Gamera vs. Barugon
Encyclopedia
is a 1966 daikaiju
eiga (Japanese giant monster film) featuring the giant turtle Gamera
produced and distributed by Daiei Motion Picture Company. The film is the second to feature Gamera
. Gamera vs. Barugon was released in the United States by AIP-TV as War of the Monsters, and then later by Sandy Frank
as Gamera vs. Barugon. It was one of five Gamera films to appear in the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000
.
to Mars. Gamera, now unleashed, returns to Japan, destroys Kurobe Dam and takes off. Meanwhile, a mysterious group of travellers visit an island in the South Pacific. They plan to steal a huge opal from a cave protected by a local village. Eventually, they journey to the cave and find the opal
.
Traveling back to civilisation, the only thief to survive the heist leaves the opal beneath an infrared light while playing poker
. The light ends up incubating and hatching the opal (actually an egg) and the giant lizard Barugon is born. Barugon emerges from the ship as he comes into Kobe Harbor, destroying it. Barugon then attacks Osaka
, freezing large parts of the city with its freezing tongue spray, and destroying a missile strike with his rainbow
back ray. Gamera, attracted by the rainbow ray, arrives on the scene. Barugon and Gamera fight. Gamera does well, until Barugon uses his freeze spray. Gamera then gets frozen solid and falls inert onto the ground. Victorious, Barugon departs Osaka for the next large urban target.
Keisuke and Karen find Onodera, and wrest a confession about Kano's death from him. In the ensuing fight, Keisuke beats up on Onodera and ties him up. Keisuke and Karen then go to the Japanese defense ministry. There Karen outlines the Diamond Lure defense. This plans uses the giant diamond of the Black Tribe to lure Barugon into a lake to drown. The plan is effective but fails to move Barugon out into the lake. Afterwards it is theorized that the infrared radiation has made Barugon immune to the effects of the Diamond Lure. Another plan, the Infrared Diamond Lure defense is created. This would involve putting the Black Tribe diamond in an infrared generator and using the resulting ray to lure Barugon to a watery death.
Karen reveals that rain weakens Barugon and the Japanese military keeps Barugon doused with artificial rain. The Infrared Diamond Lure defense is put into effect. Onodera, however, gets wind of the plan and resolves to steal the Black Tribe diamond. The plan is executed and this time Barugon follows the lure without hesitation. Just as Barugon is about to be drawn into heavy water, Onodera bursts on the scene and steals the Black Tribe diamond. Barugon approaches the boat carrying the infrared generator and destroys it. Barugon then eats Onodera and the Black Tribe diamond.
Having failed, the Japanese military keeps Barugon sedated with rain. In dejection, Keizuke and Karen visit the site of Barugon's attack on the missile battery and discover an anomaly, everything but glass has been destroyed. From this comes the theory that Barugon's rainbow can be reflected. With this information, the Reflect attack plan is created. A giant mirror is constructed and put in front of Barugon. Barugon is then goaded into firing his rainbow ray. The mirror reflects the ray back upon Barugon, but the monster stops firing before the ray can be lethal. This exchange again attracts Gamera, who has thawed out after last battling Barugon. This time, Gamera manages not to get frozen, and Gamera is assisted by the military who mortally wound Barugon with missile fire, and Gamera then manages to drag Barugon into the lake, where the monster is at last killed.
has a tongue attack similar to Barugon's. Jiger, a foe in the later Gamera vs. Jiger
, was given Barugon's roar. Some parts of Barugon's roar were slowed down. Barugon was known to emit "hisses" and growled sometimes. Jiger, on the other hand, had a loud bellowing cry, also frequently making some low grunts.
Vintage Home Entertainment
St. Clair Entertainment
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
eiga (Japanese giant monster film) featuring the giant turtle Gamera
Gamera
is a giant, flying turtle from a popular series of kaiju films produced by Daiei Motion Picture Company in Japan. Created in 1965 to rival the success of Toho Studios' Godzilla during the daikaiju boom of the mid-to-late 1960s, Gamera has gained fame and notoriety as a Japanese icon in his own...
produced and distributed by Daiei Motion Picture Company. The film is the second to feature Gamera
Gamera
is a giant, flying turtle from a popular series of kaiju films produced by Daiei Motion Picture Company in Japan. Created in 1965 to rival the success of Toho Studios' Godzilla during the daikaiju boom of the mid-to-late 1960s, Gamera has gained fame and notoriety as a Japanese icon in his own...
