Mystery Science Theater 3000: GAMERA VS. ZIGRA

August 5, 2015 5:40 PM - Season 3, Episode 16

AKA Gamera tai Shinkai kaiju Jigura The evil alien Zigra comes to Earth in his glowing, flying bowl of Trix, and enacts his fiendish plan: to mind control people in such a way that just shouting in their ear will break the spell, and also to fight with Gamera. It doesn't go well for the intrepid shark monster. The last of the five Gamera movies MST would do, and eighth of the nine Sandy Frank films they would cover on cable. Classic "Shōwa era" Gamera would appear in three other movies in Japan: Gamera vs. Viras, Gamera vs. Jiger and the finale Gamera: Super Monster, which was mostly clips from prior movies, and in which they kill the giant turtle off. Gamera would return for four more movies in the "Heisei era," the last coming out in 2005. YouTube (1h37m) Here's the KTMA version (1h35m).

Comedy Central (316):
MST3K Wikia - Roman's MST3K Review - Mighty Jack's MST3K Review

KTMA (K07):
This KTMA episode was the introduction of the Mad Scientist characters.
Satellite News - MST3K Wikia - Mighty Jack's MST3K Review

The Movie:
Daddy-O
IMDB (3.0 stars)
"Space aliens arrive on Earth with their giant shark and intend to take over the planet but they must first destroy Gamera."
Directed by Noriaki Yuasa. Written by Niisan Takahashi. Starring Koji Fujiyama, Daigo Inoue and Reiko Kasahara.

posted by JHarris (8 comments total)

The "official" MST3K Club showing will be the same time as usual, 9 PM Eastern time at http://sync-video.com/tv/rodneylives.

If you're new to the showings, here is our FAQ.
posted by JHarris at 7:54 AM on August 6, 2015

I am kinda sad that this will be the last time I can make the MetaMetaJoke: "WE HAVE GAMERAS".

But even The Web's Wil Wheaton is into the Great Gamera and the Gamera Song. I think you should just play this on loop during the MST3K 'pre-roll' time, but then, I AM more evil than Dr. Forrester.

Speaking of which, last weekend Trace Beaulieu was a Guest of Honor at GenCon. And he's currently part of a webseries that's getting Kickstarted titled "Vermin". Apparently he plays a Mad Scientist and works with puppets. (Well, it better than going back to writing for America's Funniest Videos)
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:14 PM on August 6, 2015 [2 favorites]

I'm worried that the GOP Comedy Festival will be occurring the same time as MST3K Club. I'm trying to ignore it, I don't want my Gamera riffing to be polluted by Trump (or even Bobby Jindal) jokes.
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:59 PM on August 6, 2015 [1 favorite]

I'll be honest. I'm fucking sick of Gamera.
posted by valkane at 5:08 PM on August 6, 2015 [1 favorite]

But he is full of turtle meat!
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:17 PM on August 6, 2015 [1 favorite]

You know who isn't a friend to children everywhere? The GOP, that's who. I made a huge mistake; see you next week.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:09 AM on August 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

valkane, I figure there has to be a reason there were three Gamera movies at the time the Brains didn't touch. I think they were sick of them too. Well rejoice, we're out of the saber-toothed, fire breathing, hard-shelled spinning flying forest.

Experience awards: 9,100 XP for this movie (it was challenging, with entirely pointless subplots that don't go anywhere or pay off in any way). If you managed to survive all five Gamera movies, that's worth a 26,000 XP "quest award."

Next week is 317 VIKING WOMEN AND THE SEA SERPENT. Or, as some sites that are more sticklers for reproducing the title exactly as it appears in the movie call it, "The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent," even longer than 812 THE INCREDIBLY STRANGE CREATURES WHO STOPPED LIVING AND BECAME MIXED-UP ZOMBIES.
posted by JHarris at 9:18 AM on August 7, 2015

Ah, so that's where you were Room 641-A. There were some good moments in the movie, the mentioned glowing flying bowl of Trix is a favorite, as well as Zigra patiently explaining to his hot young minion mutiple times that YOU MUST FIND THE CHILDREN, AND KILL THEM. BUT ONLY THOSE TWO. BECAUSE.... and the girl is all Feyd-Rautha I WILL KILL THEM!! And those subplots (especially the one about the two guys arguing which of them deserves to buy a load of fish more, a hotel manager or a marine park dolphin feeder) are kinda fun, although they start to push it into Mighty Jack territory maybe.
posted by JHarris at 9:23 AM on August 7, 2015