Space Amoeba
Encyclopedia
Space Amoeba, released in Japan as , is a 1970 Kaiju
film produced and released by Toho Studios
. This was one of director Ishirō Honda
's last kaiju movies, and the first such movie made after the death of special-effects director Eiji Tsuburaya
. This was also the final Toho film for which Sadamasa Arikawa acted as director of special effects.
While some fans deride the film as a last gasp of the kaiju
eiga genre, others appreciate the fact that the monsters have been scaled down (only being 20 to 30 meters tall), making their interactions with human characters more compelling.
munitions cabin discovered on the island to set the monster aflame. Severely burned, the creature retreats to the water.
However, Yog continues its attack by similarly invading and controlling the bodies of two other rare giant creatures, a gigantic crab called Ganimes and a gigantic predatory water turtle called Kamoebas. The two monsters are coaxed into battling each other through the use of bats' natural sonar, which Yog has an aversion to. The two monsters stumble into an erupting volcano and meet their end, destroying Yog in the process.
is a fictional kaiju
featured in the 1970 Toho
produced film
Space Amoeba a.k.a. Yog, Monster From Space.
- Created through the traditional Japanese process of suitmation
, Gezora
joins the ranks of Toho's other daikaiju such as Godzilla
and Rodan
. When the spacecraft Helio 7 came into contact with an unidentified space creature, it turned around and crashed in the water near Selzio Island. The first animal that the alien encountered happened to be a cuttlefish
which it mutated to a huge size. The space monster then proceeded to attack the islanders.
is the first of three daikaiju that appear in the course of Space Amoeba. Gezora's impossibly cold body temperature causes it to constantly generate a field of freezing cold around itself while its touch can inflict wounds similar to frostbite. On the other hand, its cold temperature makes it highly vulnerable to heat. Once the humans on the island discover this, they explode barrels of gasoline
under the creature as it chases them across the island. The monster is effectively defeated. However, the alien survives by creating the monsters Ganime and Kamoebas. The alien also enters the body of Obata, a man who has come to the island to steal the plans from the main characters.
is a scene of him attacking two fisherman
. He grabs one although the other escapes. Later, in a cave that apparently connects to the ocean, Gezora's signature glow is seen, and a huge wave splashes the onlookers. Although the monster does not surface, a watch is found that had belonged to his first victim. It was apparently "burped" out along with the water.
The second time Gezora
surfaces, he comes walking onto land and steals another man. He grabs a hold of a third, but the disturbance of nearby bat
s causes Gezora
to release him, leaving him with severe frostbite
on certain parts of his body.
Later, when two of the main characters are scuba diving
, they find the Helio 7 as well as Gezora
, but they are saved by a school of dolphins.
Gezora
continues his attacks by coming on land again and destroying a village
. It is discovered then that the monster is weak against fire
. This knowledge is used by the islanders when they destroy some barrels of gasoline
and, by setting a huge area of land on fire, cause Gezora
to be fatally burned. The creature retreats to the sea and dies, though the alien being survives and leaves the corpse, moving on to create the monster called Ganime.
Gezora
is killed and never seen again in the showa period
series. He was mentioned and seen through stock footage in Godzilla: Final Wars
as one of many monsters that arose from the devastation brought by the World Wars, along with Varan
, Baragon
, Gaira, Titanosaurus
, and Megaguirus
, although arguably the "main monster" in Space Amoeba, is one of the least recognizable and most obscure kaiju
Toho
has ever created. Other than brief stock footage
in the monster-packed Godzilla: Final Wars
, it has never been seen other than the poorly reviewed but cult classic
Space Amoeba.
Despite his lack of fame and popularity, he did appear in the 1988 Nintendo
game Godzilla: Monster of Monsters
as one of the earliest monsters the player would face, and he was arguably the weakest boss monster. Gezora
, much like Varan
and the original Moguera
who both appeared as boss monsters in the game, was not related to Godzilla
in any way other than being a Toho monster (though Varan appeared briefly in Destroy All Monsters
). This has led a small community of fans to lobby for his appearance in future incarnations of the Godzilla Vortaak Saga by Pipeworks & Atari
, especially since Varan has made a rare appearance in Godzilla: Unleashed
as a playable monster.
