Gammera the Invincible1966

39/100 When making Gamera the Giant Monster, Daiei went out of their way to add multiple scenes with American actors or scenes in English, hoping that this would spare them an extensive re-edit upon overseas release. Perhaps for the better, they were wrong. This is still a bad movie, with much the same failings as its Japanese counterpart, and some entirely new ones added. The acting and performances are somehow even worse, with the special effects still poor and Toshio as annoying as ever. However, I think I kind of liked this version better. For one, despite the slightly longer runtime, its story is much faster, with a few of Toshio's scenes cut out, which is always welcome. There are also a few additions I liked, such as the scene where two scientists heatedly debate Gamera's existence, as well as the new funky theme song. This movie also expands on the themes of the Cold War hinted at in the original. Sadly, though, the expansion here is just turning it into another 'America saves the World' story. This movie's not better enough to make a difference from the original, and perhaps in another mood I would have considered the Japanese version better. However, for now I think this serves as a good update to the story, but still not a very good movie.