Gamera vs. Guiron
Encyclopedia
, is a 1969 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....

 film, the fifth entry in the original Gamera
Gamera
is a giant, flying turtle from a popular series of kaiju films produced by Daiei Motion Picture Company in Japan. Created in 1965 to rival the success of Toho Studios' Godzilla during the daikaiju boom of the mid-to-late 1960s, Gamera has gained fame and notoriety as a Japanese icon in his own...

 series. It was one of five Gamera films to be featured as episodes of movie-mocking television show Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....

.

Plot

While spying in their telescope, Two boys, Akio and Tom witness a spaceship that descends into a nearby field, upon telling their mother this she denies it as mere child nonsense. With Akio's little sister, Tomoko in tow, they bicycle out the next day to investigate. The boys enter the spaceship and the ship accidentally takes off to its alien home planet, leaving Tomoko behind. At first the boys are concerned as neither of them know how to pilot the aircraft as it hurtles through space and into a field of asteroids. Luckily Gamera arrives and fends off the asteroids from harming them, but the ship's speed leaves Gamera behind and takes the two boys to an unknown planet.

Upon landing on the planet, Akio and Tom are astonished but suddenly put in danger by the sudden appearance of a silver "Space" Gyaos
Gyaos
, is the name of several daikaiju from Daiei's Gamera film series, introduced in their 1967 production Gamera vs. Gyaos and one of Gamera's most famous opponents...

 who causes havoc in the area. Also appearing from an underground base behind city Space Gyaos is attacking is a never-before seen monster with a gigantic knife for a head. As the two battle, the knife-headed monster viciously kills the Space Gyaos by chopping him up into several pieces and proceed to return to his hole.

Akio and Tom, after exploring some of the buildings on the planet soon meet the only inhabitants on the planet, two beautiful women who introduce themselves to the boys are explain where they are. The planet is called "Terra" and it rotates on the opposite side of the planet Earth which explains why is was not discovered yet. The planet is also facing extinction as not only does the planet grow colder as time has passed, but it is also being populated by several more Space Gyaos in the area. Keeping the Space Gyaos from destroying what's left of their planet is the Terrans' monster bodyguard, Guiron, the knife-headed monster from before. Meanwhile, Tomoko tries to tell her mother of the boys capture but is also met with dismay.

Unknown to the two boys however, the Terran women are revealed to be sinister and cannibalistic
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...

, planning on feeding on the two boys. After probing the minds of Akio and Tom to study their interests and weaknesses, upon learning that Gamera is headed for Terra to retrieve the two boys, the Terran women soon learn of Gamera and his friendship to the children of Earth, as well as his battles on Earth (consisting of stock footage from Gyaos
Gamera vs. Gyaos
is a 1967 daikaiju eiga featuring the giant turtle Gamera by the Daiei Motion Picture Company. Gamera vs. Gyaos was released in the United States by AIP-TV as Return of the Giant Monsters, and later by Sandy Frank as Gamera vs. Gaos...

 and Viras
Gamera vs. Viras
is the fourth entry in the original Gamera film series.-Plot:A deadly alien force approaches earth. Gamera intervenes and destroys the alien vessel; but before the ship is destroyed, the aliens broadcast a warning to their world stating Gamera as their enemy....

.) Once receiving the info the boys know, the Terran women plan to feed on their brains in order to adapt to life on the Planet Earth. Back on the planet Earth, Tomoko is still unable to convince any of the adults (except the kindly but eccentric police officer, Kondo) of the boys' misadventure, as most adults believe that their children are nothing but liars. Tomoko slowly begins to lose hope.

On Terra, the boys are knocked unconscious by a sleeping formula put into donuts made by the Terran women. While they manage to shave Akio's head bald, Gamera
Gamera
is a giant, flying turtle from a popular series of kaiju films produced by Daiei Motion Picture Company in Japan. Created in 1965 to rival the success of Toho Studios' Godzilla during the daikaiju boom of the mid-to-late 1960s, Gamera has gained fame and notoriety as a Japanese icon in his own...

 soon lands on Terra in search of the boys and Guiron is sent to dispose of him. After a short battle, Guiron retreats to lick his battle wounds and Gamera is knocked unconscious and on his back in a lake. Shortly afterward, Tom wakes up and learns of the Terrans' evil plan and so he and Akio plan to escape, but are shortly found out by the women and taken as their prisoners. Back on Earth, Tomoko has gathered a group of scientists who believe her story of the Ship's appearance and so she take them to the site of where it was before.