The recent DVD
release of the film has spread further awareness of Gezora and the amoeba monsters.
is a fictional kaiju
from the Japanese science fiction
film, Space Amoeba.
.
is a fictional monster that appeared in the 1970 film, Space Amoeba. "Kame" is Japanese
for "turtle".
In Space Amoeba, there were a race of wicked alien beings called the Space Amoeba, who mutated ordinary animals into huge, horrible monsters. Kamoebas was one of them; it was an ordinary turtle mutated by the Amoeba and grew to an enormous size. Rather than a beak like a normal turtle, Kamoebas has a mouth filled with sharp teeth (it also has an extendable neck, similar to the mata mata
turtle).
Kamoebas and Ganime were sent to kill the people on Selgio Island. However, a group of bats showed up and their shrill cries created super sonic waves. The monsters were vulnerable to the waves and the alien mind control was severed.
The kaiju
begin to battle ferociously. During the fight, they end up at an erupting volcano. In the end, Ganime tosses Kamoebas into the crater. However, Kamoebas clamped its powerful jaws onto the Ganime's claw. Ganime could not resist the immense weight of the turtle, and it was pulled into the crater along with Kamoebas. They both died and the Amoeba inside them died with them.
In Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. a Kamoebas was washed up on a Japanese beach after being killed by Godzilla who clawed its throat open. This Kamoebas however was depicted as a survivor from prehistoric times called megalo mata mata and has no other connection to Space Amoeba other than its name.
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....
film produced and released by Toho Studios
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
. This was one of director Ishirō Honda
Ishiro Honda
Ishirō Honda , sometimes miscredited in foreign releases as "Inoshiro Honda", was a Japanese film director...
's last kaiju movies, and the first such movie made after the death of special-effects director Eiji Tsuburaya
Eiji Tsuburaya
was the Japanese special effects director responsible for many Japanese science-fiction movies, including the Godzilla series...
. This was also the final Toho film for which Sadamasa Arikawa acted as director of special effects.
While some fans deride the film as a last gasp of the kaiju
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 genre, others appreciate the fact that the monsters have been scaled down (only being 20 to 30 meters tall), making their interactions with human characters more compelling.
Plot
A space probe, dubbed Helios 7, is sent to study Jupiter. En Route to the planet, the probe is invaded by Yog, an extraterrestrial being of pure energy. The probe lands in the South Pacific, where the disembodied alien leaves the device and invades the body of a Gezora, a giant cuttlefish, which proceeds to wreak havoc. When a photographer named Kudo and a small entourage landed on Selga Island, they are likewise menaced by Gezora. Gezora can generate extremely cold temperatures with its body, either naturally or due to Yog. When it is discovered that Gezora is vulnerable to fire, Kudo and his allies use a leftover Japanese World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
munitions cabin discovered on the island to set the monster aflame. Severely burned, the creature retreats to the water.
However, Yog continues its attack by similarly invading and controlling the bodies of two other rare giant creatures, a gigantic crab called Ganimes and a gigantic predatory water turtle called Kamoebas. The two monsters are coaxed into battling each other through the use of bats' natural sonar, which Yog has an aversion to. The two monsters stumble into an erupting volcano and meet their end, destroying Yog in the process.
