Mystery Science Theater 3000 - XXI: MST3K Vs. Gamera. [Limited Edition]

This set is a departure from all previous and recent MST3K DVD set releases in that it contains five episodes all from a single series of movies, Gamera! All five episodes are hosted by show creator, Joel Hodgson and all are from the Comedy Central era of the show. If you've ever wanted to see a robot sing a love song to a turtle or you're a fan of the "Gameradamerung" then you must buy this set!

* 302- GAMERA
This 1965 black-and-white film from Daiei studios in Japan was their attempt to cash in on the popularity of a certain other series of films made in Japan about a giant, mutated reptile. While Gamera may be an ersatz Godzilla to some, he's got his own weirdness to recommend him. A nuclear explosion, what else, awakens a giant, mutated, prehistoric flying, fire-breathing turtle from his icy prison to wreak havoc upon the world. A young boy who is especially fond of turtles develops an unusual bond with the monster. The American dubbing and added scenes make the film seem weirder and goofier than ever. This is a must-see episode for all MSTies because of gags like Tom Servo singing "Tibby Oh Tibby" and Gamera's visit, played by Mike Nelson, to the SOL via the hexfield view screen. MST3K's riffing machine was in full gear by season three and this is a top-notch episode with hilarious jokes all during the movie and terrific sketches during the host segments as well. This is a contender for the list of top ten all-time greatest episodes.

* 304- GAMERA VS. BARUGON
This is a 1966 follow-up to 1965's Gamera. Barugon is a giant, mutated lizard who shoots a powerful beam of energy from his back. He also has "ram-tongue" action. He attacks Japan and Gamera comes to the rescue. It's just that simple and the riffing by Joel and the 'Bots is just that great. The host segment inspired by the film wherein the SOL crew advertise the "5000-piece fightin' men & monster set" is phenomenally well done and funny.

* 308- GAMERA VS. GAOS
Gamera was successful in his first two outings so the studio followed up again the next year with Gamera Vs. Gaos in 1967. Gaos is a flying reptile with a wedge-shaped head that shoots high-powered laser beams. Gamera and Gaos chase each other around in a series of monster fights throughout the film. Highlights of this episode include the "Gameradamerung" staged by Joel and the 'Bots, the arts and crafts host segment and the final host segment in which they try to come up with a list of other ways to kill Gaos. Again, Gamera inspired the writers at MST3K to do some of their best work, this is hilarious from beginning to end.

* 312- GAMERA VS. GUIRON
This 1969 Gamera film follows the adventures of some young children, two boys and a girl, who discover a flying saucer has landed near their homes. The two boys climb aboard and the ship kidnaps them off to a distant planet. No one will believe the little girl who is left behind. Gamera follows the spaceship and attempts to rescue the boys. The alien planet is inhabited by two attractive alien women who want to eat the boys' brains. They also use their control over the giant monster Guiron to defend their planet from other monsters like Space Gaos and eventually, Gamera. The film features the obligatory fights between actors in rubber monster costumes. Again, the host segments are some of the best ever in the show's history, with Joel and the 'Bots singing the "Gamera song" and then Michael Feinstein (played by Mike Nelson) singing it in Deep 13 in the final host segment.

* 316- GAMERA VS. ZIGRA
Gamera returns in 1971 to take on an alien monster called Zigra. Zigra attacks Earth's moon base then comes to Earth spreading destruction in an attempt to dominate the planet. As usual, small children are involved and are an integral part of saving the Earth with help from our eponymous hero, Gamera the fire-breathing flying turtle. Oh, and one of the children really likes Coca-Cola. Episode highlights include the scale model of Gamera and the different ways to sing the Gamera song. Though some of the writers have complained about how much they hated these movies over the years, you wouldn't know it from watching this or any other Gamera episode of the show. This one's as funny as all the others and that's really saying something. This episode nicely ends the MST3K foray into the world of Gamera and leaves you wishing there were more.

The extra features for this set are:
* So Happy Together: A Look Back at MST3K and Gamera
* Gamera Vs. The Chiodo Brothers
* Gamera Obscura: A Brief History by August Ragone (author of Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters)
* Original Japanese Trailers
* 5 limited edition mini-posters by artist Steve Vance
* MST Hour wraps for "Gamera" and "Gamera Vs. Guiron"
* This special deluxe edition comes in a collectible tin box.

Shout Factory once again shocked the world by obtaining the rights to the entire Gamera MST3K series ! Volume 21 - MST3K vs. Gamera is the first 5 DVD set containing all the Gamera movies done during the shows 3rd season. Season three is where MST3K really began to take off...

Episode 302 - GAMERA - a fantastic entry in the series...this is a great episode..great riffs, Tom Servo singing Tibby, Oh Tibby with Crow getting involved, Joel's salad invention, Mike Nelson as Gamera plus that old expression " A whole lot " more...
In Japan, Gamera was created by rival Toho company Daiei to compete with Godzilla. And just like the first Godzilla, this film was shot in crisp black and white. Arguably this wasn't a bad film at all, and is considered one of the big 3 in the Gamera series. The premise of the boy who loves Gamera can be a little silly but as far as a story and special effects go, this was a notch about the others...

