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Gamera: Super Monster
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| name = Gamera: Super Monster
| image = Gamerasupermonsterposter.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Noriaki Yuasa
| producer =
| screenplay = Niisan Takahashi
| starring = Mach Fumiake
Yaeko Kojima
Yoko Komatsu
Keiko Kudo
Koichi Maeda
Toshie Takada
| music = Shunsuke Kikuchi
| cinematography =
| editing = Zenko Miyazaki
Tatsuji Nakashizu
Shoji Sekiguchi
| studio = Daiei Film
| distributor = New Daiei
| released =
| runtime = 92 minutes
| country = Japan
| language =
| budget =
}}
is a 1980 Japanese 'kaiju' film directed by Noriaki Yuasa and produced by Daiei Film. It is the eighth film in the 'Gamera' film series, following the release of 'Gamera vs. Zigra' in 1971.
'Gamera: Super Monster' was distributed by New Daiei, and was released theatrically in Japan on 20 March 1980. It was followed by 'Gamera: Guardian of the Universe' in 1995, which would mark the beginning of the franchise's Heisei period.
Plot
When the evil alien Zanon comes to enslave Earth, all hope seems lost. The Earth's resident superheroes, the Spacewomen, are powerless to stop him. They must enlist the help of a young boy who has a special connection with the giant turtle Gamera. The Friend of All Children then battles Gyaos (a huge vampire bat/pterosaur hybrid), Zigra (an alien shark), Viras (an alien squid), Jiger (a female giant prehistoric dinosaur), Guiron (a knife-headed alien monster) and finally Barugon (an enormous lizard whose tongue sprays a freeze-gas that can freeze things solid and whose back spines emit a powerful rainbow ray that can melt or dissolve any solid object). Gamera sacrifices his life in the end to destroy Zanon once and for all and to protect Earth one last time.
Cast
Production
'Gamera: Super Monster' contains extensive stock footage of the entire 'Gamera' film series, as well as 'Space Battleship Yamato' and 'Galaxy Express 999'. Almost all of the footage of Gamera is stock footage. The movie was made as an attempt to help Daiei get out of its turbulent financial situation.
Release
'Gamera: Super Monster' was released theatrically in Japan on March 20, 1980, where it was distributed by New Daiei.
Home media
'Elvira's Movie Macabre'
The movie was featured on a 1983 episode of 'Elvira's Movie Macabre', which Shout! Factory released on a DVD in 2007 together with the 1967 British film 'They Came from Beyond Space'. The two films can each be watched with or without the Elvira host segments.[http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/30469/elviras-movie-macabre-gamera-super-monster-they-came-from-beyond-space/ Elvira's Movie Macabre: Gamera, Super Monster/They Came from Beyond Space : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video][http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/gamerabeyondpsace.php DVD Verdict Review - Elvira's Movie Macabre: Gamera, Super Monsters / They Came From Beyond Space]'Cinema Insomnia'
In 2007, 'Gamera: Super Monster' was shown on the horror hosted television series 'Cinema Insomnia'. Apprehensive Films later released the 'Cinema Insomnia' episode onto DVD in both regular and special "Slime Line" editions.Shout! Factory release
Shout! Factory acquired the rights from Kadokawa Pictures for all eight of the Showa era 'Gamera' films and have issued the uncut Japanese versions on DVD for the first time in North America. These "Special Edition" DVDs were released in sequential order, starting with 'Gamera, the Giant Monster' (1965) on May 18, 2010.[http://augustragone.blogspot.com/2010/02/colossal-chelonian-lives-shout-factory.html The Colossal Chelonian Lives! Shout! Factory Unleashes GAMERA on DVD!]Notes
References
Sources
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