Gezora
| Toho Toho is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group... character |
|
|---|---|
| Gezora | |
| Species | mutant Mutant In biology and especially genetics, a mutant is an individual, organism, or new genetic character, arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is a base-pair sequence change within the DNA of a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not... Cuttlefish Cuttlefish Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda . Despite their name, cuttlefish are not fish but molluscs.... |
| Height | 30 meters |
| Weight | 20,000 tons |
| Origins | Seized by an alien creature near Selzio Island |
| Shared Origin | Ganime Kamoebas |
| Weaknesses | supersonic waves Acoustic location Acoustic location is the science of using sound to determine the distance and direction of something. Location can be done actively or passively, and can take place in gases , liquids , and in solids .* Active acoustic location involves the creation of sound in order to produce an echo, which is... (from bat Bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,... s or dolphins) and extreme heat Heat In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between... |
| First appearance | Space Amoeba |
| Other appearances | “Godzilla: Final Wars Godzilla: Final Wars is a 2004 Japanese science fiction-kaiju film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, written by Wataru Mimura and Isao Kiriyama and produced by Shogo Tomiyama. It is the twenty-eighth film in the Godzilla film series, and the sixth in terms of the series' Millennium era... ” (stock footage) |
| Portrayed by | Haruo Nakajima Haruo Nakajima is a famous Japanese actor. He is best known for playing Godzilla and is considered by many to be the best suit actor in the long history of the franchise... |
is a fictional kaiju
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....
featured in the 1970 Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
produced film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Space Amoeba a.k.a. Yog, Monster From Space.
- Created through the traditional Japanese process of suitmation
Suitmation
is a term originally used in Japan for a tokusatsu technique to portray a daikaiju using a suit actor in a monster suit.The term can be used when puppet does not apply, since the puppet is being worn by an actor, and when costume does not apply, since the costume is also being controlled by a...
, Gezora
Gezora
Gezora is a giant squid character in the movie "Space Amoeba."Height: 30 meters Weight: 20,000 tons Powers/Weapons: Tentacles, ice mist, icy blood, able to discharge a stream of inkWeakness: Fire, Supersonic waves...
joins the ranks of Toho's other daikaiju such as Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
and Rodan
Rodan
is a fictional Japanese mutated pterosaur introduced in Rodan, a 1956 release from Toho Studios, the company responsible for the Godzilla series. Like Godzilla and Anguirus, he is designed after a type of prehistoric reptile...
. When the spacecraft Helio 7 came into contact with an unidentified space creature, it turned around and crashed in the water near Selzio Island. The first animal that the alien encountered happened to be a cuttlefish
Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda . Despite their name, cuttlefish are not fish but molluscs....
which it mutated to a huge size. The space monster then proceeded to attack the islanders.
Overview
GezoraGezora
Gezora is a giant squid character in the movie "Space Amoeba."Height: 30 meters Weight: 20,000 tons Powers/Weapons: Tentacles, ice mist, icy blood, able to discharge a stream of inkWeakness: Fire, Supersonic waves...
is the first of three daikaiju that appear in the course of Space Amoeba. Gezora's impossibly cold body temperature causes it to constantly generate a field of freezing cold around itself while its touch can inflict wounds similar to frostbite. On the other hand, its cold temperature makes it highly vulnerable to heat. Once the humans on the island discover this, they explode barrels of gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
under the creature as it chases them across the island. The monster is effectively defeated. However, the alien survives by creating the monsters Ganime and Kamoebas. The alien also enters the body of Obata, a man who has come to the island to steal the plans from the main characters.
Film Appearances
The original appearance of GezoraGezora
Gezora is a giant squid character in the movie "Space Amoeba."Height: 30 meters Weight: 20,000 tons Powers/Weapons: Tentacles, ice mist, icy blood, able to discharge a stream of inkWeakness: Fire, Supersonic waves...
is a scene of him attacking two fisherman
Fisherman
A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men...
. He grabs one although the other escapes. Later, in a cave that apparently connects to the ocean, Gezora's signature glow is seen, and a huge wave splashes the onlookers. Although the monster does not surface, a watch is found that had belonged to his first victim. It was apparently "burped" out along with the water.
