Gamera: Super Monster (1980)

The final entry in the Shōwa era incorporates a ton of existing footage from the previous films and intercuts it with newly filmed footage, all the while pretending that the bouts Gamera is having with the half a dozen kaijū (Barugon, Guiron, Gyaos, Jiger, Viras and Zigra) are current. It compensates for the shameful act by having a crazy story about a young boy who befriends a trio of upstanding ladies that own a magic van and henshin into costumed space-women. The women even have a decent role to play in the madness.
The two uses of anime footage are from Space Battleship Yamato and Galaxy Express 999, respectively, but I've no idea why they're even there.

2 costume altering ear-pulls out of 5

Gamera vs. Zigra (1971)

While the film is busy educating viewers on the importance of looking after the environment, particularly marine life, a crafty alien spaceship slips into the ocean.  Such sass and irony!  It threatens mankind in a notable ‘shoe on the other foot’ kind of way, but the flying chelonian hero is soon on the case, selflessly fighting for the survival of all mankind.
Although not commented upon directly, if you use your noggin you can figure out a legitimate reason why the invading alien presence knows how to speak fluent Japanese. That's called progress, folks.

2 shark notes out of 5

Gamera vs. Jiger (1970)

Even after acknowledging a number of glaring contradictions in the story it’s still a lot better than the previous film. The adults work alongside the children this time, balancing pragmatism with unchecked intuition, resulting in a more interesting film for all ages. The introduction of the threat is good times and Gamera’s response to it much quicker. The rocky set/location is really excellent. The city one less so but is impressively huge by comparison, highlighted beautifully when Dir. Yuasa tracks along the entirety of it. Overall, it’s far from perfect, but at least it tried to take a step in the right direction.

3 unlawful entries out of 5

Gamera vs. Guiron (1969)

Film number five has a a trio of plucky pre-teens investigating a spaceship that landed not too far from their location. Plot A leads effortlessly to plot B, resulting in the blade-nosed Guiron going pointy-head to turtle-head with the titular, heroic kaijū (who spends more time getting to the actual battle than he does engaging in it, but at least he made it, right?) There’s flame-breath and city destruction for kids; the aforementioned space-ladies in figure-hugging, spangly polyester for dads; and, no, sorry, nothing of note for moms.

2½ irregular waves out of 5

Gamera vs. Viras (1968)

Space aliens fluent in the Japanese language invade Japan. Their high tech super-catch ray won’t stop the playful Gamera for long. He’s so displeased that he'll shoot fire in the vacuum of space! That's what you deserve if you're dumb enough to fashion a spaceship from the asses of five giant wasps.
Luckily, for Earth, the aliens were too busy getting outsmarted by boy scouts and a huge chunk of reused footage from all three of the previous films, otherwise they might have made best use of the fact that there wasn't enough budget to stage firing a barrage of ineffectual missiles their direction.

2 dib dib dibs out of 5

Gamera vs. Gyaos (1967)

Mankind does what it does best: it exploits the poor and builds roads.
Gyaos wakes after millennia and does what comes natural: it eats things.
Gamera intervenes and does what needs to be done: kaijū bad-assery!
The deductive 'science' is so much bullshit and the ultimate plan is badly thought out (poison the lure, you pricks!), but it's hard to dislike the third film, because while it begins to move closer to the kid-friendly scripts it also throws in more blood and violence. Good job, Japan. We like that.
It's much better than what the other Big G shat out that year.

2½ toy tanks out of 5

Gamera vs. Barugon (1966)

Gamera’s second outing takes place six months after his first.  Plan Z went tits-up, so the giant turtle is back, this time in colour, but functions like a guest in his own movie. Barugon eats up most of the monster screen time with his icy tongue. The remainder of the story involves an unscrupulous treasure-seeker who can’t see past his own greed.
There’s despair when danger might have been more effective and the pace slows to a (quadrupedal) crawl in the last third but there’s more than enough quality moments to recommend a viewing to fans.
Daiei’s scale models aren't as good as Toho’s, but in G vs B the creatures are less like men in suits, which will please some folks and disgust others.

3 pig bones out of 5

Gamera (1965)

Created to cash in on the success of Toho's Godzilla franchise, the first Gamera film contains within it enough unique elements to differentiate it from the others. Yes, an atomic bomb is responsible for his arrival, but his origin is different and his affiliations aren't as clear-cut. Appearances are more frequent and evenly spread over the running time. (The pictures showing his visitations across the globe, like holiday snaps of a giant turtle's sightseeing tour, were hilarious.) Furthermore, he can do something menacing that Godzilla can't, which makes him an arguably more formidable foe.

2½ countermeasures out of 5

Gamera the Brave (2006)

Kadokawa’s re-imagining of Gamera is a significant departure from Daiei's Heisei era style and as such deserves to be judged by different criteria. It’s very much a children’s movie, but it's one that has the potential to touch their hearts and stay in residence there as they grow and mature.
It follows Toru, a boy not yet come to terms with the death of his mother a year before. Toru has friends but spends much of his time alone. When he finds a baby turtle they form a strong bond. He protects it and as it grows it protects him. It’s a sentimental journey that isn't without its explosive moments, but the real punch in the story is the simplicity by which it’s told and the lingering aspect of the perfect ending.

3½ scarlet pearls out of 5

Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999)

The final entry in the Heisei era Gamera trilogy is the best of the lot. Of course there’s kaijū fights, but even better is the story. It explores, from the perspective of one orphaned girl, what it means to have been in the thick of the action during GOTU (1995) and watched everything you love be destroyed: the cold and callous name for which is collateral damage.
The visible enemy resembles something from a JRPG. There’s tentacles that admittedly would be more challenging (however not impossible) to do without CGI, but I wish they’d been less liberal with it elsewhere, because it's the only stain on an otherwise astonishing display of super-detailed models and guys in rubber suits being awesome.

4 steps toward extinction out of 5

Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996)

The second Heisei era Gamera is a sequel to GOTU (1995).  A meteor shower over Sapporo brings with it some unwelcome visitors that quickly begin killing hapless civilians. The JSDF, still on the alert from the year before (see first film), are equally as quick to pull out the big guns but when has that ever been any use against a kaijū?
The turtle is needed once more. And while we’re at it let’s bring back Asagi Kusanagi in case we need another quick plot resolution.
With 60+ years of kaijū history to study and learn from it’s perhaps not surprising that the villainous Legion creature is spectacular. It towers over the townspeople and leaves a trail of destruction in its wake.
We got short-changed when it came to cover art. The Japanese theatrical poster is much better. You can check it out HERE.

3½ one-eyed bandits out of 5

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)

Gamera's ninth outing is the first of three in the Heisei era reboot. It's a kaijū movie that builds tension in the usual way by having a small group of humans tracking the destruction left by the beast(s) before the eventual reveal. The beasts are familiar giant, carnivorous, featherless birds.
There’s an ecological message beneath the chaos, but it’s the destruction of model cities that most people want to see and it doesn't disappoint.
Gamera (the creature) is awesome. He looks like a fat, stumpy turd on radar but when he surfaces he’s towering and menacing with none of the bad comedic decisions that were forced upon him in some of the previous films.

3½ shadows of evil out of 5