War of the Monsters

Director: Shigeo Tanaka Shigeo Tanaka

Overview

"In this lively Japanese sci-fi fantasy, Gamera, that terrifying jet-propelled terrapin from outer space returns to Earth to save Tokyo and the rest of the world from Barugon, the horrific, gigantic lizard with insta-freeze breath."

Product Details

Release Date:	06/24/2003
UPC:	0089218418692
Original Release:	1966
Rating:	NR
Source:	Alpha Video
Language:	English
Time:	1:29:00
Sales rank:	59,039

Special Features

Gamera gallery of:; Posters, Lobby cards, and Photos

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Kojiro Hongo	Keisuke
Akira Natsuki	Ichir¿ Hirata
Kyoko Enami	Actor
Kôji Fujiyama	Actor
Yuzo Hayakawa	Actor
Ichiro Sugai	Actor

Technical Credits

Fumi Takahashi

Shigeo Tanaka	Director
Masaichi Nagata	Producer,Producer
Fumi Takahashi	Screenwriter
Noriaki Yuasa	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

When the casual monster movie enthusiast thinks about the Gamera series, light kiddie-matinee fare is generally what comes to mind. However, War Of The Monsters (known in its native Japan as Gamera Vs. Barugon) is an exception to that rule. The plot stands in stark contrast to the usual Gamera story in many ways: it has a dark, adult tone, focuses more on the humans than the monsters and soft-pedals the giant monster battles until its slam-bang finale. Shigeo Tanaka's direction is appropriately moody and he handles the crime-story plot that drives the film in a noir-ish fashion that gives the film an unusual frisson. The acting is also pretty strong, with series regular Kojiro Hongo getting his best role in these films as the film's relucant-crook-turned-hero and Koji Fujiyama offering a suitably nasty turn as the film's human villain. That said, monster movie fans will be happy to know that War Of The Monsters delivers the goods when the time comes via an explosive smash-'em-up finale that is handled with gusto by special effects director Noriaki Yuasa (who directed most of the films in the original Gamera series). In short, War Of The Monsters is a fun change of pace from the kiddie monster-mash norm and might interest cult film types who don't normally go in for kaiju eiga.