Review of Gappa the Triphibian Monster

Unfortunately, I'm not an expert in the flamboyant Japanese monster-cinema (I haven't seen Godzilla or any of its 30 sequels) but what I can say is that this "Monster from a Prehistoric Planet" is priceless entertainment! The "monster" is in fact an exaggeratedly over-sized crossover between a hummingbird and a lizard while the "prehistoric planet" is nothing but a remote island in the South Pacific. A Japanese theme park tycoon sends out an expedition with the order to bring back rare animal species for his park and what the crew discovers is a baby "Gappa". The aboriginals of this island worship these poultries like true deities and warn that the smart scientists that vengeance will come down upon them in case they separate the baby from its parents. Of course they don't listen and shortly after Tokyo is attacked by mad-raving mom and dad Gappa. The amusement in this film entirely lies in the fact that the makers are completely incapable of translating their grotesque ambitions in realizable effects and story lines. The Gappas – that are supposed to represent the ultimate in terror – are laughable and, in a way, they look very cute. When they spread their wings to fly, they make the exact same noise as jet engines and when they swim they sound like U-boats! Also, I suspect the special effects guys (if there were any) didn't know themselves exactly how big these critters were supposed to be. One sequence, they appear to be bigger than 30-storey-scycrapers while they look only slightly larger than humans the next sequence. From their mouths spout a flashy sort of substance that sets half of Tokyo on fire and they trample the other half. This simply is great fun! The acting is abominable and every character is stereotypical. Especially the rich businessman who refuses to give up his discovery no matter what. The cardboard sets and toy-scenery (the tanks and jet are matchbox-machines!!) even increase the anti-brilliance of this production and make it a true must for the fans of B-cinema. "Monster from a Prehistoric Planet" is a 50's gem…only it was made in the 60's! Highly recommended to the exclusive group of this cinema-type's fans and better avoided by sour people.