Gamera

Gamera (ガメラ) is a giant monster or daikaiju originating from a series of Japanese tokusatsu films of the same name. He first appeared in Daiei Film's 1965 film Gamera, which was initially produced to rival the success of Toho's Godzilla, however, Gamera has gained fame and notoriety as a Japanese icon in his own right. The character has appeared in other media such as video games and comic books.

In the United States, Gamera attained prominence during the 1970s due to the burgeoning popularity of UHF television stations featuring Saturday afternoon matinee showcases like Creature Double Feature and later in the 1990s when several Gamera films were featured on the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Overview

Appearance

Gamera has the general configuration of a turtle, albeit a tremendously large one that is capable of walking on two legs and flying. He does occasionally walk quadrupedally in his first three films. Gamera demonstrates the ability to manipulate objects with his forefeet. He possesses a pronounced sagittal crest on top of his head and his mouth is filled with teeth, which is unprecedented in turtles - with exceptions perhaps for the prehistoric turtles Proganochelys and Odontochelys - plus a pair of large tusks protruding upward from the lower jaws.

Gamera (film)

Gamera (大怪獣ガメラ, Daikaijū Gamera, Giant Monster Gamera) is a 1965 science fiction kaijū film directed by Noriaki Yuasa and released by Daiei Film Co., Ltd. The film focuses on Gamera, a giant ancient chelonian creature who terrorizes Japan after it was awakened by an atomic bomb explosion in the Arctic. The film is the first in a series of kaiju (giant monster) films featuring the monster Gamera. Gamera was created by Daiei to capitalize on the success of rival studio Toho's popular Godzilla films, and it, too, spawned its own franchise. It was released in the United States in 1966 as Gammera the Invincible and has been the subject of two different Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes.

Plot

In an icy North American region, an unknown aircraft is shot down by an American fighter jet. The aircraft crashes and its cargo, a low-level atomic bomb, explodes. The resulting cataclysm awakens a giant, prehistoric monster called "Gamera", who has the appearance of a giant turtle with large tusks. Japanese scientists on an expedition (including Dr. Hidaka, Kyoko, and Aoyagi) nearby are given a "devil stone" by an Eskimo chieftain, who explains that the creature is called Gamera.

Gamera 3: The Revenge of Iris

Gamera 3: The Revenge of Iris (ガメラ3 邪神〈イリス〉覚醒, Gamera Surī Jyashin Irisu Kakusei) is a 1999 Japanese Kaiju film directed and co-written by Shusuke Kaneko. The film is a sequel to Gamera 2: Attack of Legion and the eleventh feature film in the Gamera series, and the third film in the 1990s trilogy of Gamera films. The film stars Ayana Hirasaka (Ai Maeda), an emotionally troubled young girl who forms a psychic bond with a highly aggressive parasitic creature known as Iris that feeds upon her rage and hate for the giant fire-breathing turtle monster called Gamera, who had unwittingly killed Hirsaka's parents. Gamera later is defending Japan from a swarm of monsters called Gyaos when he is confronted by Iris.

Gamera 3: The Revenge of Iris was shown at the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival and received the Mainichi Film Concours award for Best Sound Recording in Japan. The film received positive reviews from film critics who praised its special effects with many praising it as one of the best in the Gamera film series.