Just wanted to comment on some of the other statements made by people on this board. First,yes the special effects do not look like todays..but I for one like the pre-CGI effects. The special effects people had to be much more inventive and creative in the pre CGI days. This movie doesn't have the great effects of some of the old monster movies such as the Ray Harryhausen(which are better than any CGI in my opinion)features and the Godzilla films,but it still makes pretty good use of miniature sets. Great movie for young kids or us older people who still remember what it was like watching these films as a child. I love watching these movies for nostalgic purposes as well. Sure it can be cheesy to some..but if you watch these films in the context that they were meant to be viewed..they can be very entertaining and enjoyable.
58 Reviews
I've seen it after more than 30 years
wag-311 December 2004
I was visiting this movie approximately in 1972, when communist allow us to see two or three Japanese "sci-fi" movies. In that time it has been for me something new, I've been a small boy, but I feel it is not good. But it has been from my lovely sci-fi section and now I bought a DVD and look at it with pleasure. There is so much mistakes... For example the rocket propulsion of that giant lizards, the fire from their mouths when they destroyed all military technology - tanks and aircraft, their bullet, bomb and rocket proof skin. The monsters can fly, walk and float under see, just one problem they have - they don't like high-frequency sound, so army can thrust their from the lake under Fuji. On the island, where from are the monsters are living the natives which are waiting tens generations for Japanese liberators, but almost all know the Japanese language! The end is beautiful and very sentimental - first and last time you can see a giant monster to cry:-)
Not Nearly as Bad as it Could Have Been
masercot7 February 2005
My youngest picked this one out...after a couple of weeks of sitting through subtitled movies that he couldn't read through fast enough...
He said, "Dad, I want a monster movie that will make me laugh" and laugh my seven year old did. It was a cute movie with a cute trio of monsters. Couple that with a high-powered business man who flies off the handle for absolutely no reason and you've got Japanese monster GOLD, baby! Look for the same special effects as in the early Godzilla movies and the same dead subplots...but, the quality of this picture makes it fun to watch and make fun of...for example, they are inside a cave...where does the light come from? The "night" shots obviously shot in broad noon with a filter. Hilarious!
He said, "Dad, I want a monster movie that will make me laugh" and laugh my seven year old did. It was a cute movie with a cute trio of monsters. Couple that with a high-powered business man who flies off the handle for absolutely no reason and you've got Japanese monster GOLD, baby! Look for the same special effects as in the early Godzilla movies and the same dead subplots...but, the quality of this picture makes it fun to watch and make fun of...for example, they are inside a cave...where does the light come from? The "night" shots obviously shot in broad noon with a filter. Hilarious!
Monster from a Prehistoric Planet (Haruyasu Noguchi -Japan 1967)
Camera-Obscura13 January 2007
A group of intrepid explorers is sent on an expedition to find exotic animals (and people) for a new theme park to be built by a magazine tycoon who also happens to publishes Playmate Magazine. Soon, the group lands on an island in the South Pacific, where they discover an isolated tribe of natives who worship a mysterious God named Gappa. When the land is ruptured by an earthquake, the explorers come upon a cavern containing a reptilian egg. They take it back to a Japanese research center, where the creature hatches and is studied by a group of not too bright scientists. Unfortunately, the parental Gappas show up to claim their newborn lizard, trashing most of Tokyo in the process.
I had a great time watching this piece of nonsense. Just about everything in this film is a complete riot. After a somewhat slow first half, the action is almost non-stop and there's plenty of stupendous dialog to keep you entertained. The production values consist mostly of hilariously cheap-looking scale models, the story and the acting are ridiculous and most of the characters are empty-headed idiots, especially for a group of scientists. The monster, Gappa, is a kind of bird-lizard, basically a ridiculous looking over-sized chicken. When it flies, it sounds like an airplane, but that's probably the result of a slip-up in the sound effects, because the creature gets attacked by fighter planes a couple of times.
Made by the Nikkatsu Studios to make a late cash-in on the success of Godzilla- and many other monster movies and - what I understand - it was also meant as a kind of satire on the monster movie craze. Well, that aspect of the film was a bit lost on me, or probably got lost in time or translation, but then, I'm hardly an expert on Japanese old-school kaiju-flicks.
Camera Obscura --- 6/10
I had a great time watching this piece of nonsense. Just about everything in this film is a complete riot. After a somewhat slow first half, the action is almost non-stop and there's plenty of stupendous dialog to keep you entertained. The production values consist mostly of hilariously cheap-looking scale models, the story and the acting are ridiculous and most of the characters are empty-headed idiots, especially for a group of scientists. The monster, Gappa, is a kind of bird-lizard, basically a ridiculous looking over-sized chicken. When it flies, it sounds like an airplane, but that's probably the result of a slip-up in the sound effects, because the creature gets attacked by fighter planes a couple of times.
