Kaiju Reviews #7 - Gamera the Invincible

Seeing as I'm still somewhat frustrated at the last Kaiju Reviews effort, I'm taking a tiny break from Godzilla. In celebration of his upcoming DVD releases by Shout Factory, I'll move on to Godzilla's fiercest competitor:

GAMERA! As you can probably tell from the picture, Gamera's a giant turtle... what you probably can't tell is that he's a giant flying, fire-breathing turtle... yes, I meant it when I said "flying". If the flying part is any evidence to you, the older films are gigantic cheese-fests... although this one is definately one of the more serious ones out of the bunch (which isn't saying much). But before I start rambling, let's get on with the plot!

To start off, we have Japanese people in the Artic conducting tests... 'kay. But all of a sudden, they blast an icecap with an atomic bomb, freeing Gamera from his icy tomb. Unfortunately, he's really pissed off. As such, he destroys a Japanese research ship and heads towards Japan to wreak havoc (what has Japan ever done to him, anyway?!); but in an attempt to stop him, the Americans use explosives to knock Gamera onto his back, appearing to leave him helpless just like any other turtle... unfortunately, though, this isn't the case, seeing as he just flies away to Japan. Way to go, shitheads. In a semi-related story, a boy named Kenny had to give up his pet turtle, Tibby (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFN7WmmBc8k) because, um... he was getting too big, I guess... okay, maybe his mom's just a bitch. Meanwhile, Kenny is nearly crushed by a Lighthouse, but is saved by... Gamera? As we later find out, this is either foreshadowing at its best, or it's a complete fluke, because Gamera later starts to go on a rampage throughout the city of Tokyo (sound familiar, anyone?), possibly causing thousands of innocent people to die. Hell, he even deliberately sets many of the buildings on fire! Despite this, though, Kenny still cares for Gamera... more than a city with his own people being killed.

Kenny: A Perfect Role-Model for Everyone! :D

Anyhow, as Gamera is satisfied with the destruction that he made, he retreats. But thankfully, the government actually finds a way to dispose of Gamera, with the helpful guidence of... KENNY?! Oh dear, this will not go well. But somehow... it does. Awhile later, Gamera goes back to smash some more buildings, only to end up finding himself enclosed in a rocket enroute to Mars. Apparently, giant fire-breathing turtles can breathe in space, so he'll be just fine... but will he get out of that rocket somehow?! {To answer my own question: Yeah, he will.}

3.5/5.0: Enjoyable