Gamera Vs. Barugon

Released by: Shout! Factory
Released on: July 6, 2010.
Director: Shigeo Tanaka
Cast: Kojiro Hongo, Kyoko Enami, Akira Natsuki, Koji Fujiyama, Yuzo Hayakawa
Year: 1966
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The Movie:Bigger, bolder, braver and brasher than the first black and white Gamera film, this first (of many) sequels, Gamera Vs. Barugon, is one of the best of the series and the first appearance of everyone's favorite giant flying space turtle to be shot in full color. When the film begins, Gamera has been freed from the Z Plan Capsule that we was trapped in at the end of the first film. He's not really too happy about what happened to him so he takes out his anger on a dam that he finds when he returns to Earth. Destruction on an epic scale ensues in a fantastic opening sequence and we're off and running.

Meanwhile, miles and miles away, an expedition of explorer types obtain a magical opal hidden away deep in a cave in New Guinea which, when exposed to radiation, brings about the birth of the giant monster Barugon. Anyone who knows anything about giant monsters knows that they always wake up on the wrong side of bed and Barugon is no exception as he wastes no time in laying waste to a seaside installation and surrounding town leaving a trail of destroyed buildings and chaos in his path. From there, Barugon decides to use his ice breath to freeze a bunch of buildings and cities. When Gamera shows up, the monsters must battle it out but when Barugon freezes Gamera, it'll be up to some of our heroes from the New Guinea expedition - namely, Keisuke Hirata (Kojiro Honga - who would turn up in future installments in the series and also prove his monster movie metal by popping up in a Daimajin film) and Karen (Kyoko Enami) - to figure out how to send Barugon back to whence he came before the monster brings about a new ice age.

Faster paced than its predecessor and featuring considerably more monster on monster action and scenes of total destruction, Gamera Vs. Barugon is pretty great stuff. The first film hit it big at the box office and so more money and more studio resources were thrown at this sequel to ensure that lightning would in fact strike twice. It worked. The picture really benefits from the color photography and improved (and more plentiful) effects and miniature work. Barugon himself is a pretty creative beast, with a bizarre tongue that protrudes from his mouth and emits the aforementioned ice ray, not to mention his equally unusual penchant for shooting a rainbow laser out of his back. Gamera, as we already know, can spin really fast, fly, and shoot fire out of his mouth. The effects work on the film was handled by the director of the original film, Noriaki Yuasa, so they 'fit' really well with what was established in the regard by the first film, while the directorial efforts on this second picture were handled by Shigeo Tanaka.

The film was recut and dubbed for American television audiences by AIP under the alternate title of War Of The Monsters. That version of the film hasn't been included with the Shout! Factory release, so you'll want to hang on to those lousy grey market/public domain releases that have been floating around for years if you're a completist.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Shout! Factory presents Gamera Vs. Barugon on DVD in a good 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen color transfer. Properly flagged for progressive scan playback, this transfer mops the floor with the lousy fullframe transfer that Alpha and a few other 'public domain' outfits offered up of the American version. The image here is very clean, with some noticeable grain but no real heavy-duty print damage to complain about. Contrast levels are solid, with deep blacks and color reproduction looks appropriately bold and garish - just as it should. There aren't any obvious compression artifacts nor is there any pesky edge enhancement. Gamera fans should be quite happy with the way that the film looks on this DVD, which was mastered from a brand new high definition transfer taken from original vault elements (or so says the packaging!).

The Japanese language Dolby Digital Mono track, which comes with optional subtitles in English only, sounds crisp and clear. Range is obviously limited, this is an older mono track after all, but the levels are well balanced and there are no problems with hiss or distortion to note.

The best of the extra features on this disc is a commentary track from August Ragone, the author of Eiji Tsuburaya: Master Of Monsters, who quite obviously knows his stuff. He's joined Jason Varney and the two make a good team. They do a fine job of detailing the background of this picture, explaining how the various cast members came on board the project and discussing the sets and effects. They do a good job of putting certain scenes into a cultural context and also detail some of the circumstances surrounding this, the first of many sequels to the original classic film. They talk about some of the differences between the screenplay and what's been filmed, talk about the influence of other films on this one, and elaborate on various character motivations while noting how the bigger budget that Kadokawa Pictures allotted for this film really helps with the production values and effects. It's a pretty enlightening discussion that doesn't take the content so seriously that it becomes dry but does take it seriously enough that it remains an interesting listen.

Rounding out the extras on the disc are a three still galleries - Original Movie Program, a Publicity Gallery of cool one sheets and promo materials, and a Photo Gallery. There's no trailer here this time around. Menus and chapter selection are also included on the disc.
Inside the keepcase is a twelve page full color booklet containing a reproduction of the film's original Japanese theatrical poster art, an essay from actor Kojiro Hongo on his experiences working on this picture, some character profiles for the feature, disc credits, and maybe best of all, an illustrated guide to Barugon's anatomy (which is replicated on the flip side of the reversible cover)!

The Final Word:

A fun sequel loaded to the tits with monster on monster mayhem, Gamera Vs. Barugon is big blast of kaiju madness with plenty of chaos and destruction and some great rubber suit and miniature effects work. Shout! Factory's North American DVD debut of the original Japanese version is a good one, with a strong transfer and good audio. If there aren't as many extras this time around as there were on the release for the first film, the commentary helps make up for that. All in all, a pretty solid release.