Made by the Nikkatsu Studios to make a late cash-in on the success of Godzilla- and many other monster movies and - what I understand - it was also meant as a kind of satire on the monster movie craze. Well, that aspect of the film was a bit lost on me, or probably got lost in time or translation, but then, I'm hardly an expert on Japanese old-school kaiju-flicks.
Camera Obscura --- 6/10
Nikkatsu Studio's attempt at a "Kaijyu" movie
ebiros223 April 2011
Nikkatsu Studio was one of the six largest movie studio in Japan at the time this movie was made, but due to the proliferation of TV sets, Japanese movie industry was in a steady economic decline. Kaijyu or giant monster movies were about the only franchise that were still making good money, and Nikkatsu made an attempt to jump in to this genre with this movie.
A Japanese expedition to the south pacific island unwittingly stumble onto a newly hatched baby triphibian reptile which the natives call "Gappa", and brings it back to Japan. A greedy publishing magnate, and an amusement park promoter notices a good thing when he sees one and decides to display the baby at his park. This didn't sit well with the parents of the baby reptile, and they show up in Japan to claim their kid. Rest is stereotypical giant monster mayhem.
This movie as far as I know is the only movie that features a complete family of giant monsters or "Kaijyu" ever to be shown together. It's also a first Triphibian monster that can walk, breathe underwater, and fly. The story is bit derivative where I can see little pieces off of Gorgo, Mothra, Godzilla, King Kong etc. and not very original, but the special effects in this movie is surprisingly good for a studio's first attempt. Gappa is not just an mindless monster, but actually seems to have intelligence behind their actions. This lowers the tension of the monster's character as an engine of destruction, and the movie carries on with bit of a bore, but the overall production is good, and ranks as an average giant monster movie. You get to see a very young Yoko Yamamoto playing the star in this movie. She's still acting after nearly 50 years since this movie was made, and amazingly, still beautiful in her roles.
A Japanese expedition to the south pacific island unwittingly stumble onto a newly hatched baby triphibian reptile which the natives call "Gappa", and brings it back to Japan. A greedy publishing magnate, and an amusement park promoter notices a good thing when he sees one and decides to display the baby at his park. This didn't sit well with the parents of the baby reptile, and they show up in Japan to claim their kid. Rest is stereotypical giant monster mayhem.
This movie as far as I know is the only movie that features a complete family of giant monsters or "Kaijyu" ever to be shown together. It's also a first Triphibian monster that can walk, breathe underwater, and fly. The story is bit derivative where I can see little pieces off of Gorgo, Mothra, Godzilla, King Kong etc. and not very original, but the special effects in this movie is surprisingly good for a studio's first attempt. Gappa is not just an mindless monster, but actually seems to have intelligence behind their actions. This lowers the tension of the monster's character as an engine of destruction, and the movie carries on with bit of a bore, but the overall production is good, and ranks as an average giant monster movie. You get to see a very young Yoko Yamamoto playing the star in this movie. She's still acting after nearly 50 years since this movie was made, and amazingly, still beautiful in her roles.
gappa
kairingler3 July 2013
if you can get by the dubbing, and the sometimes missing of the translation of what was really meant to be said by the actors , then yeah this isn't really a bad movie at all, course i'm bias I love virtually all monster movies,, whether American , or Japanese. thought it was so ignorant of the man in charge for most of the movie not to return the "baby" gappa , meanwhile the mommy and daddy move closer towards Tokyo,, you will have to watch and see for yourself what happens next.. sure this isn't king kong or Godzilla but hey this really isn't a bad movie to watch. you just have to bear with it and try to follow along as best as you can that's all.
Hilariously over-sized Japanese fowl.
Coventry7 January 2005
Warning: Spoilers
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.
Funny enough
unbrokenmetal27 July 2007
Ignoring the warnings of natives that Gappa will punish them, an expedition takes a strange reptile which just hatched from a huge egg back home to Japan with them. It grows until it's a proper monster, and then its enraged parents come around to trash cities like Godzilla on a mild day, stepping slowly and carefully on buildings. I think it is the poor special FX that are good for laughs in the first place, not the intentional ingredients such as the script. Even though an inspiration by good old "King Kong" is obvious, "Gappa" tries to be somewhat original since it tells the story of a monster family instead of rivaling creatures. The naive scene of daddy giving junior a first flight lesson sticks to my mind. Bad? Yes! But funny enough not to regret the time I spent watching it.
More Giant Chickens.
gazzo-25 February 2000
Well, I pulled a double shot here, seeing a friend's 'X from Outer Space' first(Aaaarrrgghhh!!!) and then This. Great, THREE giant chickens instead of just the one. This did have more of a budget, but then that's like saying Cannon Films basic 80s work was better than USA network TV movies because Cannon had a bigger budget too. But whatever you wanna spend on it, dreck is still Dreck.
