Superhero Media: Gamera Vs Zigra

Now that I'm on the "home stretch" of the Gamera franchise, I believe I can admit that much of it really isn't the best, even in terms of Kaiju cinema. Some of the films are genuinely good, and I can't wait until we're caught up to the 1990s trilogy, when Gamera outstripped even Godzilla in terms of prominence. Before we get there though, let's talk about Gamera Vs Zigra, where Gamera fights an alien shark. The budget must have been wearing thin at this stage, as much of the action centres around two young children, rather than the giant monsters, and many of the sets and model shots are repeated. Much like Gamera Vs Viras and Gamera Vs Gurion, the story begins with two children being kidnapped aboard a flying saucer by aliens far too stupid to outwit adults, who immediately reveal their entire plan. The shocking twist of Gamera Vs Zigra is that the alien woman is also brainwashed and the real enemy intellect is a giant shark monster. 

Once Zigra is free of the flying saucer, the action scenes with men in rubber suits begin and the kids take a back seat, for the most part. There is a brief interlude where Gamera has been defeated and is stuck, upside-down in a beach and the hapless parents and children have to get trapped in a bathysphere until Gamera wakes up and saves them. Whereas the underwater fight scenes in Gamera Vs Viras were the highlight, in Gamera Vs Zigra, they're played for comedy. A scene where Gamera sneaks up on a sleeping Zigra to rescue the bathysphere is straight out of Scooby Doo. Once Gamera gets his act back together, he battles Zigra for the second time, getting the better of the alien shark monster before, in one of the most infamous scenes in the franchise, playing his theme song on the defeated foe's spines. Yes, Gamera not only apparently knows his own theme song, but also understands music theory well enough to play it by ear on an improvised instrument. I totally get if people hate this scene, but I love it. 

Gamera carves out an interesting niche in the history of Kaiju cinema, being almost entirely a series for children, but in doing so, being loved by adults today. It's a bit like when I meet people in their 30s who still really enjoy Power Rangers. For my own part, I'm glad I started with the better films and am only now going back to the original run. There is a charm to the older films, but they're not the kind of thing that's going to draw in new fans; my girlfriend laughs herself silly when she catches bits of what I'm watching, and I can't blame her. On the flip side, she enjoyed the heck out of Godzilla II King of the Monsters, which was also pretty silly in parts, but carried the narrative in a much more serious manner. I think that's the key with Kaiju, keep the internal narrative consistent and serious, but allow the silly fun to shine through when needs be. One more of the classic films to come, then on to the epic 1990s trilogy!