormous opal, one of the three men is the brother of the man who left the opal there (we are told during the Second World War). The men travel to the cave and find it. The story afterword is filled with betrayal, lies and greed, the three characters are distinct and we sympathize with at least two of them, making the following events all the more shocking. The opal we find out in a far fetched scene involving an X ray machine is actually an egg, containing Barugon, he dashes to the sea with the boat in flames. Our surviving original member asks their financier to pony up for a diving team to find the opal, but reveals too much and another dramatic scene ensues. The Gamera fight scenes were also very interesting and fun, full of bizarre ideas like a giant diamond and rainbow beams. Usually such contrasting events would ruin the other, but here they work in this cartoonish film, we see the drama and care for it, and we at times forget were watching a picture about a giant turtle and long tongued lizard. It is always rare to see a kaiju films that not just exceeds your expectations but breaks precedent, which very surprisingly, this film did.
8/10 -
r-c-s20 October 2005Among the many Japanese monster movies from the 60's, this one is one that holds together best. 1 i don't know what many find so appealing in the MST3K. What you actually get is a midget size screen, with those odd characters from that horrible show overshadowing the movie as if they were sitting in the first row in a real cinema, and you in the 20th or so.
2 this movie has some plot...or at least tries to. I understand in 2005 we've seen all at least ten times, including all the Ark films, its B and C spoofs, etc...however we should remember that was the mid 60's, thus it was quite "new" to begin with.
3 Four idiots want to go & seek a precious stone in the jungle. Three of them venture there and -predictably- one is the real jerk & lets the first die to a scorpio and tries to blow the second with the entire cave. At home he even murders the "procurer" of the deal, who had seen the stone decades earlier. Bang! The stone is no less than Barugon's egg...1+1=2.
4 Gamera ( or GameLa as the Japanese say ) is little more than a stand in and -unfortunately- it shows it's a man in suit.
Overall, a very decent monster movie from the 60's, worth watching for some unpretentious fun. These movies hold a great nostalgic value reminding me of my childhood when they were just awesome, even on our old black&white TV. I love to watch these old, mostly rainy & grainy movies with my childhood's eyes, when it didn't actually matter it was a man in suit, or the actors weren't Dustin Hoffman or Alec Guinness... -
bkoganbing13 April 2013Gamera who started out as a bad guy like a lot of WWE villains he becomes a hero monster in Gamera Vs. Barugon. Barugon is yet another Japanese monster creation and he looks like an ancient Styracosaurus.
Barugon loves jewels, dislikes rain, but spits out a rainbow ray that can melt just about anything. Gamera first takes him, but gets defeated. However in the rematch Gamera kicks some serious monster butt.
For years Japanese cinema in the USA did not mean Akira Kurosawa, it meant Godzilla and the legion of monsters that followed in his wake. Of course they're bad films, but enjoyable in their own way as the Japanese started marketing them like Vince McMahon does for his heroes and villains.
So enjoy the cheap sets being demolished once again and don't take it seriously in any way. -
BA_Harrison7 November 2021Four men launch an expedition to the jungles of New Guinea to retrieve a valuable opal hidden in a cave during WWII. The jewel is brought to Japan, but turns out to be the egg of an ancient monster called Barugon, that hatches after being exposed to infra-red rays. The creature grows to enormous size and stomps cities; the authorities try different plans to try and defeat the beast, but fail. Gamera, the giant flying turtle, is attracted by Barugon's destructive rainbow energy beam and picks a fight.
Of the Gamera films I have seen thus far (the first four in the series), this is the best, which isn't saying much, I know. Gamera vs. Barugon benefits from being in colour (unlike the original movie), and isn't aimed at kiddies like subsequent efforts (meaning that there is no annoying child to befriend the turtle). The film opens with some enjoyable jungle adventure (superstitious tribesmen, dangerous swamps and deadly scorpions), the monsters are hilariously bad - clearly men in badly designed rubber suits with supporting wires visible throughout - and there's just enough general mayhem and silliness to make the whole thing bearable, especially if really dumb monster movies are your thing.
Not only does Barugon have his ridiculous rainbow beam, but he's also armed with a chameleon-like tongue that sprays a sub-zero vapour to freeze his enemy in their tracks, which makes for a lot of fun (the movie's villain, treacherous treasure hunter Onodera, played by Kôji Fujiyama, meets his fate via the tongue!). Gamera is frozen early on, meaning that he isn't seen for much of the movie, and only shows his scaly face again for the finalé, once he has thawed out, but there's plenty of implausible but entertaining nonsense in the meantime, as the army try to lure Barugon into a lake with a big diamond and reflect the deadly rainbow beams back at the lizard using a giant mirror. Neither ploy defeats Barugon, leaving it up to Gamera to save the day.
4.5/10, rounded up to 5 for the bit where Gamera socks Barugon in the face, resulting in the spillage of gallons of purple blood! -
This is one Gamera movie that actually isn't all that bad. Out of all of the old/original Gamera movies this one is definitely one of the best if not the best. IMDb's average rating is 3.3 which I find shocking because that is lower than the original Gamera's rating and Guiron's rating as well.
