Gamera (1965) its the first movie in the Gamera series of films and its probably the most grounded in reality, for a Gamera film. The film was made, like many other Kaiju movies, to cash in for the success of Gojira (1954), while the two series have many similarities, Gamera follows a very different path.This its the first entry in the series and its a very decent monster movie, better than it needs to be, with some creative ideas, some decent acting (for the most part), good effects and some nice directing, it manages to grab your attention.The film has some flaws, like many other monster movies, like bad acting, some very weird ideas that don't really fit the film, like Gameras flying ability, but it manages to stay interesting, even if it is the typical monster movie.Overall, this its a very decent entry in the Gamera series and a good way to get introduced to the series, but its still too typical.

To be such a legendary kaiju and to have spawned a hoard of sequel, Gamera is a decidedly pedestrian film. Gamera was originally designed to be Daiei Studio's answer to Toho's Godzilla, but it's really no competition. From the moment Gamera makes his first screen appearance, the creature looks terribly silly. While I can believe in any number of kaiju (Godzilla, Rodan, etc.), Gamera never works for me. A giant bipedal turtle with long arms and the ability to fly and breath fire – it's just too absurd for words.But to be honest, the monster is the least of Gamera's problems. (Before going on, because there are at least three different versions of the movie, I should probably point out that I watched the Sandy Frank version of the movie.) I don't know if the little Japanese boy, Kenny, is as annoying in the other versions, but I wanted to strangle him the moment he appeared on screen. And his constant protests to save Gamera because he is good and a friend to children everywhere is particularly stupid given Germa rampage through downtown Tokyo. Some friend, huh? Another big weakness is the use of miniatures in Gamera. Toho was particularly adept at solid miniature work. Even when they looked like miniatures it didn't matter because they looked so cool. Sadly, based on this movie, I can't say the same thing about Daiei's work. The miniatures in Gamera look more like toys than anything else. Fisher Price makes more authentic looking boats. It's difficult to take anything seriously when the special effects are so weak.Finally, the plot in Gamera is neither very good nor original. The parts that work seem to have been lifted from Godzilla and similar Toho movies. The parts that don't work are just plain old ridiculous. Take the final scenes and Gamera's fate – I sat with my mouth open in amazement at what the movie was asking me to swallow.So in the end, while I can appreciate the importance of Gamera and its place in history, that doesn't mean I have to like it.

In The Beginning...As many Creatures upon The Face of The Planet Earth are moving about finding their own The Time comes when they must move onwards to find The Nest which they must Live in before The Planet Earth is inhabited by Creatures not of their understanding...Humans...The Great Gamera comes to help to even The Mind of those who cannot find themselves or a place to live in The Geat Cosmos as they keep in motion unable to stop their own movement...The Vampires Of Liquid Sky come in to guide those Creatures who became hindered by obstacles not of their own doing...Gamera in The Carousel Spin has Creatures Great & Small finding Homes across The Great Cosmos...Humans not ashamed of being called Animals also benefit from The Carousel Spin...Once The Peace has been established across The Great Cosmos' Wild Kingdom once again The Storm between The Great Monsters & The Humans begins with The Men & Women thinking they can defeat The Apple Of GOD'S Eye...Gamera!

Gamera is one of those classic Japanese horror films that contains awful acting, worse English dubbing, and sometimes laughable special effects, but is still great fun to watch. A skirmish between American and Soviet jets over the arctic results in one of the Soviet bombers crashing and its nuclear bomb load detonating, which causes Gamera to be melted out of the ice and wreck havoc on the world (particularly Japan). As usual, a little kid who is sympathetic to the monster is thrown in, and probably as a result Gamera is not killed at the end (though I have to admit, if it really could have worked, the way they dispatched Gamera at the film's conclusion was rather ingenious). Probably the funniest scene is at a dance for teenagers in Tokyo, where a band is singing the Gamera theme song and eventually the monster himself makes an appearance! All in all, this is not a film that takes itself too seriously, and if the viewer takes the same attitude it is a whole lot of fun to watch. Gamera rules!