Thursday, September 30, 2010

Now Playing: Gamera vs. Viras

When a movie begins with an outer space battle between a bumblebee-patterned flying saucer and a giant, jet-powered flying turtle, you know you've got "the goods." Shout Factory's amazingly vivid presentation of "Gamera vs. Viras" jumps out of the gate to the tune of the [in]famous Gamera song, signalling that this kaiju flick is not going to take itself too seriously.

If you're not into "wacky," you'd better avoid this film. But if you are like me and enjoy heaping portions of "wacky," you will not be disappointed. There is a spirit to this film I just love, from the subversive, submarine-sabotaging boy scouts to the final battle, in which Gamera rides Viras around like a jet ski before being mercilessly gored. [How does he survive that again? Oh, nevermind.]

Gamera purists might bemoan the inclusion of copious stock footage in this film, but I actually like the section, which plays as a clip show of Gamera's greatest battles. This is audacious fun, strictly for kids at heart.

2 comments:

  1. This one played a lot on tv when I was growing up. Gamera vs. Gaos and the original Gamera never did. So I loved the stock footage segments, since it was a chance to see a bunch of monster scenes from movies I never got to see!

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  2. I especially like the later use of stock footage--black and white scenes from the original--in which the Viras aliens "control" Gamera's rampage. That is pretty crafty.

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