Gamera vs. Barugon has absolutely nothing to do with Gamera. Heck if I remember correctly Gamera wasn't originally even going to be in this movie. Gamera is only in action for a total of twelve minutes or so split up between two scenes. Barugon however is actually fairly cool looking if it weren't for the fact that he has a tongue that breathes ice... yeah it's kind of weird... and he shoots rainbows from his back. OK well at least he isn't as bad as Guiron or Gamera.
The movie actually does have a plot that doesn't involve an annoying kid, and is about a guy who is looking for giant opal with some of his friends (one of which tries to kill him several times, and is insanely greedy). The greedy guy takes the opal, and it eventually turns out to be an egg for an ancient evil.
The budget in this movie is obviously a bit higher because the actors know how to act, the dubbing is actually good, the dialog isn't bad, and the explosions and effects are pretty nice. This is an actual good Gamera movie even without MST3K... though watching it with MST3K is highly recommended seeing as how they do a real good job making fun of this movie. -
I understand that the Japs didn't have the best of effects, that this movie was made in the 60's, and I'm completely cool with that. But can we please SEE the monster? Sandy Frank really let me down with this mess of sweaty fat Japanese people running around in a cave. After the laugh riots that were Fugitive Alien and Gamera vs. Gaos, I expected something more. What I got was maybe one or two minutes of Gamera vs. Barugon, and 86 minutes of bad acting, worse dubbing, and a plot that moves along so tediously it feels like you're watching 2001, only without the effects, or music, or any of the talent.
I suggest you avoid this painful part of Gamera's career. Watching it is a waste of time, and the laughs you might get from the somewhat dated effects aren't enough to cover the hours of boredom you'll suffer.
However, if you ARE going to watch it, look out for Torgo's random guest appearance!(review#4) -
AaronCapenBanner3 May 2014Sequel to 'Gamera" finds that giant turtle returning to Japan after being freed from it's outer space imprisonment after a fortuitous collision with a meteor. Turns out this was serendipitous as well, since a giant monster called Barugon has emerged from a hatched egg brought back to Japan by a treacherous expedition member, who will come to a memorable end... Barugon can freeze things with its extended tongue, and Gamera has his hands full trying to defeat this menace. Not bad sequel made in color has lots of good action and an imaginative story, though plenty of elements to appeal to children as well. Gamera becomes an Earth defender here.
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Jared G.2 October 1999Surprisingly little Gamera is to be found in this Gamera movie. Barugon pretty much steals the show. Other than that, this is pretty much your typical monster flick. At least this one in the series was made before they turned Gamera into a "good" guy in which he was forced to save some annoying kids every movie.
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vtcavuoto25 September 2008"War of the Monsters", which is the version I have(still the same film)is an entertaining movie that picks up where the original Gamera leaves off. Gamera was sent to Mars but a meteor destroys the rocket and Gamera returns to earth. He first destroys a dam then takes off. Later, a group of men forge passports and pose as sailors on a merchant vessel to go to an island where a huge ruby is hidden. The ruby turns out to be an egg of a giant monster, Barugon. A infrared heat lamp accidentally shines on it and hatches it. It grows to full size by the time the ship reaches port. One of the men returning with the ruby double-crosses the rest of his partners. This is a nice murder/suspense sub-plot which enhances the destruction caused by Baugon and Gamera. Not quite up to par with Godzilla but a fine film nonetheless.
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InzyWimzy22 September 2000AHH...Gamera!!
More like ugh, Gamera. Actually, this is a very very crappy movie, but I'm partial since it is the first (unfortunately not the last) Gamera film I've seen. At first, I watched on and looked around for a giant turtle. No turtle. Then, there was some nonsensical and poorly dubbed dialogue which I tried to put together logically, some guys going to look for treasure, tribal people in uproar, giant jewel, scorpions, a boat, someone left the hot lamp on.
Now, that's just the first part and I have seen no sign of Gamera. Something happens. Barugon, the giant mutant lizard with the battering ram tongue who can also make Slush Puppies, appears and ravages across Japan. People running around in terror. Finally, I hear the words which will haunt me for a long time: "It's Gamera!" Yes, it's the giant mutant turtle who breathes fire (duh), and has no need to worry about getting stuck on his back due to his rockets in his shell which allows him to fly (buh?). Now, I'm really confused. A brawl ensues which tries to draw your attention from the stunning Japanese model set of a city and two guys in rubber suits. There isn't much of a plot, but then again it is a Sandy Frank film and is to be expected. Yes, this was the one which introduced me to Gamera. Sad really. Thanks to Joel, Crow, and Servo for the chuckles. -
jerekra1 September 2008The second of the Gamera Films is one that is different from most of the rest of the series.
In this film Gamera is released from his rocket prison and returns to Earth, destroying a dam. Then an expedition takes place to a tropical jungle where a group of guys finds a rare jewel. It turns out that it is really an egg. This egg is exposed to a heat lamp and a giant monster is created as a result. This monster, Barugon, goes on a violent rampage throughout the city. Soon Gamera shows up to battle Barugon, Barugon employing his freeze blast to stop Gamera cold in his tracks. With Gamera frozen humans try to stop Barugon but nothing seems to work. Soon Gamera must come to the rescue to save humanity from Barugon.
