This is the American version of the very first Gamera movie, where an atomic explosion awakens the fire-breathing turtle monster from his hibernation and causing him to go on a destructive spree on Tokyo. U.S. footage with American actors were inserted and I couldn't tell if they contributed to the plot or not since I at the time of this review haven't seen the original. However, I do recall that most of those scenes involving endless meetings of the authorities in how to deal with the monster was boring because it distracts from the monster action. The special effects were decent as you can see a good dose of Gamera stomping on buildings and setting them on fire. And, you have a simple plot of the humans trying to think of a plan to stop this horror. Other than that, I thought this was pretty much a below average monster movie, one that precedes just over a half-dozen very childish and kid- oriented Gamera movies with recycled alien-invasion plots. Somehow, this first Gamera movie doesn't have that charm, riveting monster horror and intrigue that most other Japanese monster films, especially those made by rival movie studio Toho, have. From what I can see for just the American version of the film, it is a very typical and basic monster-on-the-loose flick.If you want to see more exciting and sophisticated Gamera movies, check those from the 1990s era.Grade D+

Gammera The Invincible set the famous prehistoric flying turtle on the same road as Godzilla. First this film like Godzilla was created out of another Japanese film with simply adding the footage with Raymond Burr to make a different story. Here a whole slew of Occidental players like Brian Donlevy, Dick O'Neill, and Albert Dekker were used.Secondly however where Godzilla starts out as a fire-breathing villain in later films he becomes a monster hero as more terrifying monsters invade earth and we need our home grown monster to defeat them. The producers here foresaw that possibility and left it open to happen, they were better concerned with continuity.Having said all that Gammera The Invincible is like all these other Japanese monster flicks great fun, not to be taken too seriously. He's a sulfur eating creature and there's a great scene of him chowing down on a train tanker car eating it like a hot dog. And he's full of tricks. Foolish humans who think that because they get this turtle on its back he's down for the count. One of the great scenes of Japanese horror films is when on his back he lifts off and flies like the proverbial flying saucer.Cheesy special effects, Occidental actors looking like they're waiting for their paychecks to clear, but still lots of fun.

Gammera (or Gamera) is a giant turtle. He walks upright. He flies. He breathes fire. He wrecks ships, lighthouses, and assorted utility companies. He's got a real bad attitude toward technology. Anything manufactured seems to irk him to the point where he feels it necessary to incinerate the offending object and anyone in close proximity. He's a technophobe, and no mistake. It all started when he was rudely woken from slumber beneath the cold, quiet Arctic by a pesky atomic bomb alarm clock with a broken snooze button. Believing an icebreaker ship is the very clock that roused him, he tanks the craft in an obviously futile attempt to hit that snooze bar and get an extra eight minutes of sleep, but in his half-awake state he decides to just fry the clock and go back to bed. Yet the bed is too cold, so he decides to find a warmer place to curl up in...like volcanic Japan! Hmm...nice and toasty there, what with geothermal vents and cities to burn. But first, gotta put out that tacky light of the neighbors that's always flashing into his bedroom. Then it's time to slip beneath the sea for forty winks.Gammera's day just gets worse from there. He just can't catch a break. People keep screaming at him and making all sorts of unpleasant noises to keep him up. And machines are the worst of the lot, so he tries to silence as many as possible. But there's still too much commotion for a tired monster to bear, so he investigates claims of a sensory deprivation tank at a remote facility which prove mostly true. He slips into the tank and enjoys a brief moment of quiet before the thing roars up into the sky to deposit him on Mars where he can continue his nap uninterrupted. Plan Zzzzzzzzz is a success..."Gammera the Invincible Sleep Deprived Giant Turtle"

An atomic blast in the freezing Artic caused by a downed fighter plane awakens a gigantic upright walking, flying, fire-breathing (and eating!) prehistoric turtle from its centuries of slumber. Naturally, said titanic turtle is in a very grouchy mood; he proceeds to lay waste to everything in his lethal path and eventually does the almighty mondo destructo city stomp on Tokyo. When conventional methods for stopping the turtle prove ineffectual, scientists all over the world join forces to concoct a special plan for thwarting the behemoth beast.Boy, is this delightfully inane creature feature flick an absolute hoot and a half: Among the silly stuff to enjoy herein are the expected lousy dubbing, a derivative plot which blatantly imitates both "Godzilla" and "The Beast from 20,00 Fathoms," choice dopey dialog ("This Gammera is obviously an object of terror"), wonderfully hokey (far from) special effects, amusingly hammy or endearingly wooden acting (Brian Donlevy as a gruff general, Albert Dekker as the pragmatic Secretary of Defense and Dick O'Neill as a grumpy ramrod general all sink their teeth into their roles with delectably juicy scenery-gnashing aplomb), a sickeningly sappy subplot concerning an obnoxious little boy who befriends Gammera, funny characters (one whiny US senator looks like a dead ringer for Henry Kissenger!), and, best of all, a supremely groovy surf-rock theme song complete with a rippin' reverb guitar riff. Sure, this movie is admittedly quite absurd, asinine and juvenile, but that's exactly why I dug it so much.