While trying to escape from their imprisonment, Tom uses a toy pistol to activate the switch to release him and Akio, but unintentionally releases Guiron in the process. Now out of control, Guiron rampages through the abandoned city on Terra and attacks his owners as they try to flee towards Earth, slicing the spacecraft in half. One of the Terran women is injured, but shortly killed in cold blood by her partner. Guiron then attacks the base where the boys are imprisoned and attacks there too. During Guiron's rampage, Gamera awakens and resumes his battle against the monster on the surface of Terra. Eventually, Gamera manages to trap Guiron into the ground and renders his enormous knife-head useless. Finding a missile launch, the boys fire it as Guiron, slicing it in half, destroying the second Terran woman that escaped. Using the other half, Gamera defeats Guiron by jamming it into his head. With Guiron and the Terrans gone, Gamera takes Akio and Tom back to earth, where they are reunited with their families.

Guiron

Guiron is an alien monster who normally traverses on all fours, but can also assume a bipedal stance. He is an unusual looking creature, with tough gray skin, a small mouth, sleepy looking eyes and a low, groaning bellow. The most unusual feature Guiron's anatomy, however, is the gigantic blade that he sports on his head, which is nearly as long as his body.

Guiron is mostly a melee oriented kaiju, attacking opponents with his blade. Indeed, this blade is so sharp that it can even cut through Gamera
Gamera
is a giant, flying turtle from a popular series of kaiju films produced by Daiei Motion Picture Company in Japan. Created in 1965 to rival the success of Toho Studios' Godzilla during the daikaiju boom of the mid-to-late 1960s, Gamera has gained fame and notoriety as a Japanese icon in his own...

's shell. The blade also has a reflective surface that can send an enemy monsters's beam attacks back at its opponent. In addition, there is a circular indent on either side of the blade. Housed within are shuriken
Shuriken
A shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...

 that it can apparently launch with some kind of psychokinesis
Psychokinesis
The term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...

.

Guiron acted as the guard dog of two brain-eating space women, the last of a dead civilisation on the planet Terra. The aliens guided him with a mind control device. Guiron proved his combat prowess by effortlessly defeating Space Gyaos
Gyaos
, is the name of several daikaiju from Daiei's Gamera film series, introduced in their 1967 production Gamera vs. Gyaos and one of Gamera's most famous opponents...

, reflecting the flying creature's sonic beam and literally slicing it to pieces with his blade. Guiron later fought Gamera
Gamera
is a giant, flying turtle from a popular series of kaiju films produced by Daiei Motion Picture Company in Japan. Created in 1965 to rival the success of Toho Studios' Godzilla during the daikaiju boom of the mid-to-late 1960s, Gamera has gained fame and notoriety as a Japanese icon in his own...

, and nearly killed him. Gamera eventually managed to defeat Guiron by flipping him upside down (his blade stuck in the earth) then igniting a missile that had gotten stuck in his circular indents, blowing his head off and killing him.

2010 DVD Release

Shout! Factory released the film on DVD September 21, 2010 as a double feature with Gamera vs. Jiger
Gamera vs. Jiger
is a 1970 kaiju film by the Daiei Motion Picture Company. It is the sixth entry in the original Gamera series.-Plot:In Gamera vs. Jiger, Gamera has his hands full right from the very beginning. Japan is preparing for the 1970 World's Fair, to be held in Osaka. Construction of the various buildings...

. The films include the original Japanese dialogue with English subtitles. It also includes two different English dubs, the original AIP-TV English dub and the Sandy Frank dub (which was dubbed by Corporate Communications Ltd. in Hong Kong, who also dubbed all of Toho's Godzilla films from the 1970's and 80's)

Trivia

  • Space Gyaos
    Gyaos
    , is the name of several daikaiju from Daiei's Gamera film series, introduced in their 1967 production Gamera vs. Gyaos and one of Gamera's most famous opponents...

     was not to be featured in the film; a new 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....

     was , but due to time and budget limitations, the original Gyaos prop from Gamera vs. Gyaos
    Gamera vs. Gyaos
    is a 1967 daikaiju eiga featuring the giant turtle Gamera by the Daiei Motion Picture Company. Gamera vs. Gyaos was released in the United States by AIP-TV as Return of the Giant Monsters, and later by Sandy Frank as Gamera vs. Gaos...

    was simply painted silver.
  • In the AIP-TV US release, the scene where Space Gyaos is mutilated by Guiron was removed for its graphic content.

DVD releases

Alpha Video
  • Released: November 18, 2003
  • Note: Features the American version of the film, Attack of the Monsters.

Shout! Factory
  • Released: September 21, 2010
  • Note: Features the original Japanese version of the film with English Subtitles, English dubbing by AIP Productions
    American International Pictures
    American 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...

     and Sandy Frank Entertainment
    Sandy Frank
    Sandy Frank is an American television producer and international TV program distributor as well as a marketer of TV shows to US networks.-Early life and career:...

    , and a Publicity Gallery on Production Stills.

Mystery Science Theater 3000, Volume XXI

Mystery Science Theater 3000

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