Forget Those Teenage Mutants, Continued...
So, Gamera tears up most of Japan looking for edible energy, until at last he is tricked into boarding the nosecone of a giant spaceship and blasted off to Mars. Somewhere along the line, a little Japanese boy takes a liking to the big green guy and keeps insisting that the rampaging behemoth is good at heart. That winsome subplot sets the stage for all Gamera's adventures after that, because when he returns to Earth in Sixties sequel after sequel, we learn that the giant turtle is now a friend to all humans, especially the children.
I know what you're thinking: oh sure, he loves kids... smeared on a big cracker, or maybe stir-fried. But there, you're wrong. Time and time again, Gamera risks life and limb to save little kids from a variety of villains.
Gamera has the most unusual method of flying I've ever seen a movie monster employ. This huge, fire-eating turtle can pull any or all of his legs into his shell and then fire jet-flames out of the leg-holes. Sometimes he'll pull in his hindlegs and fire his jets from the rear, so he can still use his front legs, but usually he'll pull in his head and all his legs and then fire jets from all of his leg-holes. When he does that, he spins like a gigantic flaming frisbee, bashing any evil alien who dares to get in his way.
My favorite Gamera adventure is Destroy All Planets from 1967. Like The Neverending Story, which has a finite running time, this movie's title is misleading. Not one planet is destroyed ... not even a small moon. But that's a minor gripe. In this likeable adventure, two young Boy Scouts, one Asian and one Caucasian, are kidnapped by the minions of Viras, an alien squid who stands upright on his tentacles. It's a fairly well-done effect, considering that it's just a guy in a rubber monster-suit.
Viras tries his best to conquer Earth, but he's no match for the two plucky lads and the gentle giant, Gamera, who isn't so gentle with wicked aliens! Gamera flings Viras around like a ragdoll and the space-squid fights back with tentacles a'flailing. Viras even stabs Gamera in the guts with his pointy head, and at that point, one might assume that the feisty reptile is doomed. But the boys keep shouting encouragement to him, and fortified by their love, Gamera grows healthy and strong, defeats the invading monstrosity and flies off to start a new adventure. Hurray!
My next-favorite sequel after that is Attack of the Monsters from 1969. Another splashy title, and an accurate one this time: lots of monsters go on the rampage. Once again, an Asian boy and his Caucasian buddy get caught up in an alien scheme. It seems there's a planet on the other side of the sun that's always opposite the Earth, so we never see it. That planet is starting to freeze up and two alien women who live there want to make the Earth their new home. But, these gals wouldn't be anybody's idea of the girl-next-door. These gruesome gourmets decide they want to gobble down the living brains of the two lads so they can absorb the boys' knowledge and learn how to live on Earth (couldn't they just read a few books?).
Fortunately, Gamera interrupts their dinner plans and also fights the monsters dwelling on that frosty world. One is a pterodactyl with a supersonic shriek and the other looks like a lizard with a butcher-knife for a face. In fact, the second monster keeps trying to stab Gamera with his pointy face, which lends new meaning to the phrase, poking your nose into somebody else's business. This interplanetary Mack the Knife is actually named Guiron, and Gamera fixes his space-wagon by plunging the critter's blade-head straight into the ground.
The alien ladies eventually meet their maker (I won't tell you how... I've got to leave some surprises for you) and then Gamera takes the two boys home, where they are greeted by a big batch of folks who thank our hardbacked hero for saving the world. Gamera then flies off again in search of more space meanies to tame. Gamera fights more monsters in plenty of other adventures, and I encourage you to seek out and watch all his vintage movies.
Earlier I mentioned Gamera's message for the universe. Well, the big guy doesn't actually talk, but from watching his high-flying adventures, I believe that what he's trying to tell the cosmos is this: People of all races, beings of every size and shape... let's all be friends. Let us protect the young, for they are the future. Don't do it for praise. Do it because it's the right thing to do.
In 1995, an all-new Gamera adventure with state-of-the-art special effects was released, entitled Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe. While this is a highly enjoyable, well-made movie that I would recommend for you to watch, I must also add, it doesn't quite capture the elusive gentle charm of the earlier Gamera movies... especially the ones where Gamera saves young folks. Those old movies, corny as they may be, are simply priceless.
That Gamera... what a guy! Here's hoping the world never forgets about him.
END
