Customer Reviews

Gamera Vs. Zigra [VHS]

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I'll admit, it takes an avid enjoyer/collecter of sci-fi monster movies to enjoy Gamera. Gamera as a whole has an incredible camp effect, and a good portion of that comes from Gamera vs. Zigra, the last installment of the Gamera series.

An alien spaceship, from the planet Zigra, destroys a moonbase and lands on earth, at the bottom of the ocean floor. They announce that they plan to conquer the earth and use the humans for food. After military proves ineffective, Gamera, that lovable jet powered metallic turtle from the moon, shows up. A small metallic shark like creature with a number of spines, also named Zigra, is released into the ocean. It grows to giant size, due to the change in pressure from Zigra's seas and Earths ocean. The two battle in the ocean for a while, and move to the shore for the stunning climax scene where Gamera throws a rock at Zigra, which sticks in the spine on its face causing it to lose its balance. Gamera picks up another rock and, in pure camp fasion, plays the opening notes his theme song, using the spines on Zigra's back as a xylophone. And thus the day is saved. The movie ends with Gamera's adoring public singing his song as he flys off into space.

It could bring a tear to a glass eye.

First let me say that I love gamera. He is right up there with Godzilla. But this movie is almost unwatchable. The plot, acting, and songs are all geared for a small child; and I mean small. A 10 year old would find it stupid. Zigra is one of the worst villains in any campy monster movie. He is a flimsy rubber shark with legs that tries to conquer the world by holding a submarine with 2 kids and their fathers hostage. Enough said. Buy it only if you want to complete your Gamera collection, but don't watch it.

Gamera last offical "classice" film was a bit of a dissopintment... in Sandy Frank form, Neptune Media has done what several other companis shouled have done ages ago! O.K. so this film has kiche "special effects" but has no stock footage. Kenney and Helena (the two new kids) are more anoying than flys, but the chance to see a Wide screened, subtitled kaigu movie is to iresitablr to pass, so will fiere brething turles may not breth fier in the water, kids and true fans will get a kick out of this non-Toho flick. Over all I liked it becueues of it's defiens of scientific fact, even thought the Zigra star ship look like a lot of MandM'S glued toghther. Defently not for the fans of the new kaigu films!

"Gamera vs. Zigra" ("Gamera tai Shinkai kaijū Jigura") is the final original adventure of the jet-powered superturtle monster that was Daiei Studio's attempt to capitalize on the Godzilla craze. It was the last film in the original series because it is just a bad, bad, movie. If you watch this movie expecting to see Gamera just because his name is in the title, then you are going to be woefully disappointed. Actors with cameos in films have more screen time than Gamera in this turkey. Actually, I think we hear the "Gamera March" more than we see Gamera. Once again aliens show up, destroying a moon base, killing off dolphins, and kidnapping a couple of those annoying kids (Kenny and Helen this go round) who always show up in these films. Zigra starts causing earthquakes and when the boys escape the Zigra women chase them through Sea World (?) and send people into comas just by looking at them [insert an appropriate jokes about wanting the Zigra women to put you into a coma to save you from watching this movie]. When Gamera finally makes his appearance Zigra becomes a sort of giant shark monster thingie. This film is also known as "Gamera vs. the Deep Sea Monster Zigra," which short of explain Zigra's shark look (this was still a few years before "Jaws," so do not assume some sort of Spielberg homage by writer Nisan Takahashi or director Noriaki Yuasa. No wonder this was screened on "Mystery Science Theater 3000." If only someone had redubbed this film the way Woody Allen did with that Japanese spy flick in "What's Up Tiger Lily." The only good thing is that twenty years later they revived Gamera and actually made some decent Japanese monster movies with everybody favorite giant flying turtle.

This was Daiei's last of the original Gamera movies before going bankrupt. Anyone who enjoys seeing how bad special effects can look should enjoy this.

The framing is not always as good as some of the other Gamera movies, but it does have some good moments. All of that gets lost in the pan-scan editions that normally end up on TV and tapes - especially with the aspect ratio of these movies - 2.35:1. That's a large chunk of the image being chopped off to fill the screen.

