Superhero Media: Gamera Vs Barugon (1966)

Given that Kaiju are such a big industry both inside and outside of Japan these days, it can be a little jarring to go back and watch early examples from before the genre really established its own tropes and style. The follow-on from the somewhat-popular Gamera the Giant Monster, Gamera Vs Barugon covers the failure of the Z-plan and Gamera's return to Earth when the rocket fails between Earth and Mars. Keep in mind that Gamera can fly in space, that'll be important in later films. Due to the events of the first film, the United Nations have a better management plan for Gamera and he's not causing a great deal of fuss. Meanwhile, a trio of criminals are planning an expedition to a Pacific island to recover a gigantic opal. The majority of the film is given over to the machinations of the criminals and their infighting, though they are responsible for the release of Barugon, for the opal is actually an egg! 

Barugon is a giant, spiny lizard with a chameleon tongue and freezing breath who shoots deadly rainbows from his back. No, really. I've included a picture below in case you don't believe me. Barugon rampages through Japan, freezing everything and causing mass evacuations. The criminals turn on each other, leaving the pilot alive to aid the military with the help of a beautiful island woman. Most of the second act of the film involves the JSSDF trying to drown Barugon, because Gamera is frozen in the first round. As Barugon is somewhat allergic to water, the JSSDF uses water-bombers to keep it in check and tries a variety of strategies to lure it into a nearby lake. When all else has failed, Gamera breaks free and wrestles Barugon into the lake, saving the day in a satisfying but brief fight scene in the last few minutes of the film. 

Gamera Vs Barugon is not a great example of the genre, as clearly there wasn't enough budget to more than two brief Kaiju fights. The fights that are there are interesting enough, but take up less than a quarter of the entire run time. As usual for the studio, the model production is brilliant, even Barugon looks pretty decent with his light-up horns, though still looks like a crawling man wrapped in rubber when he moves. If you're planning to watch every Gamera film, you'll hit this one, but for those just idly curious, it can be skipped without missing anything major.