Episode 304 - Gamera vs. Barugon - the amazing sequel to Gamera has our child friendly turtle escape his imprisonment ( the Z plan from the first film) to face Barugon. Barugon is a unique creation with his rainbow rays, and his giant tongue which is used for a battering ram and can exhale cold, rendering everything and everyone frozen.
Another fantastic episode with fun inventions & segments ( the monster set sketch was awesome) Tom asks Joel where was Gamera during this film...the answer is actually, on the cutting room floor as the MST3K version does edit the initial fight scene between Gamera and Barugon.For those like me that have seen this film in its NON MST3K version we have all seen where Gamera gets frozen by Barguon in their first battle. In the MST version we just see Gamera frozen...Still, the movie is for the MST3K viewer not so much a die hard Gamera fan to say " hey that scene is missing!"

Episode 308 - Gamera vs. Gaos - The wildest Gamera film of the series..the story was solid - the effects were great overall - Gamera fights Daiei'a answer to Toho's Rodan - Gaos - which is basically a flying bat that shoots laser beams that split cars in half and tears into Gamera's flesh. This was a bloody Gamera film, but not meant to nauseate the audience..
This made another great MST3K episode - the Lucille Ball segment at the beginning, the Gameradamerung sketch..This was yet another episode that brought the show to new heights...the film and the episode was great if you ask me..

Episode 312 Gamera vs. Guiron - This Gamera entree was actually part of the decline in the series due to budget constraints, bad dubbing and making Gamera the friend of all children, thus becoming a kiddie flick. Gamera fights Guiron, a giant knife like creature on another planet. Gamera goes to another planet to rescue two children who accidentally go into a spaceship and fly off the face of the Earth with it. As awful as the film is - you bet that it did not stop Joel & the Bots , Dr. F and TVs Frank from putting together another fabulous episode. This film has the Gamera song which led to Joel and the Bots doing their rendition of the song " Gamera is really neat, he is filled with turtle meat" ..we get Mike Nelson as Michael Feinstein also discussing the Gamera song..
These Gamera episodes really brought out the best work , part of the reason that not only are these episodes were highly sought after, but just about everything from Season 3 for that matter....

Episode 316- Gamera vs. Zigra - The grand finale of the MST3K Gamera series has Gamera fighting Zigra. Zigra is a spaceship that turns into a giant fish like creature who wants to take over the Earth because the people of the Earth are polluting it. The center of this story is of course the kids..with one of the girls- Helen always seeming to want a Coca-Cola
There's a party on the SOL because its the last Gamera experiment ..more hilarity with Tom and Crow showing Joel the insides of Gamera, more Gamera songs including a well done finale on the SOL as well as Deep 13 as Dr. F lets his hair down and goes metal on us all...

As reported on Satellite News - the features on this set include.
* So Happy Together: A Look Back at MST3K and Gamera
* Gamera Vs. The Chiodo Brothers
* Gamera Obscura: A Brief History by August Ragone (author of Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters)
* Original Japanese Trailers
* 5 limited edition mini-posters by artist Steve Vance
* MST Hour wraps for "Gamera" and "Gamera Vs. Guiron"
* This special deluxe edition comes in a collectible tin box.

All I can say is WOW, this is a dream come true for myself and all the MST3K fans - these were supposed to be " it will never happen" episodes but , here they are..causing quite a buzz...
And now having seen all 5 episodes on the DVD set, the transfers are outstanding, the menus are great with Gamera walking through the doorway sequence. All of the bonus features were good/ enlightening.
Overall this set is just outstanding ! HIGHLY recommended !
Thank you Shout Factory !!

This is for the Gamera vs MST set in the tin collectors box. Mine was delivered by Amazon very promptly on the release date, but damaged/dented badly on two sides. Curiously no apparent damage was done to the cardboard box it was shipped in. (Huh?) I requested a replacement, and Amazon got one to me in 24 hours. UNBELIEVABLE! (I suggest Amazon use a larger sturdier box for this item in the future.) Others have given ample info on the movies. Here's my two cents:

I LOVE MST3K!
I LOVE Giant Monster Movies! (Kaiju)
I SPECIFICALLY love Gamera. I believe it is not possible to describe the concept of Gamera to the uninitiated without a smile coming to your face. Example:
"He's a giant flying jet propelled monster turtle that defends the Earth from other monsters. Oh, and he loves children..." Numerous versions of all the Gamera movies are available on Amazon. I own most of them. Some releases are good (Shout Factory are the standouts), and some are...not so much.

I have not watched all of the MST versions of these movies, so I am very very happy they are being released in this set. I have seen snippets of each, and have laughed myself silly on numerous occasions. I specifically love the Gamera theme songs:
"Gamera is really neat, Gamera is filled with Meat, We're all eating Gamera."

Giant Monsters and MST3K are a match made in heaven! My very favorite MST3K episdode is Godzilla Versus Megalon. After this Gamera set, I pray that the Gods of confusing licensing agreements find a way to allow that to become legally available.

I am updating this review as I watch all the movies.
Disk 1: Gamera: Very good Episode with an excellent Behind the scenes featurette. Trace never heard of Gamera before MST? Unbelieveable!
Disk 2: Gamera Vs Barugon. Good Episode but the movie is so plodding...the MST treatment saves it. Excellent extras for fans of Kaiju and Gamera.
Disk 3: Gamera vs. Gyaos: MUCH BETTER THAN DISK 2! Excellent extras!
Disk 4: Gamera Vs. Guiron: Five Stars! Features First Gamera Theme song! Contains MST3k Hour bumpers, but no real meaty extras. Don't need em! This is the highlight of the set so far!
Disk 5: Gamera Vs. Zigra: Four and a half stars. Hard to top Gamera versus Guiron, but still a very good episode. Disk is again light on extras. That's just fine! VERY GOOD SET OVERALL! I AM VERY PLEASED! WOOT!

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