GAMERA VS GYAOS (1967)
Tagline: Nope
(Adventure, Fantasy, Kaiju) [PG]
Note – No rating was given to this movie. I decided on a PG just do the destruction and kaiju blood, but it’s probably closer to a [G].
I would like to say there isn't any recorded history of it...let's just call it a monster.
In this one, we get the first GAMERA movie where he’s starting to get recognized as more of a hero than in the first 2 movies. It's perfect timing also because this creature named Gyaos (or Gaos) is awake now after a volcanic eruption and his first idea is to just start eating dudes and slicking jets in half like they were cantaloupes. Gyaos has a laser beam that can cut through Gamera’s flesh as well as what basically amounts to a couple of fire extinguishers that spray green mist from his chest. Can Japan’s scientist and their new best buddy Gamera save Japan from almost certain destruction?
One annoying thing about this movie is that it’s another one that involves some kid whose communicating with Gamera. The good news is that this one isn’t terribly agonizing and a lot of the movie doesn’t focus on him. I am guessing if I had seen this one as a kid I would be less bent out of shape about this, but as an adult, I am definitely medium bent out of shape. I say medium bent out of shape because it doesn’t ruin this movie. I also understand the director's reason for doing it at the time and why real life on the grown in Japan at the time impacted this decision.
What makes it not as great as the original is the effects and acting issues. Sadly Gyaos flat head is super distracting and strips his menacing look away, replacing it with a kaiju whose torso and head look like a tool you can chisel tile with. There is a bit of a Rodan-like quality to Gyaos, but it’s possible that if this design had been sent to TOHO for a Godzilla movie, they would have laughed their faces off. I will say however that the kaiju designs before 1995 are all pretty damn goofy but also fun. This movie does have the distinction of being the first movie where we see Gamera bleed. So even though we do have another kid who just loves Gamera like crazy, the film does add some edge in the carnage department we hadn’t seen prior in this series.
Acting-wise this one is pretty bad. I don’t think it fixes itself when you watch this in Japanese and the American voiceovers are even worse. The final fight between Gyaos and Gamera is decent but happens too quickly and the ending oddly includes a bunch of outtakes from the two earlier films. I have no idea why, it’s all just nuts.
Gyaos definitely gets the award for kaiju most likely to eat you in either the Gamera series or the Godzilla series.
Overall this one has more fighting than the last installment, but less overall destruction and a weaker storyline. For me, this is a 4 out of 7 due to just the fun silly kaiju action, still but doesn’t measure up to either of the first 2 films.
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