1971's "Gamera vs. Zigra" was the last (no 7), and by far least, of Daiei's original Gamera series, eventually making the television rounds in the US over 15 years after the company went bankrupt (the other six all showed up on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater). With yet another batch of annoying children, and adults who behave just as badly, it's up to series veteran Reiko Kasahara to maintain intrigue, even if she has to run around in a fetching bikini! She had previously appeared in "Gamera vs. Gaos" (no. 3) and "Gamera vs. Guiron" (no. 5), the latter as one of the two alien women desiring to devour the children's brains (not that that could make them any smarter). Zigra is revealed as a kind of shark usually found in the deeper waters off Japan, but Gamera is just laughable. The previous color sequels, apart from "Gamera vs. Viras," had some merit, but this one has absolutely none, dumb characters coupled with dumber monsters.

Space aliens arrive on Earth with their giant shark Zigra. Of course, they plan on conquering our planet, so it's up to giant flying fire-breathing turtle Gamera to once again save the day. Director Noriaka Yuasa and writer Nisan Takahashi treat the story with admirable sincerity and toss in a valid and relevant anti-pollution message amid all the expected carnage. The cast likewise play their parts with praiseworthy conviction. The big climactic monster mash between Gamera and Zigra is staged with a reasonable amount of flair and hits the stirring spot, with the definite wacky highlight occurring when Gamera plays Zigra's back like a xylophone. The lovably rinky dink (far from) special effects -- rubbery monster suits, Tonka Toy miniatures -- possess a certain tacky charm. As a nice added bonus, we also get a hot mysterious Asian hitchhiker babe in a bikini. Plus you just gotta love the insanely catchy'n'groovy Gamera theme song! Both Akira Uehara's expansive widescreen cinematography and Shunsuke Kikuchi's robust score are up to par. A fun creature feature.

When the Earth is threatened by an aquatic, shark-looking alien named Zigra (and conveniently from the planet Zigra), it's up to Gamera (and two very annoying Japanese children) to save all of mankind.Gamera vs. Zigra is the bottom of the barrel when if comes to Japanese monster movies. Everything that makes Gamera so inferior to Godzilla is here: the annoying children, the ridiculous Gamera theme song, the ineffective defense force taking its lead from a 6 year-old, a woman in a mini-skirt chasing kids through Sea World, Kenny (Is there always a kid named "Kenny" in one of these movies?), and the worst looking monsters put on film. I realize these movies were aimed at a much younger audience (remember, "Gamera is the friend of all children!"), but do they have to be so stupid? I'm afraid my head might explode if I think about it too much. I could go on and on, but I'll limit this to two surreal moments that are so silly they almost defy description.First, with the entire planet facing the threat of being conquered by Zigra and Tokyo preparing for a magnitude 18 (whatever that means) earthquake, an argument over fish takes center stage for better than 5 minutes of the movie's runtime. The man responsible for feeding the dolphins at the Tokyo Sea World and the manager of a swanky hotel get into a heated argument with a fishmonger over a crate of fish. Mankind is on the verge of extinction and all these people seem to be worried about is fish. As I indicated, I really can't do it justice. You'd have to see it to believe it.Second, having just defeated Zigra (not really a spoiler – did you think Gamera was going to lose?), Gamera uses Zigra like a xylophone to pound out a tune. Yes, that's right – Gamera uses a club on Zigra's dorsal fin to play the first few notes of his theme song. And if that weren't ridiculous enough, Gamera follows it up with a few dance steps. This is surely one of the proudest moments in Japanese film history.See what I mean? My head hurts just thinking about it.

Possibly one of the earliest attempts at cinematic product placement.Ahh, Gamera. Zigra. Giant Turtle. Giant Fish. Fire. Hypnosis beams. I guess the pleasure from these classic japanese monster films is watching a world, or mostly Japan, where giant mutant monsters exist, children know much much more than the adults, and cities are crushed as easily as cheesy models...oh wait, they are models. Anyway, UFO comes to Japan. The main brats Kenny and Helen (will someone get her a coke already!!) go on zany trying to prevent Zigra and his scantily clad henchwoman (VA-VOOM!) from trying to take over earth. The Zigra woman has the ability to hypnotize people with a simple snap and she must follow Zigra's orders to kill the children who mysteriously manage to survive again and again (duh). People yell AH!!, Gamera shows up, Zigra blows stuff up, a lot of paint...uh blood is spilled, I think there were dolphins, and lots of subplots to keep virtually anyone watching perplexed. Also, the diabolically catchy Gamera song is sung here. Add this all up for a huge laughs and best seen with Joel and da bots (HEY, THAT'S US!!).