Review: GAMERA VS. ZIGRA (1971)

You know the drill: I made a big list of movies (seen HERE) for my son and me to watch before the new Godzilla film and we're reviewing them.

Today's is Gamera vs. Zigra (1971).

My son will go first:

Well, this is about a lizard crossed with a fish mixed with a shark crossed with a hawk mixed with a alien ship, and mixed with a xylophone, (a.k.a. Zigra) V.S. Gamera, there's a kid advertising Coke, and Gamera graduates from music class.  The people in this movie are so stupid, I said maybe Zigra should rule them. 

So, rating wise, i'll say 2.001 Atomic Breaths of Awesomeness!!!

My turn:

After the modest improvement we got in Gamera vs. Jiger, it's back to crappy form for the series.  

The year is 1985, though everything seems like it's still 1971.  Small, shrill children rule the world and inform leaders, scientists and generals how to fight the aliens.  They argue over whose mother is prettiest and whine for a Coke (even though, in the Japanese version, she just asks for juice).  There's hide-and-seek with an alien lackey around Kamogawa Seaworld after a brief struggle in which stuffed animals were the primary weapons. 

It's a kids' movie.  No question.  As I've said before, though, other kids' movies have been able to appeal to adults, too.  This one does not. 

There's so much extraneous stuff, too.  Not just the kids.  For example, the dolphin trainer ... there are entire scenes with him that are utterly pointless, such as his haggling over fish with a hotel manager. 

The alien, Zigra, looks like a bladed shark and possesses hypnotic powers.  He incapacitates Gamera for a stretch, as happens in every movie of his.  Their fight is brief, though Zigra manages to slice up the shell a bit for a game of tic-tac-toe.  Spongebob rules of thermodynamics apply as Gamera shoots his fire breath underwater.  In the end, it is that same fire breath that incinerates Zigra.  Gee, if only Gamera had done that earlier in the film.  It'd be much shorter. 

Gamera vs. Zigra ... it's no wonder the franchise took a nine-year break.  1 out of five atomic breath blasts.

Here's a compilation of funny bits from the film's appearance on MST3K:



Here's the trailer:



Up next, Godzilla vs. Gigan.