. Gamera vs. Barugon was released in the United States by AIP-TV as War of the Monsters, and then later by Sandy Frank
Sandy Frank
Sandy Frank is an American television producer and international TV program distributor as well as a marketer of TV shows to US networks.-Early life and career:...
as Gamera vs. Barugon. It was one of five Gamera films to appear in the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
.
Plot
Hurtling through space, a meteorite collides with the rocket transporting GameraGamera
is a giant, flying turtle from a popular series of kaiju films produced by Daiei Motion Picture Company in Japan. Created in 1965 to rival the success of Toho Studios' Godzilla during the daikaiju boom of the mid-to-late 1960s, Gamera has gained fame and notoriety as a Japanese icon in his own...
to Mars. Gamera, now unleashed, returns to Japan, destroys Kurobe Dam and takes off. Meanwhile, a mysterious group of travellers visit an island in the South Pacific. They plan to steal a huge opal from a cave protected by a local village. Eventually, they journey to the cave and find the opal
Opal
Opal is an amorphous form of silica related to quartz, a mineraloid form, not a mineral. 3% to 21% of the total weight is water, but the content is usually between 6% to 10%. It is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most...
.
Traveling back to civilisation, the only thief to survive the heist leaves the opal beneath an infrared light while playing poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
. The light ends up incubating and hatching the opal (actually an egg) and the giant lizard Barugon is born. Barugon emerges from the ship as he comes into Kobe Harbor, destroying it. Barugon then attacks Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, freezing large parts of the city with its freezing tongue spray, and destroying a missile strike with his rainbow
Rainbow
A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicoloured arc...
back ray. Gamera, attracted by the rainbow ray, arrives on the scene. Barugon and Gamera fight. Gamera does well, until Barugon uses his freeze spray. Gamera then gets frozen solid and falls inert onto the ground. Victorious, Barugon departs Osaka for the next large urban target.
Keisuke and Karen find Onodera, and wrest a confession about Kano's death from him. In the ensuing fight, Keisuke beats up on Onodera and ties him up. Keisuke and Karen then go to the Japanese defense ministry. There Karen outlines the Diamond Lure defense. This plans uses the giant diamond of the Black Tribe to lure Barugon into a lake to drown. The plan is effective but fails to move Barugon out into the lake. Afterwards it is theorized that the infrared radiation has made Barugon immune to the effects of the Diamond Lure. Another plan, the Infrared Diamond Lure defense is created. This would involve putting the Black Tribe diamond in an infrared generator and using the resulting ray to lure Barugon to a watery death.
Karen reveals that rain weakens Barugon and the Japanese military keeps Barugon doused with artificial rain. The Infrared Diamond Lure defense is put into effect. Onodera, however, gets wind of the plan and resolves to steal the Black Tribe diamond. The plan is executed and this time Barugon follows the lure without hesitation. Just as Barugon is about to be drawn into heavy water, Onodera bursts on the scene and steals the Black Tribe diamond. Barugon approaches the boat carrying the infrared generator and destroys it. Barugon then eats Onodera and the Black Tribe diamond.
Having failed, the Japanese military keeps Barugon sedated with rain. In dejection, Keizuke and Karen visit the site of Barugon's attack on the missile battery and discover an anomaly, everything but glass has been destroyed. From this comes the theory that Barugon's rainbow can be reflected. With this information, the Reflect attack plan is created. A giant mirror is constructed and put in front of Barugon. Barugon is then goaded into firing his rainbow ray. The mirror reflects the ray back upon Barugon, but the monster stops firing before the ray can be lethal. This exchange again attracts Gamera, who has thawed out after last battling Barugon. This time, Gamera manages not to get frozen, and Gamera is assisted by the military who mortally wound Barugon with missile fire, and Gamera then manages to drag Barugon into the lake, where the monster is at last killed.