Here they trot out the old King Kong plotline, going to a jungle island, disturb the natives, steal a monster, bring it back to be a Zoo attraction, get the parent monsters mad and on the war path, lots of destruction and etc ensue. Here you have all the cliches-bad miniature tanks, so-so city sets being trashed and stomped on by guys in giant Chicken rubber suits, platic acting and worse dubbing, some weird comedy relief, some of it unintentional, and strange Monster sound FX that seem to be a cross between a lion with constipation and an over zealous pack of coyotes...What can I say? The FX were somewhat better than what you see in X from Outer Space, but not by too too much-plus instead of looking like big Guinea Hens, these have more of a Sam the Eagle from the Muppets look.
However you wanna describe it-its still a poor 1967 rubber suited monster movie. See one of these and you see them all, seems to me.
Nothing of note happens in this that you haven't seen before, save that the two parent Gappas get reunited with their kid and flap off to their little Obelisk Island at the end, the sunsets, the strings swell up and the characters muse about respecting Nature and etc. better next time. Gee where have we seen THAT before...
I will give this one ** outta ****, one for each Gappa-but don't be fooled, it's not any better than X from Outer Space save they spent a little more $$ on the bad F/X and rubber suits this time around.
Godzilla much better.
Here they trot out the old King Kong plotline, going to a jungle island, disturb the natives, steal a monster, bring it back to be a Zoo attraction, get the parent monsters mad and on the war path, lots of destruction and etc ensue. Here you have all the cliches-bad miniature tanks, so-so city sets being trashed and stomped on by guys in giant Chicken rubber suits, platic acting and worse dubbing, some weird comedy relief, some of it unintentional, and strange Monster sound FX that seem to be a cross between a lion with constipation and an over zealous pack of coyotes...What can I say? The FX were somewhat better than what you see in X from Outer Space, but not by too too much-plus instead of looking like big Guinea Hens, these have more of a Sam the Eagle from the Muppets look.
However you wanna describe it-its still a poor 1967 rubber suited monster movie. See one of these and you see them all, seems to me.
Nothing of note happens in this that you haven't seen before, save that the two parent Gappas get reunited with their kid and flap off to their little Obelisk Island at the end, the sunsets, the strings swell up and the characters muse about respecting Nature and etc. better next time. Gee where have we seen THAT before...
I will give this one ** outta ****, one for each Gappa-but don't be fooled, it's not any better than X from Outer Space save they spent a little more $$ on the bad F/X and rubber suits this time around.
Godzilla much better.
Good production, intended as satire.
scifiguy-229 May 2000
If the plot seems a bit derivative, it was meant to. This was Nikkatsu studios first and only monster flick. It was produced strictly to cash-in at the height of the genre. The writers knew it had all been done before, so they took those cliches, and satirized them. Like the greedy entrepreneur, responsible for drawing the monster's parents to look for their baby. I like the extra touches, like the mother carrying an octopus in her mouth, (while stomping buildings) to feed her young. The effect scenes were shot at Eiji Tsuburaya's newly formed independent studio, which was producing the first UltraMan series at the time. Surprisingly, this film holds up very well, passing the test of time. Besides, these monsters show up only in one film. How many kaiju can you say that about ? This is also one of the few Japanese movies commercially available on video, widescreen and subtitled. Two appendages up !!!
Bad Godzilla ripoff
Vampenguin14 April 2006
The old Godzilla movies are by no means a great example of cinema, and this late-60's ripoff is even worse. The story is tired and overused, about a group of scientists and reporters that bring a baby monster back to Japan, and the parents arrive to wreak havoc. Perhaps a subtitled version may have been better, but the dubbing on this version was hilarious. Some of the lines, especially those by "the Publisher" were completely off-track from the facial expressions, which provided plenty of laughs. The monsters looked typical for the era, which is a kinder way of saying that they looked awful. The inevitable destruction of Tokyo seemed to drag on forever, to the point where I found myself fast forwarding through it. Bottom line...avoid it.
3/10
3/10
Satire, you say?
wierzbowskisteedman1 July 2006
Move over Dr Strangelove; "Monster from a Prehistoric Planet" is the new satire in town. Okay, maybe my sarcasm is unjustified, Japanese satire is either too high brow for me or gets completely lost in translation. And its perfectly easy to loose anything in the atrocious dubbing kaiju films get plastered with.
If I'm kind I have to call it a parody of King Kong; as the film deals with an expedition force, who are trying to find exotic animals for a new theme park, stumbling across a mysterious island where the indigenous tribe (who look strangely similar to Japanese with coal on their faces) worship a god called Gappa. The expedition take a baby Gappa back to Japan, with the parents in hot pursuit. Cue the miniatures.
