Lack of good storyline.

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I understand that the version of Noriaki Yuasa's "Daikaijû Gamera" (called "Gamera" in English) seen in the United States is not the cut originally seen in Japan. Apparently the one shown in Japan is more coherent. I've only seen Sandy Frank's recut version of this flick about an overgrown turtle wreaking havoc in Japan. Sure enough, I saw it on "Mystery Science Theater 3000". Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank subject Joel and the 'bots to it, and the guys riff it. They reference Charo, Woody Guthrie, Lainie Kazan and Merv Griffin, among others. Servo even sings a love song to a turtle, while future host Mike Nelson makes a cameo appearance as Gamera.I'd like to eventually see the original version. In the meantime, you'll enjoy MST3K's mockery.

*** This review may contain spoilers ***Ever since I've been a young kid I have always been a big fan of Japanese monster movies. For example, Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidorah and among many others. Gamera is one of many of them. He is a giant monster turtle created by Daiei Motion Pictures Company in 1965 to rival the success of Toho Studios Godzilla during the daikaiju boom of the mid-to- late 1960s. Over time, Gamera has gained fame and notoriety as a Japanese icon in his own right. but not as much as Godzilla did.The Gamera movies from the 1960's to 1980 were intended for kids and I think that is where there weak points are. However, they are a guilty pleasure for me and anyone else who loves to see monsters attacking Japan.

It helps to be a kaiju fan if you watch this as an adult. I was able to see the English subtitled version, and found it enjoyable for what it is. It's monster destruction along the vein of Gojira, albeit a cheaper budget, yet more updated special effects. The movie is short so its fairly easy to get through. I love the atmosphere of black and white, and the seriousness of Gamera as a threat to humanity. There is a child present, but he will not totally turn off adults. I'm not gonna pick the film to pieces and tell you what's wrong. It's just good kaiju fun! This movie is as important to the series as the original Godzilla was to his. I recommend it to all true fans of the genre.

An ancient gigantic prehistoric flying turtle is awakened from its centuries of slumber and embarks on the expected destructive rampage. Can an elite team of top scientists from all over the world figure out a way to stop Gamera before it's too late? Director Noriaki Yuasa, working from a neat script by Nisan Takahashi, relates the cool premise at a steady pace, maintains a serious tone throughout, and stages the funky and exciting mondo destructo set pieces with real aplomb (the scenes with Gamera attacking Tokyo are not only very thrilling, but also surprisingly harsh and grim). The cast play the material with admirable sincerity, with praiseworthy work from Eiiji Funakoshi as pragmatic zoologist Dr. Eiiji Hidaka, the fetching Harumi Kiritachi as Hidaka's faithful assistant Kyoko Yamamoto, Junichiro Yamashita as eager reporter Aoyagi, Jun Hamamura as the wise Professor Murase, and Yoshiro Uchida as lonely turtle-loving misfit kid Toshio Sakurai. The special effects are pretty good and convincing; Gamera makes for an impressively huge, deadly, and fearsome fire-breathing beast. Nubuo Munekawa's crisp widescreen black and white cinematography does the trick. Tadashi Yamauchi's robust and rousing score likewise hits the spirited spot. Moreover, we even get a nice theme about the perils of hero worship with a subplot about Toshio idolizing Gamera to a dangerous degree. A fun flick.