by ryuuseipro » Tue Jun 06, 2006 8:22 pm
The following is just my opinion.
Gamera - I really liked both the Japanese and US versions. Sure, it's a messed up movie (Noriaki Yuasa's "misunderstood monster" clashes with Daiei's intended "destructive Godzilla-like monster"), but a good way to kill some time.
Gamera Vs. Barugon - Most probably my least favorite of the classic Gamera films. While the SPFX are great, as is the fights between Gamera and Barugon, it's way too sad & tragic for me. Plus, Gamera has the least screen time here. This was a failure in Japan, so Noriaki Yuasa (who hated this film) got the last laugh.
Gamera Vs. Gyaos - MUCH better! This one's a favorite! Even as a kids' film, it's still pretty dark and vengeful! Tadashi Yamauchi's music score helps! And Gyaos is one of Gamera's coolest-looking foes.
Gamera Vs. Viras - Probably my personal favorite, and the first of the more cheery Gamera films. Gamera fights what is perhaps my most favorite of all his foes, the Viras-Seijin. (Think a squid with the face of Balok from Star Trek with a beak!) The climactic battle is quite off-the-wall and exciting! Plus, it was a pleasure to meet Carl Craig (who played Jim Morgan) and to hear about his personal experiences with the film! The next best thing to being in it.
Gamera Vs. Guillon - I love this one a lot. Guillon is one of the coolest monsters in the Gamera films! I was originally scared of the Space Gyaos sequence, but after finally seeing it again in 1990 (Sandy Frank's "uncut" print of the international version on tape), I just thought it was pretty cool! Plus, this was Shunsuke Kikuchi's first time at baton for the series (he's another favorite composer of mine next to Ifukube)!
Gamera Vs. Jiger - Probably the stronger of the films, IMHO. It was a great glimpse at Expo 70 for American audiences (and since I'm a big googie/modern enthusiast, I was very floored by all the futuristic buildings they had on display)! Jiger was a pretty tough villain (her suction paws made me think she had the Force!), and Gamera's initial defeat was really tragic and a bit difficult to watch (but when I was a kid, his turning white scared me!). Otherwise, it's still a fun movie to watch! And it's even got a young Ryuu Hayami as the young worker at Expo 70 (before he played Keisuke Jin/Masked Rider X)!
Gamera Vs. Zigra - Probably the weakest of the classic films. Of course, the scenes with Gamera fighting the Zigra spaceship/Zigra itself are exciting, as usual (with a funny bit of humor added towards the end), but the human drama tends to drag on.
Gamera: Super Monster - Poor movie, but a good clip show. I will admit that the ending was sad, but appropriate.
-John Cassidy
Richmond, VA
http://ryuuseipro.livejournal.com/
"The monster a child knows best and is most concerned with [is] the monster he feels or fears himself to be." -Bruno Bettelheim