Fortunately, we have one company releasing these movies the way fans want to see them. This tape is letterboxed so we can view this movie in all of its low-budget glory, and it's subtitled so we don't have to put up with the bad voice actors.

This is definitely a true B-movie. You have a shark-like alien using mind-control on people to help him conquer the Earth so that his species can become the dominant life form. Within the storyline, there are also attempts to warn people about the dangers of pollution. Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster (aka Godzilla vs. Hedorah) attempted the same thing around this time.

His primary human agent is an attractive woman who starts off in an alien uniform that looks like it was from Gamera Vs. Guillon - minus the helmets. It has the same silver, padded torso piece with green fabric on the legs and arms. It was modified some for this movie.

In this case, bankruptcy was a good thing for Daiei. It forced them to look at things in a new way when they went back in business to make the newer Gamera movies. Watch this and then watch the 1995 movie, and you'll understand what I mean.

"Gamera Vs. Zigra" was the last of the original classic Gamera films by Daie (Daei? Daiei?) and was obviously the lowest budget. The spaceships, moonsets, and models are remarkably cheesy. They looked like storebought toys. Yes, the kids in this film are not only the youngest, but the most annoying children in any kaiju movie (and thats a long list). Everything out of their mouth will make you wince. Zigra is an uninspired kaiju, looking like a reject from an episode of Ultraman or Zone Fighter. The concept is not so interesting (as we already got a giant space octopus in "Gamera Vs. Virus") and the suit was just... well... cheap. Speaking of cheap suits, the female alien in this wears a space suit from a previous Gamera film "Gamera Vs. Guiron" (Guillon to some). Shame, shame. Did they not think that fans of the series would not notice that? Or maybe by this time, they just didn't care. Perhaps they knew the end was nigh.

The most remarkable thing about this movie is the lack of Gamera. Yes... The big flying fire breathing turtle whose name is on the film, doesn't get much screen time. He makes a brief fly by at around the twelve minute mark, but his first real screen time isn't until -- are you ready for this -- Twenty seven minutes into the film. What were they thinking? It is no wonder that it took years (decades) for them to manage to make another Gamera film. I haven't seen the elusive early 80's "Space Monster Gamera" movie that was pieced together using old Gamera footage yet. I hear it is worse than this mess of a film, but I can not see how. I have seen the US dubbed version that is not wide screen. I feel that watching the Japanese version probably wouldn't be a much better experience.

OK, Gamera films are for kids and we can usually laugh at the poor quality of the effects with a fond heart. I am sorry to say as a die-hard kaiju fan, that this film is so bad, we can't even do that. As one other reviewer so elloquently stated in an earlier review, if you are a fan of kaiju movies, then buy "Gamera Vs. Zigra" for your collection, but you probably will only watch it once.

I'll admit, it takes an avid enjoyer/collecter of sci-fi monster movies to enjoy Gamera. Gamera as a whole has an incredible camp effect, and a good portion of that comes from Gamera vs. Zigra, the last installment of the Gamera series until its 1997 rebirth.

An alien spaceship, from the planet Zigra, destroys a moonbase and lands on earth, at the bottom of the ocean floor. They announce that they plan to conquer the earth and use the humans for food. After military proves ineffective, Gamera, that lovable jet powered metallic turtle with more gadgets than a pocket knife, shows up. A small metallic shark like creature with a number of spines, also named Zigra, is released into the ocean. It grows to giant size, due to the change in pressure from Zigra's seas and Earths ocean. The two battle in the ocean for a while, and move to the shore for the stunning climax scene where Gamera throws a rock at Zigra, which sticks in the spine on its face causing it to lose its balance. Gamera picks up another rock and, in pure camp fasion, plays the opening notes his theme song, using the spines on Zigra's back as a xylophone. He toasts Zigra, and thus the day is saved. The movie ends with Gamera's adoring public singing his song as he flys off into space, safe in the knowledge that the children of the earth are saved.

It could bring a tear to a glass eye.