2010 DVD release
The Japanese version of the film has been officially released in the United States as part of Shout! Factory's Japanese Gamera movie collection. It was released on July 6, 2010.Reuse in sequels
The sea monster Zedus from Gamera the BraveGamera the Brave
Gamera the Brave, released in Japan as , is a kaiju film released in 2006, produced by Kadokawa Pictures. This is the 12th and final Gamera film and the first produced by Kadokawa Pictures after they purchased a percentage of the remaining assets of Daiei Motion Picture Company, the original...
has a tongue attack similar to Barugon's. Jiger, a foe in the later Gamera vs. Jiger
Gamera vs. Jiger
is a 1970 kaiju film by the Daiei Motion Picture Company. It is the sixth entry in the original Gamera series.-Plot:In Gamera vs. Jiger, Gamera has his hands full right from the very beginning. Japan is preparing for the 1970 World's Fair, to be held in Osaka. Construction of the various buildings...
, was given Barugon's roar. Some parts of Barugon's roar were slowed down. Barugon was known to emit "hisses" and growled sometimes. Jiger, on the other hand, had a loud bellowing cry, also frequently making some low grunts.
DVD releases
Alpha Video- Released: June 24, 2003
- Note: Features the American version of the film, War of the Monsters.
Vintage Home Entertainment
- Released: May 17, 2005
- Note: Gamera: The Ultimate Collection three-film DVD set. Features the American version of the film, War of the Monsters. Also includes GameraGamera (film)is a 1965 daikaiju eiga about a giant turtle named Gamera. The film is similar in nature to the popular Godzilla films, and is also the first in a series of films about Gamera...
and Gamera vs. VirasGamera vs. Virasis the fourth entry in the original Gamera film series.-Plot:A deadly alien force approaches earth. Gamera intervenes and destroys the alien vessel; but before the ship is destroyed, the aliens broadcast a warning to their world stating Gamera as their enemy....
.
St. Clair Entertainment
- Released: February 19, 2008
- Note: Monsters Unleashed nine-film DVD set. Features the American version of the film, War of the Monsters. Also includes GameraGamera (film)is a 1965 daikaiju eiga about a giant turtle named Gamera. The film is similar in nature to the popular Godzilla films, and is also the first in a series of films about Gamera...
, Gamera vs. GyaosGamera vs. Gyaosis a 1967 daikaiju eiga featuring the giant turtle Gamera by the Daiei Motion Picture Company. Gamera vs. Gyaos was released in the United States by AIP-TV as Return of the Giant Monsters, and later by Sandy Frank as Gamera vs. Gaos...
, Gamera vs. VirasGamera vs. Virasis the fourth entry in the original Gamera film series.-Plot:A deadly alien force approaches earth. Gamera intervenes and destroys the alien vessel; but before the ship is destroyed, the aliens broadcast a warning to their world stating Gamera as their enemy....
, Gamera vs. JigerGamera vs. Jigeris a 1970 kaiju film by the Daiei Motion Picture Company. It is the sixth entry in the original Gamera series.-Plot:In Gamera vs. Jiger, Gamera has his hands full right from the very beginning. Japan is preparing for the 1970 World's Fair, to be held in Osaka. Construction of the various buildings...
, YonggaryYonggaryYonggary or Yongary , also known as Yongary, Monster from the Deep, is a 1967 South Korean Kaiju film directed by prominent genre-film director Kim Ki-duk...
, Daikyojū GappaDaikyoju Gappais a 1967 Kaiju film. The film was produced by Nikkatsu Corporation, and was their only foray into the giant monster genre. The foreign sales title for the film was Gappa: The Triphibian Monster, and was dubbed into English...
, Warning from SpaceWarning from Spaceis a Japanese science fiction tokusatsu film released in January 1956 by Daiei, and was the first Japanese science fiction film to be produced in color. In the film's plot, starfish-like aliens disguised as humans travel to Earth to warn of the imminent collision of a rogue planet and Earth...
, and The Giant Gila MonsterThe Giant Gila MonsterThe Giant Gila Monster is a 1959 black-and-white science fiction film directed by Ray Kellogg, and produced by Ken Curtis. It stars Don Sullivan, Lisa Simone, as well as Fred Graham, Shug Fisher and Bob Thompson. This low-budget B-Movie featured a cast of unknown actors, and the effects included a...
.
Shout! Factory
- Released: July 6, 2010
- Note: contains the Japanese version of the film with English subtitles
Shout! Factory
- Released: August 2, 2011
- Note: Contained in the MST3K Volume XXI set that features all the Season 3 Gamera episodes