With the hideously handled love side story and the hilariously sentimental finale, I can only assume that this film was intended as tongue in cheek fare, and the satire label certainly confirms this. This aside however, the film is terrific by the standards of the time, with incredible amounts of destruction and very little time to breathe in between. Whether I'm missing the supposed hard-hitting social satire I don't really care; "Monster from a Prehistoric Planet" is a wonderfully extravagant example of monster films done properly, with a plot that doesn't dither amount and action that moves back to Japan pretty swiftly and doesn't let up from then on. The clichés are all over the place but this is hardly an issue, intentional or otherwise. Certainly, a kaiju film trying its hand at satire would be expected to be about as subtle as a ton of bricks, and with this in mind the film could have turned out a hell of a lot worse.
(To the elite, "Monster from a Prehistoric Planet" has a special appeal. The Gappas are the very same monsters that menaced Kryten and Rimmer on wax world in series 4 of Red Dwarf; and as Kryten observed, you've probably seen more convincing dinosaurs in a packet of "wheatie flakes")
If I'm kind I have to call it a parody of King Kong; as the film deals with an expedition force, who are trying to find exotic animals for a new theme park, stumbling across a mysterious island where the indigenous tribe (who look strangely similar to Japanese with coal on their faces) worship a god called Gappa. The expedition take a baby Gappa back to Japan, with the parents in hot pursuit. Cue the miniatures.
With the hideously handled love side story and the hilariously sentimental finale, I can only assume that this film was intended as tongue in cheek fare, and the satire label certainly confirms this. This aside however, the film is terrific by the standards of the time, with incredible amounts of destruction and very little time to breathe in between. Whether I'm missing the supposed hard-hitting social satire I don't really care; "Monster from a Prehistoric Planet" is a wonderfully extravagant example of monster films done properly, with a plot that doesn't dither amount and action that moves back to Japan pretty swiftly and doesn't let up from then on. The clichés are all over the place but this is hardly an issue, intentional or otherwise. Certainly, a kaiju film trying its hand at satire would be expected to be about as subtle as a ton of bricks, and with this in mind the film could have turned out a hell of a lot worse.
(To the elite, "Monster from a Prehistoric Planet" has a special appeal. The Gappas are the very same monsters that menaced Kryten and Rimmer on wax world in series 4 of Red Dwarf; and as Kryten observed, you've probably seen more convincing dinosaurs in a packet of "wheatie flakes")
Able to destroy major tourist traps with the speed (and tongue!) of lightning!
mark.waltz4 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Basically a man in a costume of a bird's head with Godzilla's torso (and given the added danger of being able to fly), these two creatures escape a volcanic tropical island and head to a traveler's paradise that developers have worked to create an exotic tourist getaway. They have the ability to expel electric lightening like rays from their body, resulting in the ability to take down all of the war planes attacking them. Cardboard buildings easily collapse, geisha performances are rudely interrupted by the patter of large feet, and volcanos are erupting with the aide of their electric breath.
This is no better or worse than the dozens of other Godzilla rip-offs, and is aided in benefit by the presence of a baby Gabba (the monster's fictional species), as well as the tropical paradise where cannibalistic idol worshipers consider the Gabba their God. It's entertaining hokum where various minor subplots don't get in the way, aided by the endearing silliness of how these creatures look and behave. A Japanese kid in ridiculously dark makeup is the key to destroying the two larger creatures, and he manages to be cute without being cloying.
This is no better or worse than the dozens of other Godzilla rip-offs, and is aided in benefit by the presence of a baby Gabba (the monster's fictional species), as well as the tropical paradise where cannibalistic idol worshipers consider the Gabba their God. It's entertaining hokum where various minor subplots don't get in the way, aided by the endearing silliness of how these creatures look and behave. A Japanese kid in ridiculously dark makeup is the key to destroying the two larger creatures, and he manages to be cute without being cloying.
OK semi-remake of Gorgo{1961},good monster fun for fans of the more juvenile Godzilla movies
DrLenera16 March 2005
If you like the Japanese Godzilla movies of the 60s and {especially}the 70s made by Toho Studios, than you're probably like this effort, a not totally successful but fun attempt by Shockiku Studios to get in on the act.
King Kong obviously inspired the early section of the film,but oddly enough the film mostly bases it's plot on the British 1961 monster movie Gorgo {itself a Godzilla imitation},with a baby monster captured by humans and it's angry parent wrecking havoc to get him back. However,unlike Gorgo's one vengeful parent,here we have both mum and dad monsters attacking poor Japan {one wonders why anyone still bothers to live there in these films,since it's always being destroyed by giant monster year after year}.
The film lacks the polish of the Toho films,with the miniatures lacking in detail and some rather drab photography and poor editing. Music is mediocre although the two songs {only in the subtitled version}are memorable for the wrong reasons. However,the family Gappa are uniquely weird monsters,the action is pretty continuous after the first half an hour and the final reunion scene involving the monsters is touching. There are some amusing touches which gently mock the genre. Feminists be warned though-the end scene where the human heroine realises her role in life will probably offend you greatly!