The second time Gezora
Gezora
Gezora is a giant squid character in the movie "Space Amoeba."Height: 30 meters Weight: 20,000 tons Powers/Weapons: Tentacles, ice mist, icy blood, able to discharge a stream of inkWeakness: Fire, Supersonic waves...
surfaces, he comes walking onto land and steals another man. He grabs a hold of a third, but the disturbance of nearby bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s causes Gezora
Gezora
Gezora is a giant squid character in the movie "Space Amoeba."Height: 30 meters Weight: 20,000 tons Powers/Weapons: Tentacles, ice mist, icy blood, able to discharge a stream of inkWeakness: Fire, Supersonic waves...
to release him, leaving him with severe frostbite
Frostbite
Frostbite is the medical condition where localized damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. Frostbite is most likely to happen in body parts farthest from the heart and those with large exposed areas...
on certain parts of his body.
Later, when two of the main characters are scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
, they find the Helio 7 as well as Gezora
Gezora
Gezora is a giant squid character in the movie "Space Amoeba."Height: 30 meters Weight: 20,000 tons Powers/Weapons: Tentacles, ice mist, icy blood, able to discharge a stream of inkWeakness: Fire, Supersonic waves...
, but they are saved by a school of dolphins.
Gezora
Gezora
Gezora is a giant squid character in the movie "Space Amoeba."Height: 30 meters Weight: 20,000 tons Powers/Weapons: Tentacles, ice mist, icy blood, able to discharge a stream of inkWeakness: Fire, Supersonic waves...
continues his attacks by coming on land again and destroying a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
. It is discovered then that the monster is weak against fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
. This knowledge is used by the islanders when they destroy some barrels of gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
and, by setting a huge area of land on fire, cause Gezora
Gezora
Gezora is a giant squid character in the movie "Space Amoeba."Height: 30 meters Weight: 20,000 tons Powers/Weapons: Tentacles, ice mist, icy blood, able to discharge a stream of inkWeakness: Fire, Supersonic waves...
to be fatally burned. The creature retreats to the sea and dies, though the alien being survives and leaves the corpse, moving on to create the monster called Ganime.
Gezora
Gezora
Gezora is a giant squid character in the movie "Space Amoeba."Height: 30 meters Weight: 20,000 tons Powers/Weapons: Tentacles, ice mist, icy blood, able to discharge a stream of inkWeakness: Fire, Supersonic waves...
is killed and never seen again in the showa period
Showa period
The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...
series. He was mentioned and seen through stock footage in Godzilla: Final Wars
Godzilla: Final Wars
is a 2004 Japanese science fiction-kaiju film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, written by Wataru Mimura and Isao Kiriyama and produced by Shogo Tomiyama. It is the twenty-eighth film in the Godzilla film series, and the sixth in terms of the series' Millennium era...
as one of many monsters that arose from the devastation brought by the World Wars, along with Varan
Varan
is a kaiju that first appeared in Varan the Unbelievable . Physically, Varan resembles a giant reptile with skin membranes between his arms and legs, allowing him to glide much like a flying dragon or flying squirrel; he also has a horned head....
, Baragon
Baragon
is a fictional Kaiju that was first featured in the 1965 Toho-produced film, Frankenstein Conquers the World. Baragon is a four-legged dinosaur with a horn on his head and large ears. His main weapon is a heat ray that he can fire from his mouth...
, Gaira, Titanosaurus
Titanosaurus (Godzilla)
is a fictional kaiju featured in the 1975 Showa film Terror of Mechagodzilla, the fifteenth Godzilla film to be produced by Toho.-Abilities:...
, and Megaguirus
Fame
GezoraGezora
Gezora is a giant squid character in the movie "Space Amoeba."Height: 30 meters Weight: 20,000 tons Powers/Weapons: Tentacles, ice mist, icy blood, able to discharge a stream of inkWeakness: Fire, Supersonic waves...
, although arguably the "main monster" in Space Amoeba, is one of the least recognizable and most obscure kaiju
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....
Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
has ever created. Other than brief stock footage
Stock footage
Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures and file footage are film or video footage that may or may not be custom shot for use in a specific film or television program. Stock footage is of beneficial use to filmmakers as it is sometimes less expensive than shooting new...
in the monster-packed Godzilla: Final Wars
Godzilla: Final Wars
is a 2004 Japanese science fiction-kaiju film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, written by Wataru Mimura and Isao Kiriyama and produced by Shogo Tomiyama. It is the twenty-eighth film in the Godzilla film series, and the sixth in terms of the series' Millennium era...
, it has never been seen other than the poorly reviewed but cult classic
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
Space Amoeba.
Despite his lack of fame and popularity, he did appear in the 1988 Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
game Godzilla: Monster of Monsters
Godzilla: Monster of Monsters
-Gameplay:The game features two playable characters, Godzilla and Mothra. The player uses both monsters in turn by selecting the desired character on a virtual gameboard, representative of the planet it is on, and moving it like a chess piece. Each space is a hexagon that represents playable,...
as one of the earliest monsters the player would face, and he was arguably the weakest boss monster. Gezora
Gezora
Gezora is a giant squid character in the movie "Space Amoeba."Height: 30 meters Weight: 20,000 tons Powers/Weapons: Tentacles, ice mist, icy blood, able to discharge a stream of inkWeakness: Fire, Supersonic waves...
, much like Varan
Varan
is a kaiju that first appeared in Varan the Unbelievable . Physically, Varan resembles a giant reptile with skin membranes between his arms and legs, allowing him to glide much like a flying dragon or flying squirrel; he also has a horned head....
and the original Moguera
Moguera
is a Kaiju featured in two of Toho's science fiction films. The name is derived from the Japanese word for mole.-Showa:...
who both appeared as boss monsters in the game, was not related to Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
in any way other than being a Toho monster (though Varan appeared briefly in Destroy All Monsters
Destroy All Monsters
Destroy All Monsters, released in Japan as , is a 1968 Japanese horror Science fiction Kaiju film. The ninth in Toho Studios' Godzilla series, it was directed by Ishirō Honda with special effects by Sadamasa Arikawa This is the fifth film to feature Mothra, third to feature King Ghidorah, fourth...
). This has led a small community of fans to lobby for his appearance in future incarnations of the Godzilla Vortaak Saga by Pipeworks & Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
, especially since Varan has made a rare appearance in Godzilla: Unleashed
Godzilla: Unleashed
Godzilla: Unleashed, abbreviated as G3 or GU, is a 3D fighting video game based on the Godzilla film franchise for the Wii and PlayStation 2, developed by Pipeworks and published by Atari. The PS2 version was released on November 20 and the Wii version on December 5, 2007 in North America and both...
as a playable monster.
The recent DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release of the film has spread further awareness of Gezora and the amoeba monsters.
Ganime
| Toho Toho is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group... character |
|
|---|---|
| Ganime | |
| Species | mutant Mutant In biology and especially genetics, a mutant is an individual, organism, or new genetic character, arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is a base-pair sequence change within the DNA of a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not... sand crab Sand crab The common term sand crab can refer to various species of crustacean:* Crustacea of the superfamily Hippoidea, often known as mole crabs* Crabs of the genus Ocypode, also commonly known as ghost crabs... |
| Height | 20 meters |
| Weight | 15,000 tons |
| Shared Origin | Gezora Gezora Gezora is a giant squid character in the movie "Space Amoeba."Height: 30 meters Weight: 20,000 tons Powers/Weapons: Tentacles, ice mist, icy blood, able to discharge a stream of inkWeakness: Fire, Supersonic waves... Kamoebas |
| Weaknesses | supersonic waves Acoustic location Acoustic location is the science of using sound to determine the distance and direction of something. Location can be done actively or passively, and can take place in gases , liquids , and in solids .* Active acoustic location involves the creation of sound in order to produce an echo, which is... (from bat Bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,... s or dolphins) |
| First appearance | Space Amoeba |
| Portrayed by | Haruo Nakajima Haruo Nakajima is a famous Japanese actor. He is best known for playing Godzilla and is considered by many to be the best suit actor in the long history of the franchise... |
is a fictional kaiju
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....
from the Japanese science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film, Space Amoeba.
