2
(nothing substantial)
7
(a little monster violence)
2
(see this one only if you intend to make fun of it)
“Gamera tai daiakuju Giron” goes by a couple of different titles in English including “Gamera vs. Guiron” and “Attack of the Monsters.” I'm no expert on Japanese monster movies so I'm going to give you my impressions of the version I saw and leave it at that.
Gamera is the giant turtle monster from Japan. He seems to have been a destructive force much like the original Godzilla, but by the time of this movie is more like a super hero and is called “a friend to children” or something to that effect. This story starts with a space ship landing on Earth and a couple of adventurous boys finding their way inside. The ship takes off to an unknown planet with the boys inside! Gamera will save them! And indeed he does, propelled through space via a jet propulsion system evidently built into his shell he saves them from an asteroid like Superman would. But the speed of the ship proves too much for even Super Turtle, and the boys get away.
On a far away planet they discover different colored versions of several Earth monsters and witness them in battle. One kid says they are on a “highly civilized star” but it looks an awful lot like a desolate planet besieged by giant creatures to me. The kids meets some cute alien girls who seem nice but turn out to have evil plans for the youngsters. Once again they have to rely on Gamera to find and save them, but Super Turtle will have to fight through a horde of other monsters (a grand total of 2 or 3 I think) to get to the boys.
Don't let the “monster” title fool you, this is a long way from being what I would consider a horror movie. It's more of a sci fi with giant creatures. It kind of feels like a documentary at first which causes it to drag. It doesn't get much better when the story kicks in because the acting is really weak. The kids aren't very convincing from the get go, then when the English dubbing is added in the performances go right down the toilet.
The effects are as weak as the acting. The spaceship looks like a toy, and Gamera doesn't look even close to real. The monsters look an awful lot like guys in rubber suits. And if scientific inaccuracy bugs you prepare to pull your hair out because they keep referring to planets as stars.
Morality
Like Gamera is a friend to children this movie seems to be tailored for them and is very tame as a result. There is no strong language, sexuality, or nudity. Violence amounts mostly to monsters fighting each other which is neither graphic nor gory. It's entirely possible that the “Attack of the Monsters” version has some of the original monster violence edited out.
Spirituality
We like to think that someone or something out there will come to our aid when we are in trouble. We like to hear about superheroes saving the planet, and this Gamera movie offers the same. It's exciting, but we can get so focused on being saved from physical harm that we fail to consider our spiritual well-being.
Final Thoughts
If you have kids that are into Godzilla movies this might be something fun to show them. Some of the monster moments I found amusing, but mostly it's childish and dull.
Buying Guide
If you're a Gamera fan don't get your hopes up for a great buying option for "Attack of the Monsters."
There are at least 2 DVD's out there that appear to be the same. There's an “uncut” DVD but the price is so high with so few details given that I'm going to ignore it. There is a double-feature with “Gamera vs. Jiger,” and there are several other multi-packs including the “Chilling” 20 pack I'll detail below.
For the most part all other editions appear to offer the same thing. The specs are pan-&-scan with mono sound, there are no extras mentioned, and the run time is 80 minutes compared to the 82 minute length of the original edit (though I don't know what those 2 minutes include.)
The main exception is the Shout Factory double-feature which presents this movie as “Gamera vs. Guiron.” It offers a widescreen image though one source says 1.77 while another says 2.35 so I'm not sure which one it is. It offers Japanese and English audio tracks (actually 2 different English tracks – the one from the edited version and the one from the uncut). I didn't see any comments on the quality of the presentation and saw no extras listed.
Elvira hosts a presentation, but I didn't see much in the way of specific details.
Final Recommendation:
If you're looking specifically for this movie the Shout Factory 2 pack is the way to go without a doubt unless you really want the Elvira hosting segments, too. The 20 pack is a cheap way to check it out, but you get what you pay for.
I got my copy in the Chilling 20 pack.
Video
1.33:
This is the “full-frame” ratio. The image is somewhat trashy, slightly fuzzy, and very grainy with thin colors.
Audio
2.0 mono:
The audio has some crackling with a few pops and skips.
Packaging
The disc comes in a paper sleeve that lives in a plastic case.
This is the edited version and is missing some of the monster battle moments though it sounds like only 2 minutes are absent.
Extras
None