Hardly a classic of monster movies but silly and entertaining anyway. A good one to introduce young kids to the genre.
King Kong obviously inspired the early section of the film,but oddly enough the film mostly bases it's plot on the British 1961 monster movie Gorgo {itself a Godzilla imitation},with a baby monster captured by humans and it's angry parent wrecking havoc to get him back. However,unlike Gorgo's one vengeful parent,here we have both mum and dad monsters attacking poor Japan {one wonders why anyone still bothers to live there in these films,since it's always being destroyed by giant monster year after year}.
The film lacks the polish of the Toho films,with the miniatures lacking in detail and some rather drab photography and poor editing. Music is mediocre although the two songs {only in the subtitled version}are memorable for the wrong reasons. However,the family Gappa are uniquely weird monsters,the action is pretty continuous after the first half an hour and the final reunion scene involving the monsters is touching. There are some amusing touches which gently mock the genre. Feminists be warned though-the end scene where the human heroine realises her role in life will probably offend you greatly!
Hardly a classic of monster movies but silly and entertaining anyway. A good one to introduce young kids to the genre.
Cultural Appropriation
damienholliday15 December 2020
"It only looks like a monster, but it's really cute."
classicsoncall5 October 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I haven't seen a lot of Japanese monster movies myself, basically just the original king daddy "Godzilla", and a handful of knockoffs with creatures like Gamera and Rodan. However I don't think I'd be wrong in stating that "Monster From a Prehistoric Planet" must certainly be near the bottom of the pile in terms of story line and quality. A South Seas expedition financed by "Playmate Magazine" comes upon a volcanic island with large stone statues from a lost civilization; their mission is to locate and capture exotic animals for a tropical resort where the creatures roam freely with the guests.
Following the discovery of a giant egg in an underground cave, an earthquake erupts hatching the young "gappa", a birdlike reptile. Mom and Pop Gappa are profoundly PO'ed, and make the trek to the Japanese mainland to recover Junior, and in one of the more humorous translations of the film, make their way along Route 11 from Nikko to Tokyo in the process. Picture a pair of giant scaly walking parrots, and you have an idea of of what the Gappas look like.
I was rather surprised to hear an exchange between expedition leader Kurosaki and female newspaper reporter Koyanagi. When Koyanagi expresses reservation about proceeding into the gappa's lair, she's admonished by Kurosaki - "Then go back to Tokyo and learn to cook, marry some little office worker, have babies, stay home and wash diapers". Apparently she took that advice, for at the end of the film she quits her job, as Kurosaki chases her down to complete his own personal mission.
OK, this may not be the worst movie I have ever seen, but right now it ranks second from the bottom, right behind "The Beast From Yucca Flats". Save yourself the agony and just watch "Godzilla" one more time if you need a Japanese monster fix; for maximum effect, play it in slow motion to match "Monster's..." pacing.
Following the discovery of a giant egg in an underground cave, an earthquake erupts hatching the young "gappa", a birdlike reptile. Mom and Pop Gappa are profoundly PO'ed, and make the trek to the Japanese mainland to recover Junior, and in one of the more humorous translations of the film, make their way along Route 11 from Nikko to Tokyo in the process. Picture a pair of giant scaly walking parrots, and you have an idea of of what the Gappas look like.
I was rather surprised to hear an exchange between expedition leader Kurosaki and female newspaper reporter Koyanagi. When Koyanagi expresses reservation about proceeding into the gappa's lair, she's admonished by Kurosaki - "Then go back to Tokyo and learn to cook, marry some little office worker, have babies, stay home and wash diapers". Apparently she took that advice, for at the end of the film she quits her job, as Kurosaki chases her down to complete his own personal mission.
OK, this may not be the worst movie I have ever seen, but right now it ranks second from the bottom, right behind "The Beast From Yucca Flats". Save yourself the agony and just watch "Godzilla" one more time if you need a Japanese monster fix; for maximum effect, play it in slow motion to match "Monster's..." pacing.
Good for kids who find the older Godzilla movies a little to complex to follow.
iboso6423 March 2020
This one is pretty straight-forward. Set-up, monster, monster smash, repeat. The Japanese actors in blackface are pretty cringe-worthy, too, but the film was made in less-enlightened times. Fun, for what it is: Good for kids who find the older Godzilla movies a little to complex to follow.
It Stinks!
culwin21 November 1998
In the fine tradition of such movies as "Gorgo" and other Godzilla rip-offs, "Daikyoju Gappa" or "Monster from a Prehistoric Planet" is a boring, silly, pointless movie. The owner of "Playmate" magazine wants to create "Playmate Island" - no, it's not what you're thinking, he wants to make an island of animals where people can visit and think they're in the tropics. So he sends this group of people out and the first place they go is an island with an active volcano and earthquakes (sounds like a GREAT resort island, right?). So these people accidentally discover a cave that has been sealed off for a long time, and upon exploration find a prehistoric egg. The egg hatches into a baby dinosaur/monster and they take the thing back to Japan with them. But alas... the creature's parents are still alive, and come searching for junior! All sorts of wacky chaos ensues.