Space Amoeba
Controlled and powered by the malevolent intelligence of the Amoeba being, a gigantic stone crab, Ganime, attacked the island. Trying to finish the job that the now dead Gezora left undone, the monstrous animal waded further inland, before it was met with machine gun fire. However, this does little to deter the creature. Yet the humans once again managed to outsmart the bulbous monster by luring it into a pit, laced with hundreds of sticks of dynamite. The resulting explosion tore his body apart, leaving smoldering bits of flesh. However, the spiritual Amoeba was still alive, and crawled from the open carcass only to assimilate another stone crab. This duplicate Ganime was sent to aid another infected animal, this time a jungle turtle named Kamoebas, to eliminate the human threat. Though the partnership was soon dissolved, when a horde of bats besieged the twin giants. The supersonic waves created from their cackling cries broke the hold that the Amoeba possessed, and drove the monsters to fight. Ganime attacks relentlessly with its pinching claws, and spiting foams of blinding, coalesced seawater, but Kamoebas was able to hold its ground. So caught up were the monsters in their war, that they didn't notice the volcano that they fought on. So, they both proceeded to the lip of the mountain, and toppled inside. Killing themselves and the Amoeba beings that laid within.Lost Films
Ganime was considered for Godzilla Final Wars, but it was replaced by EbirahEbirah
, is a fictional kaiju that first appeared in the Showa Godzilla film Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster. He is one of the two main antagonists of the film.-Showa series:...
.
Kamoeba/Kamoebas
| Toho Toho is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group... character |
|
|---|---|
| Kamoebas | |
| Species | Irradiated Mata Mata Mata mata The mata mata or matamata is a freshwater turtle found in South America, primarily in the Amazon and Orinoco basins.-Taxonomy:... Turtle Turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield... |
| Height | 20 meters |
| Weight | 28,000 tons |
| Shared Origin | Gezora Gezora Gezora is a giant squid character in the movie "Space Amoeba."Height: 30 meters Weight: 20,000 tons Powers/Weapons: Tentacles, ice mist, icy blood, able to discharge a stream of inkWeakness: Fire, Supersonic waves... Ganime |
| Major Enemies | Ganime Godzilla Godzilla is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,... Godman |
| Weaknesses | supersonic waves Acoustic location Acoustic location is the science of using sound to determine the distance and direction of something. Location can be done actively or passively, and can take place in gases , liquids , and in solids .* Active acoustic location involves the creation of sound in order to produce an echo, which is... (from bat Bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,... s or dolphins) |
| First appearance | Space Amoeba |
| Other appearances | Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., released in Japan as , is a 2003 science fiction kaiju film directed by Masaaki Tezuka. It was the twenty-seventh film to be released in the Godzilla series. It is the twelfth film to feature Mothra, the second film to feature Kamoebas, and the fifth and latest film to... |
| Portrayed by | Haruyoshi Nakamura |
is a fictional monster that appeared in the 1970 film, Space Amoeba. "Kame" is Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
for "turtle".
Showa
In Space Amoeba, there were a race of wicked alien beings called the Space Amoeba, who mutated ordinary animals into huge, horrible monsters. Kamoebas was one of them; it was an ordinary turtle mutated by the Amoeba and grew to an enormous size. Rather than a beak like a normal turtle, Kamoebas has a mouth filled with sharp teeth (it also has an extendable neck, similar to the mata mata
Mata mata
The mata mata or matamata is a freshwater turtle found in South America, primarily in the Amazon and Orinoco basins.-Taxonomy:...
turtle).
Kamoebas and Ganime were sent to kill the people on Selgio Island. However, a group of bats showed up and their shrill cries created super sonic waves. The monsters were vulnerable to the waves and the alien mind control was severed.
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....
begin to battle ferociously. During the fight, they end up at an erupting volcano. In the end, Ganime tosses Kamoebas into the crater. However, Kamoebas clamped its powerful jaws onto the Ganime's claw. Ganime could not resist the immense weight of the turtle, and it was pulled into the crater along with Kamoebas. They both died and the Amoeba inside them died with them.
