Rewatching the Gamera movies! Gamera vs. Guiron (1969) offers more outer space action, and one of the big turtle’s weirdest-looking enemies.

Here’s what happens: Some kids investigate a crashed flying saucer. It takes off with them on board, landing on an alien planet called Terra. The planet is almost uninhabited, where two alien women command the giant beast Guiron in battle against the evil Space Gyaos. Gamera arrives on Terra to rescue the kids, while the kids sort out what the alien women are secretly up to.

Nice gams: Gamera isn’t seen or even mentioned until after the kids take off to space. Has he left Earth, or did he follow the kids from Earth to space. In addition to sensing when the kids are in danger, he also shows some intelligence. He uses his fiery breath to repair the spaceship so the kids can get back home.

Turtle power: Gamera is not able to fly as fast as the spaceship, and it takes him much longer to reach the alien planet. During the big fight at the end, Gamera does a huge leap to body-slam Guiron. And yes, this is the movie with the often-meme’d Gamera swing, where he goes around and around on a pole. This shot goes on for SO LONG.

Big baddie: Guiron has a unique look, with his head being a giant knife. And it’s not for show. He uses it to deflect lasers, and he chops up a Gyaos is one grody scene. His body also somehow produces throwing stars, because why not?

Where does Space Gyaos come from? The original Gaos, who we met in Gamera vs. Gaos, was hibernating beneath the Earth since ancient times. The website Gojipedia speculates that all Gaos/Gyaos are aliens, and the original Gaos was an alien who traveled to Earth during the days of old Atlantis.

Kid stuff: The two boys, Akio and Tom, don’t do much. They spend most of the movie in one room as the alien women’s guests/captives. Little sister Tomoko gets a melodramatic scene where she tells the grownups what happened to them.

Hapless humans: The space women, Barbella and Florbella, seem kind at first but then they are revealed to be duplicitous. The kids’ parents and some scientists round out the cast.

Thoughts on this viewing: We’re back in space again, but this one lacks the gee-whiz fun of Gamera vs. Viras. That film was hit, so this one’s mentality seems to be just, “Let’s do that again.”  

Next: Global Gamera warming.

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