This movie is one that gives monster movies a bad name. The plot is one we've seen a zillion times before, and there are no new twists. Every aspect of this movie is cheesier than Velveeta. The technical effects are awful, from the unrealistic miniature models to the "island natives" who are just Japanese people with dark make-up. And somehow I don't feel a lot of sympathy for a giant lizard with the head of a chicken that flies and shoots blue death from its mouth.
Avoid this movie and just rent a Godzilla movie instead - the first, and the best.
This movie is one that gives monster movies a bad name. The plot is one we've seen a zillion times before, and there are no new twists. Every aspect of this movie is cheesier than Velveeta. The technical effects are awful, from the unrealistic miniature models to the "island natives" who are just Japanese people with dark make-up. And somehow I don't feel a lot of sympathy for a giant lizard with the head of a chicken that flies and shoots blue death from its mouth.
Avoid this movie and just rent a Godzilla movie instead - the first, and the best.
Call it what you want -- standard, run of the mill, by the numbers
pv71989-213 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This is basically an average, run-of-the-mill, standard-formula, by-the-numbers film. No more, no less. It has its good parts and its bad parts and plenty of clichés. The only things lacking are three-dimensional characters and a real love story.
The plot deals with an expedition that goes to a South Pacific island looking for plants and animals with which to stock a new amusement park back in Japan. Instead, they discover a baby Gappa, a prehistoric lizard. Scientists see a valuable study opportunity. The businessmen aboard see a prime attraction for their park and so, against the wishes of the islanders, they take the baby away.
Of course, baby has parents. Parents wreck the island and then Japan looking for baby. Nasty humans finally wise up and return baby.
Unfortunately for this movie, which was released in 1967, the theme was done much better the previous year with the British classic "Gorgo." It was also done much better in Japan in the early 60's in "Mothra" and "Godzilla vs. The Thing." The best thing about the film is the special effects and that's saying a lot.
Sadly, the special effects were directed by Akira Watanabe, who did the groundbreaking work in "Gojira/Godzilla, King of the Monsters." In this movie, the creative-looking monsters stomp things and walk around in real time (to imply immenseness, Watanabe had the actor in the Godzilla suit walk slower and also slowed the film down a little), so it doesn't achieve the desired result. The monsters mysteriously shoot heat beams and are impervious to modern weapons (whereas in "Gojira," Watanabe could explain the atomic breath and hardened skin are fallout from the hydrogen bomb). Still, the military action is fast-paced and exciting, although I wonder still where they got all those missiles from.
Ironically, scientists come up with a way to use sound waves to drive the monsters nuts and get them out of a lake so that missiles can be used, yet no one thinks to use the sound waves to drive the monsters away for good.
One thing that was unintentionally funny. When the Gappas fly, it looks really cheesy. You'll instantly think of the flying monkeys from "The Wizard of Oz," only the Gappas look far worse.
If anything, even a Grade B movie needs decent, fleshed-out characters. This movie has none. The main scientist is two-dimensional. His female assistant has a heart of ice. A reporter is one in name only (you never even see the guy reporting or writing). The love story between the reporter and the female scientist goes nowhere, even at the end. The little boy from the island who wants Gappa to be freed is so annoying you want the Gappas to step on him.
All in all, this is an enjoyable film for the action. But, don't go expecting "Gojira." By 1967, those days were long gone.
Interestingly, the film had some weird satirical elements, most of which failed. The expedition is welcomed to the island by natives who have been waiting for the promised return of the Japanese. It seems the island was occupied during WWII by the Japs and the islanders think that the Japanese were kind and gentle.
Also, the financier of the expedition runs a magazine called "Playmate" and wants to call his theme park "Playmateland." The magazine is supposed to cater to kids, but my first though was that it was a play on "Playboy." The worst satire had to be the ending. The female scientist laments her actions in helping bring the baby Gappa back. So, she decides to give up her career and be a "normal" girl. In Japan, where the feminist movement didn't catch on for another 20 years, it was okay. But, seeing that the movie was released in 1967, I don't think that would have garnered many laughs in America.
The plot deals with an expedition that goes to a South Pacific island looking for plants and animals with which to stock a new amusement park back in Japan. Instead, they discover a baby Gappa, a prehistoric lizard. Scientists see a valuable study opportunity. The businessmen aboard see a prime attraction for their park and so, against the wishes of the islanders, they take the baby away.
Of course, baby has parents. Parents wreck the island and then Japan looking for baby. Nasty humans finally wise up and return baby.