As the second Gamera film this is the first one with color. Gamera is not really a good guy yet, he destroys a dam after returning to Earth and probably only fought Barugon because he was bored. To be honest Gamera is not in this film all that much, he shows up in the beginning and after an hour shows up again to fight Barugon. After this fight it is another half hour until you see him again. This leads to another monster being the lead, Barugon.
First to clear things up, this is not the same monster as "Baragon" from the Toho Series of films. I do not know how they were able to use the name Barugon in this film, even if it is spelled differently. To be honest though this Barugon is much different than Baragon. I hope you are not confused after reading this paragraph.
Barugon is a giant lizard/crocodile monster with a chameleon tongue, sharp horn on his nose, and a really long tail. He makes a repetitive hissing roar and is able to emit a freeze ray from his tongue and also can shoot a rainbow ray out of his back. ?????????? Actually the rainbow ray is really powerful and Barugon also can use his freeze ray to considerable advantage. Barugon is pretty good monster, definitely one of the best from the Gamera series. He is a good monster to be a villain in a film like he is in this film. Even if you are disappointed by how little Gamera is in it, Barugon is interesting to watch.
This is a good Gamera film in that there are no annoying little kids with really short pants on. That is the main reason this is one of the best. This is the most serious toned of all of the Gamera Films. It has some gory parts in it but I think that both Gamera vs Guiron and Gamera vs Gaos are more gory.
Now some flaws. It takes a while for action to get going and the plot moves slowly at the beginning. Its about an hour until you get some good monster action. The plot is good enough without the monsters for a while but as a kid I remember having to wait forever to see Barugon and Gamera.
Also the whole idea of Barugon's weakness being the water is kind of odd because he looks like a crocodile. But I guess that every monster needs a weakness and I guess water is what they wanted to go with. Kind of odd. Also how did a lamp create a monster like Barugon? I'll be careful not to leave my pets underneath lamp light for too long.
The fight scenes between Barugon and Gamera are kind of slow. In the first fight there is a lot of standing around and then merely exchanging of their super power weapons. Then in the second fight it is mainly just Gamera having his way with Barugon. THis does kind of make sense because Barugon had just been hit by his own rainbow ray and was in a weakened condition. The main thing I guess that I will remember from the fights is how Barugon froze Gamera alive, the rest of the fighting is nothing memorable.
This definitely is one of the best, along with Gamera vs Gaos. No annoying little kids makes this one the most serious and that is good. It is worth watching. I recommend it. -
Hans-562 February 2011Oh my. I hardly dare to write down my true feelings about this movie. So many before me have written that this is one of the best Gamera movies. I am happy I have only seen this one. For this is junk, pure junk. Apparently the IMDb rating of around 3 is more accurate than the comments are, for this is a bad movie. The story is far fetched, but I can live with that. The special effects however are ...the worst of the worst. Gamera is a puppet spitting fire. Nothing wrong with that, but why do we have to see the burner in his mouth? The final battle between Gamera and Barugon, another puppet, is so pitiful and badly done, than if you feel any tears coming up, it is because of laughter. Even monster or SF movies have to have some credibility. This movie has none. It is very much like a porn movie. The people who like porn always overestimate a porn movie. Apparently so do people who like monster junk from the 50's. A series like "The Thunderbirds" is much better, for it aims at children. This movie addresses an adult crowd. And it fails in all respects. For me a 3 out of 10: it was already junk when released, it is hopelessly outdated junk nowadays.
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planktonrules7 August 2011This film, retitled "War of the Monsters", is part of a 20 film multi-pack from Mill Creek Entertainment. Mill Creek's collections are mostly public domain films and the picture quality is generally pretty bad. In the case of this particular film, IMDb says that it's a color film but you'd hardly know it due to the quality of the print. The color is almost completely missing and the film has the typical bad dubbing you'd expect from a Toho monster film.
While I was far from in love with this film (I really am NOT a huge fan of the genre), I was thankful that at least this Gamera film did NOT feature an annoying kid who had faith in this flying and flame-farting beast. I don't know why Toho did this with the other Gamera films as well as some of the other monster films (such as the little brat who KNOWS Godzilla will save them in "Godzilla Versus the Smog-Monster"). But at least this one is lacking this cliché.
As far as the rest of the film goes, it features one of the stupidest looking giant Japanese monsters ever (Berugon) and it naturally attacks Japan--taking out cheap plastic airplanes, cheap plastic tanks and cheap balsa wood cities. So, it's up to Gamera to come to the rescue. None of it's especially compelling and the plot about the opal/egg isn't particularly diverting either. I know fans of this sort of stuff will think I am an idiot, but to me it just looked like a very bad movie--very, very, very bad. Berugon?!?! A doggy-crocodilian. And a flame-farting flying turtle, Gamera?!? By the way, for years I avoided Japanese films because of movies like this. DON'T. Japan makes some of the most interesting films and shouldn't be blamed for these sort of monstrosities.