Millennium
In Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. a Kamoebas was washed up on a Japanese beach after being killed by Godzilla who clawed its throat open. This Kamoebas however was depicted as a survivor from prehistoric times called megalo mata mata and has no other connection to Space Amoeba other than its name.
Cast
- Akira KuboAkira KuboAkira Kubo is a Japanese actor. He has appeared in 75 films since 1952. He starred in the film Arashi, which was entered into the 7th Berlin International Film Festival.-Selected filmography:* Arashi...
.......... Taro Kudo， Journalist - Atsuko Takahashi ............ Ayako Hoshino
- Yukiko Kobayashi ............. Saki，Daughter of Island Selgio
- Kenji SaharaKenji SaharaKenji Sahara is a Japanese actor. He was born in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa. His real name is Masayoshi Kato...
............. Makoto Obata - Yoshio TsuchiyaYoshio Tsuchiyais a Japanese actor who has appeared in such films as Toshio Matsumoto's surreal masterpiece "Bara No Soretsu" and Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and Red Beard, and Kihachi Okamoto's Kill!. He has a long-standing interest in UFOs and had written several books on the subject...
............. Dr. Kyouichi Miya， Biologist - Tetsu NakamuraTetsu Nakamurais a Japanese medical doctor. He was awarded the 2003 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace and International Understanding. He has devoted his work among refugees in the Afghanistan/Pakistan borderlands.-ex.link:***...
........... Onbo， Elder of Island Selgio - Yuu Fujiki ............ Mayor of publicity department of company 『Asia deveropment』
- Yoshitake Saitou .............. Riko，Youth of Island Selgio
- Yuuko Sugihara .............. Stewardess
- Sachio Sakai ............ Chief editor of Weekly magazine 『Topics』
- Tyoutaro Tougin .............. Yokoyama，Investigation engineer
- Wataru Oomae ............. Sakura，Investigation engineer
- Ichiro Murakoshi ............ Voice of Alien
- Haruo NakajimaHaruo Nakajimais a famous Japanese actor. He is best known for playing Godzilla and is considered by many to be the best suit actor in the long history of the franchise...
............ Gezora，Ganime - Haruyoshi Nakamura ............. Kamoebas
Miscellaneous Credits
- Takeo Kita- Production Design
- Seiji Tani- Assistant to the director
- Teruyoshi NakanoTeruyoshi Nakano, is a Japanese special effects director, most notable for his contributions to the Godzilla film series and other tokusatsu movies. Nakano was a special guest at G-Fest XI, where he was the recipient of the Mangled Skyscraper Award....
- Chief Assistant Special Effects Director
- Yoichi Manoda- Special Effects Cinematography
- Yoshiyuki Tokumasa- Optical Effects
- Yasuyuki Inoue- Special Effects Set Director
Versions
- Toho Co. Ltd.Tohois a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
: JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
(84 min.; original version) - Toho InternationalTohois a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
: EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
(84 min.; International dubInternational versionIn video games, an international version is a relocalized version of a previously released title in its native territory that has gained additional features and contents in foreign releases...
; released to DVD in AmericaUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Media BlastersMedia BlastersMedia Blasters is an entertainment corporation founded by John Sirabella and Sam Liebowitz, based in New York City. They are in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American market manga compilations and anime and live-action movies and television series to home-video...
) - American International PicturesAmerican International PicturesAmerican International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...
: EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
(84 min.; TitraTitra StudiosTitra Studios is an American dubbing studio. The studio was responsible for dubbing numerous foreign films, including Mothra vs. Godzilla 1964 as well as the Speed Racer cartoon series and the original Ultraman tv series....
dub; released in American theaters and VHS; titled Yog—Monster from Space.)
External links
- Guinn, Troy. (2006). Space Amoeba (DVD review) at eccentric-cinema.com
- KFC Cinema Review