Unfortunately for this movie, which was released in 1967, the theme was done much better the previous year with the British classic "Gorgo." It was also done much better in Japan in the early 60's in "Mothra" and "Godzilla vs. The Thing." The best thing about the film is the special effects and that's saying a lot.
Sadly, the special effects were directed by Akira Watanabe, who did the groundbreaking work in "Gojira/Godzilla, King of the Monsters." In this movie, the creative-looking monsters stomp things and walk around in real time (to imply immenseness, Watanabe had the actor in the Godzilla suit walk slower and also slowed the film down a little), so it doesn't achieve the desired result. The monsters mysteriously shoot heat beams and are impervious to modern weapons (whereas in "Gojira," Watanabe could explain the atomic breath and hardened skin are fallout from the hydrogen bomb). Still, the military action is fast-paced and exciting, although I wonder still where they got all those missiles from.
Ironically, scientists come up with a way to use sound waves to drive the monsters nuts and get them out of a lake so that missiles can be used, yet no one thinks to use the sound waves to drive the monsters away for good.
One thing that was unintentionally funny. When the Gappas fly, it looks really cheesy. You'll instantly think of the flying monkeys from "The Wizard of Oz," only the Gappas look far worse.
If anything, even a Grade B movie needs decent, fleshed-out characters. This movie has none. The main scientist is two-dimensional. His female assistant has a heart of ice. A reporter is one in name only (you never even see the guy reporting or writing). The love story between the reporter and the female scientist goes nowhere, even at the end. The little boy from the island who wants Gappa to be freed is so annoying you want the Gappas to step on him.
All in all, this is an enjoyable film for the action. But, don't go expecting "Gojira." By 1967, those days were long gone.
Interestingly, the film had some weird satirical elements, most of which failed. The expedition is welcomed to the island by natives who have been waiting for the promised return of the Japanese. It seems the island was occupied during WWII by the Japs and the islanders think that the Japanese were kind and gentle.
Also, the financier of the expedition runs a magazine called "Playmate" and wants to call his theme park "Playmateland." The magazine is supposed to cater to kids, but my first though was that it was a play on "Playboy." The worst satire had to be the ending. The female scientist laments her actions in helping bring the baby Gappa back. So, she decides to give up her career and be a "normal" girl. In Japan, where the feminist movement didn't catch on for another 20 years, it was okay. But, seeing that the movie was released in 1967, I don't think that would have garnered many laughs in America.
Gappa Gappa Hey!
haildevilman17 February 2008
Long thought to be missing but.......here it is. (Apologies to the Ramones.)
This was a late comer to the U.S. video ranks because its script was hard to change to make it more 'American.' Japanese satire would be lost on anyone without a significant knowledge of the country. Most would see this as just another dude in a rubber suit burning Tokyo again.
The monster itself was a bit different. Like Godzilla and Rodan hybridized. The usual happens. Military comes...fails...but this guy knows the secret.
I have a Japanese video copy. It's the original version. But the DVD release was necessary. And the racist tag line never existed.
This was a late comer to the U.S. video ranks because its script was hard to change to make it more 'American.' Japanese satire would be lost on anyone without a significant knowledge of the country. Most would see this as just another dude in a rubber suit burning Tokyo again.
The monster itself was a bit different. Like Godzilla and Rodan hybridized. The usual happens. Military comes...fails...but this guy knows the secret.
I have a Japanese video copy. It's the original version. But the DVD release was necessary. And the racist tag line never existed.
This Has It All
Calaboss11 April 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Wow. Sexism, racism, monsterism, ridiculism, this movie has it all.
I've seen many Japanese "man-in-a-rubber-suit" monster movies. Yup, got hooked as a kid. And this is the worst I've seen. To be fair, I saw it on one of the late night Monster, Horror, Chiller Theater showings, and it was the English dubbed version that had been edited down to just over an hour, so I could be missing some of the more subtle points and nuance.
But here are the parts I DID see- The little Japanese boy, playing a "native" that went through the entire movie in black face (a subtle touch I managed to catch).
The female scientist, who spent the whole movie cold-shouldering her suitor in order to pursue her career, only to decide at the end to give it all up to go home, become a woman, and wash diapers (a wholesome family message I was happy to see).
Monsters that can't decide how large they are. Are they 10 feet tall, 100 feet tall, 1000 feet tall? The answer is YES!
The version I saw did not explain how these flying, swimming, fire breathing lizard-birds (called Gappa) came to be. It also made no mention how a scientist with no prior knowledge of Gappa's immediately knew they were hypersensitive to certain sounds. But I'm sure that was all explained in the unedited version of the movie. Oh, and at the end of the movie, as the monsters flew off into the sunset, they blew up (huh?).
This is not the worst movie ever made (Can you say "Monster a-Go Go"?), but it IS a really bad movie. I'm not sure how MST3K missed it.
