Genre: Kaiju, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Director: Noriaki Yuasa
Starring: Eiko Yanami, Reiko Kasahara, Mikiko Tsubouchi, Koji Fujiyama, Gloria Zoellner
MST Season: 3
The Movie
The underwater dwelling monster alien from the planet Zigra kidnaps a lady astronaut and controls her mentally to do his bidding as he wages war on Earth, causing not-so-natural disasters that kill thousands. The duo then kidnap a mini-sub of marine biologists and list Zigra's demands, wishing to dominate Earth and use mankind as his food supply. The only being on Earth powerful enough to challenge him is of course the super turtle Gamera, but can the friend to all children possibly stand up to the greatest threat the world has ever seen?
Gamera vs. Zigra is a very strange movie, even by Gamera standards. Apparently the budget was absurdly low as Daiei was in financial difficulty at the time, and most of the money it did have was presumably ponied up by the marine park that the majority of the film is set at, who were using the film as an advertisement. The film feels mostly stationary as a result, as we hear about alien attacks and death and destruction over the radio as characters are like "Oh shoot!" at the news of thousands of people dying. When it does leave the park setting, it's usually to visit the alien spaceship or to watch Gamera do his Gamera thing. Even looking past the bad dub featured here, one can plainly see that the acting is pretty terrible, and I feel safe saying that even without speaking a word of Japanese. The performances from adults are pretty wild and exaggerated, while all the kids look like they are trying to remember the lines they were fed before each take.
Interestingly enough, one of the reasons there were so many Gamera films made in such a short period of time is because while they performed okay in Japan, Daiei was actually making them for international distribution. American International Pictures came to Daiei and bought Gamera vs. Barugon and Gamera vs. Gaos for television distribution and they locked Daiei into a contract saying they will buy any Gamera film they make, sight unseen, to be distributed directly to American television, as long as they each featured a brand new monster for Gamera to fight and American children were a part of the cast (in case you're wondering why all those white kids suddenly appeared in these movies). This made the Gamera series a guaranteed profit for every movie they made, which was incentive for Daiei to pump them out annually (apparently they wanted two a year, but director Noriaki Yuasa said no because one was draining enough). This wasn't enough to keep Daiei afloat however, as the studio filed for bankruptcy in 1971 while Gamera vs. Zigra was in production. The movie already had a cut budget, but the studio didn't even last until release and the company was a bit reformed with a company called Nikkatsu to form a new company that shared costs. Since AIP didn't technically have a deal with this new company, they passed on distributing Gamera vs. Zigra in the US, and the film didn't see US release until the Sandy Frank version seen here on Mystery Science Theater.
I can safely say the US wasn't missing much with Gamera vs. Zigra by not having it imported over here. Maybe if you were a die-hard Gamera fan who never missed a broadcast of these movies when they hit TV, maybe the thought of a Gamera movie in limbo might be frustrating, but Zigra doesn't offer much. Maybe it's less boring than Gamera vs. Viras (which was never seen on MST) but the wacky antics that fueled Gamera vs. Guiron or Gamera vs. Jiger are definitely not on display here, so if we had to lose one, this isn't a bad choice to drop. The one bit of appeal might only be of interest to the dads who might be watching this with their kids, in that it's like Gamera vs. Guiron and features a space babe in a leotard at the center of the plot. She even spends a sizable chunk of the film in a bikini, so that's nice.
As for Gamera action, monster scenes are fairly light though they're traditionally Gamera stylized. They're childishly playful, featuring goofy scenes like Gamera playing Zigra's spiky back like a xylophone. Zigra is an okay looking monster, trying to look like an armored up shark. However, Zigra's scenes where he stands upright make him look like a large, grey parrot, which kills any intimidation he might cause. The spaceship itself is fairly colorful yet goofy, with so many colors that it looks like a giant candy dish shooting death rays.
Daiei's bankruptcy assured that Gamera vs. Zigra was almost the end of the Gamera series, and nothing of value was lost. It's certainly a warning sign that had the Gamera series continued further entries would have been rather dire. Gamera eventually did return in 1980 with a film called Gamera Super Monster, which utilized monster scenes from the previous Gamera movies with a very cheaply made new plot wrapping around them (also featuring space babes, natch). The movie was a clear cash grab Daiei made to help with further financial trouble and rightfully bombed at the box office. In the 90's, a trilogy of darker films aimed at adults directed by Shusuke Kaneko were released to critical acclaim (in my personal opinion a lot of the praise is hyperbolic, though that third film is pretty good). Most recently in 2006, Kadokawa Pictures (who purchased Daiei) released an attempt to reintroduce character into children's fantasy with Gamera the Brave, which was actually pretty solid. Unfortunately the film didn't do well at the box office, and further Gamera films were put on the backburner. Gamera vs. Zigra could have been the end but most kaiju and toku enthusiasts are glad it wasn't. However Gamera might be overdue for another comeback, maybe to fight Godzilla and Kong in the MonsterVerse. Just sayin'.
The Episode
Back for one more round, Gamera is here to save the day in an ultimately ho-hum experience. I think one thing that works against this episode is just how low-level this movie is. As stated above, it's a strange movie, but it doesn't really go to wacky places. The movie feels very bottled up and comes up short in giant monsters so it lacks that Gamera charm of silly fights and crazy plotting. The movie does offer some laughter inducing sequences, as Joel and the Bots are taken back by a weird plot detour involving fish supply, villainous women trying to blend in wearing nothing but a bikini, and a crazy obsession with Coke products, but what ultimately holds this episode back is that it lacks any sort of staying power. I remember laughing but I rack my brain remembering the specific lines that provoked that reaction (though I do remember a killer Get Smart reference at just the right moment). It's an energetic commentary wrapped around a humdrum movie that makes for pleasant experience in the moment but doesn't linger. I remember way more about the other Gamera episodes than I do Zigra and I think there is a reason for that. I might give the edge to Zigra being a more enjoyable episode than Gaos because I think it's a bit funnier though Gaos has a more energetic movie at its core.
Likewise, the host segments don't do a whole lot for me and I found myself not remembering most of them by the end of the episode. The Bots making a scale model of Gamera and their own movie-influenced dioramas are cute but they aren't really that funny. The visit from Kenny and Helen (played by Michael J. Nelson and Bridget Jones) on the other hand is complete cringe and not very amusing at all. I did enjoy the different stylings of the Gamera theme song though, and the Invention Exchange is another cute though not that funny segment, featuring the Crow-Ka-Bob and the Three Stooges Guns (though Frank's Joe DeRita slander will not stand).
Gamera vs. Zigra has some big laughs interspaced out through it but I find the episode a bit too muddled and uneven to ultimately recommend. I would say Gamera leaves the series on a low note but recently it was announced that Gamera would be making a triumphant return to MST in the thirteenth season with Gamera vs. Jiger. I'll be looking forward to that, even though mostly I find Gamera's history with the show up to this point to be uneven.
Average
The DVD
Gamera vs. Zigra joined the other third season Gamera episodes in Shout Factory's Volume XXI: MST3K vs. Gamera box set. Audio and video were both excellent, and the only special feature is a trailer for the film.
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