Gamera vs. Barugon (1966)

 "If you doubt that, then you doubt the gods!"

I love how Kaiju films always showcase the charming Japanese habits of always giving names to the massive radioactive monsters that periodically lay waste to their bigger cities:

"Oh no! It's Bob the flame-emitting tyrannosaurus rex!"

"But look! Here comes Kevin the laser beam-equipped triceratops!"

It's taken me a while to get to this second film in the franchise, but this is such a gloriously silly B movie, and is giving me the impression that the Godzilla films will end up looking positively serious by comparison and I, for one, have zero problem with this. Well, beyond a bit of a wince at the Japanese extras in blackface in the Papua New Guinea scenes- it was a very different time. And the fact that one of the main characters is a Japanese veteran of the Second World War, no doubt up to no good.

The opening bit is delightfully bonkers. Gamera is sent straight back to Earth (to Japan- what were the chances?) by a random meteorite. We then turn to a bizarre exploration plot where a load of men go on a quest for an opal which, delightfully, turns out to be an egg which hatches into Barugon, with added radiation. And Barugon has the power to, er, emit rainbows of doom. Yes, really.

We get lots of great retro effects as the two monsters fight, cause destruction and all the usual stuff. The obvious model tanks that are de rigeur for the genre are very much present and correct. And we have all sorts of splendidly bonkers plans to destroy Barugon before, inevitably, it's Gamera to the rescue.

If you're in the mood to switch your brain off for ninety odd minutes then this is a particularly fun way to do it. Top B movie hi-jinks.