I've seen many Japanese "man-in-a-rubber-suit" monster movies. Yup, got hooked as a kid. And this is the worst I've seen. To be fair, I saw it on one of the late night Monster, Horror, Chiller Theater showings, and it was the English dubbed version that had been edited down to just over an hour, so I could be missing some of the more subtle points and nuance.
But here are the parts I DID see- The little Japanese boy, playing a "native" that went through the entire movie in black face (a subtle touch I managed to catch).
The female scientist, who spent the whole movie cold-shouldering her suitor in order to pursue her career, only to decide at the end to give it all up to go home, become a woman, and wash diapers (a wholesome family message I was happy to see).
Monsters that can't decide how large they are. Are they 10 feet tall, 100 feet tall, 1000 feet tall? The answer is YES!
The version I saw did not explain how these flying, swimming, fire breathing lizard-birds (called Gappa) came to be. It also made no mention how a scientist with no prior knowledge of Gappa's immediately knew they were hypersensitive to certain sounds. But I'm sure that was all explained in the unedited version of the movie. Oh, and at the end of the movie, as the monsters flew off into the sunset, they blew up (huh?).
This is not the worst movie ever made (Can you say "Monster a-Go Go"?), but it IS a really bad movie. I'm not sure how MST3K missed it.
A big monster that breathes lightning, a city to be smashed and 60's styling- What more could you ask for?
captainpoobah12 April 1999
I found this movie incredibly funny. There is nothing more fun than watching a man in a rubber suit smash over plastic buildings, while tiny plastic tanks attempt to stop it. The best part of the movie is where a flying animal appears out of the jungle on the island and you can see the strings attached to it's wings. You don't get effects like that these days. I recommend this movie if you want a good laugh, but if you want somthing serious, go elsewhere. It's Great!
Harmless schlock
movieman_kev28 June 2005
An expedition in the South Sea are on an outing to capture exotic creatures to bring back. Which they do when they find a newly hatched reptile. But the creature's parents are less then thrilled with the baby being stolen. And start terrorizing Tokyo looking for it. What we get here is a fairly silly little "Gorgo" clone. This will definitely appeal to youngsters more more than older people, or even people past the age of puberty, but it's agreeable and non-offensive. Taking you back to a more innocent time of Satureday afternoon matinées.
My Grade: C-
DVD Extras: Nada, Zilch, one big goose egg while unless you consider Elish and Subtitled versions and/or production notes as extras (and I don't)
My Grade: C-
DVD Extras: Nada, Zilch, one big goose egg while unless you consider Elish and Subtitled versions and/or production notes as extras (and I don't)
Touching?!?
Yalcrab27 March 1999
Oh, how sweet. A monster movie with the touching moral; monsters are people too. When watching a monster movie, one should always be prepared for it to be very bad indeed. This one is no exception: the story stinks, the effects are poor (it is a 1967 movie after all) and the acting funny ("funny wierd" and "funny ha-ha")
There is one curious aspect to this movie I would like to mention. I have always found the Japanese Gappa's squeal or "roar" very annoying. Much like fingernails on a chalk-board. However, in the movie it is stated that the Gappa is sensitive to high pitched noise. They use amplified high pitched noise to drive the submerged Gappa on to land so they can blast them with missiles. If the Gappa are so susceptable to such screaches then why don't they just shut up - or at least develop a more throaty method of communication.
There is one curious aspect to this movie I would like to mention. I have always found the Japanese Gappa's squeal or "roar" very annoying. Much like fingernails on a chalk-board. However, in the movie it is stated that the Gappa is sensitive to high pitched noise. They use amplified high pitched noise to drive the submerged Gappa on to land so they can blast them with missiles. If the Gappa are so susceptable to such screaches then why don't they just shut up - or at least develop a more throaty method of communication.
Godzilla with wings and a chicken head
bkoganbing30 November 2013
Daikyoju Gappa introduces us to another of those Japanese monsters who delight in wrecking the urban areas of Japan. A great country apparently to be in the construction business.
He's not the most fearsome of monsters. Imagine Godzilla with wings and a chicken head and you have Gappa. Scientists from Japan on another expedition to a south sea island come back with the recently hatched Gappa as the natives call him. They also don't take it away from them, but the scientists know better.
Quite frankly the monster looks so ridiculous I can't imagine it scaring anybody above the age of 4. Still these Japanese monster films do have a goofy enjoyment factor in them no matter how bad they are.
And they made tons of money back in the day.
He's not the most fearsome of monsters. Imagine Godzilla with wings and a chicken head and you have Gappa. Scientists from Japan on another expedition to a south sea island come back with the recently hatched Gappa as the natives call him. They also don't take it away from them, but the scientists know better.
Quite frankly the monster looks so ridiculous I can't imagine it scaring anybody above the age of 4. Still these Japanese monster films do have a goofy enjoyment factor in them no matter how bad they are.
And they made tons of money back in the day.
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