Gamera, the Giant Monster (1965) Proves That Imposters Can Become Influencers
In case you haven’t noticed, reader, Godzilla is having a moment. And that brings me great joy.
Not only was Godzilla Minus One a surprise hit in the U.S., pulling in $56 million at the domestic box office and even spending a few weekdays at #1, it won an Academy Award earlier this month for Best Visual Effects. Yes, that makes it the first Godzilla film to even be nominated for an Academy Award.
And if that weren’t enough, the monster’s Americanized version is thriving as well. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has been doing numbers on AppleTV+ the past few months, and the ridiculously titled Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire—directed by Birmingham “native” Adam Wingard, of course—is only a week away. (I, for one, cannot wait.)
So what have I been doing to celebrate this moment? Watching Gamera movies, of course.*
If you’re not familiar with Gamera, well, that’s understandable. There have been a dozen Gamera feature films since he arrived on the scene, but all of them are Japanese, and the last one was in 2006. But if you like watching giant monsters fight each other, I’m here to tell you that he’s worth your time. Not despite being a Godzilla rip-off but because he’s a Godzilla rip-off.
Anybody that was going to Japanese cinemas in the 60s knew what was up. By the time Gamera, the Giant Monster arrived in November of 1965, there had already been five Godzilla films (including two in 1964) and a sixth film was slated for that December. Toho, the studio responsible for the original Godzilla, had released nine other kaiju films by then as well.
Then suddenly a rival studio (Daiei) comes along with another giant reptile monster—a prehistoric turtle with tusks—of similar origins.** And wouldn’t you know it, the film was a hit, leading to a sequel just a year later with an even bigger budget.***
But to hear Daiei tell it, their objective was not to steal Godzilla’s spot at the box office but to share it. Which is an incredible way of saying their goal was to profit from imitating one of the biggest draws in Japanese pop culture at the time.
Maybe it’s my American upbringing, but I don’t think this is such a bad thing.**** We’re used to having multiple options for almost everything, from soft drinks and chicken sandwiches to uninspiring politicians. Who cares if it’s the first thing as long as it’s the best thing, right?
And lest we forget, Godzilla isn’t even the first true kaiju movie. King Kong, the other half of the epic battle hitting multiplexes in a week, was a major inspiration on Godzilla. Special effects artist Eiji Tsuburaya actually wanted to present their monster in the same stop-motion animation that was used in King Kong, but they didn’t have enough experienced animators in Japan, and they were on a tight deadline.***** So they made history instead by pioneering the suitmation technique, where a stunt actor puts on a monster suit and wrecks miniature cities.
I think this is the most compelling case. Competition sparks innovation. And Gamera provides evidence of this as well.
Gamera’s original run was hampered by decreasing budgets toward the end, but it was still successful. Daiei released a Gamera film every year from 1965 to 1971, making it a pretty significant franchise in its own right, and the films even drew high praise from Godzilla director Ishirō Honda.****** But most scholars will tell you that Shusuke Kaneko’s trilogy of Gamera films released between 1995 and 1999 is not only the franchise’s peak but among the best kaiju films ever made. Films that have been cited as major influences on—you guessed it—the modern MonsterVerse. In other words, the Godzilla franchise might not be what it is today if not for some fierce competition from one of its top imitators.
Sadly, Gamera’s own footprint has yet to make a real dent this century. 2006’s Gamera the Brave is fun but pretty forgettable. But perhaps there is hope on the horizon. Just last year, Netflix released Gamera Rebirth, an animated miniseries that features the heroic turtle monster battling many of his old foes. And it’s directed by the guy who made three animated Godzilla films for Netflix a few years ago. Wonders never cease, do they?
*For the physical media collectors out there, I picked up both the Showa Era box set and the Heisei Era box set during Arrow Video’s holiday sale in 2022. And yes, I’m very proud of myself.
**Both Godzilla and Gamera are awakened by atomic bombs, but while the former was chilling off the coast of Tokyo, the latter was buried under ice in the Arctic Circle. See? Completely different!
***The legend Guillermo Del Toro said in an interview during the Pacific Rim circuit that Gamera, the Giant Monster is one of his favorite kaiju films, adding that “the design…has great personality. …Gamera offered that mix of silliness and charm with the staples of a great kaiju movie.”
****Okay, it’s probably also partially my mild fascination with cinematic rip-offs, as evidenced by my piece on Orca last year.
*****It’s worth noting that King Kong had a successful re-release just two years prior in 1952, adding a significant amount to the film’s original box office earnings.
******One of the better sequels, Gamera vs. Jiger, is unique because it was shot while Japan was preparing for the Expo ‘70 world’s fair. They even incorporated the event into the plot of the film, though the Expo board forbid the filmmakers from having the titular monsters destroy miniatures that looked like the structures that were built for the fair. The film was released less than a week before Expo ‘70 began. Godzilla never did any marketing stunts like that one!
Gamera, the Giant Monster is now streaming on Amazon Prime and PlutoTV, and it is available to rent elsewhere.