Easily a standout in the original Gamera series, this adult-oriented monster bash takes on a darker tone, higher budget, and an excellent line of human characters that push a solid story along. It's easily dispersed as Mystery Science Theater fare, which is a shame given the obvious effort in this, the second film in the franchise. While flawed and sloppily paced, Gamera vs. Barugon is a better intro to the series than the original Gamera-only destruction romp.
This direct sequel instantly hits the viewer with an attack on a dam by flying, fire-breathing turtle Gamera, an incredible miniature set that leads to a massive break in the dam. The ensuing destruction outclasses everything shot for the first film. Sadly, the movie hits a gap for nearly 40-minutes after this where not a single monster is spotted. Instead, the script follows a group attempting to find an opal left behind during a World War II battle in New Guinea.
While this lands the film into a generic "islanders warn of impending doom by outsiders" scenario, it also fantastically creates Koji Fujiyama's character Onodera. He begins a slow descent into insanity, killing off his partners for the promise of millions. Series staple (even into the recent trilogy in the 1990's) Kojiro Hongo survives to bear the burden when the opal turns out to be the egg housing Barugon.
Conflicts are numerous between human characters and certainly stretch what the genre is known for. Onodera brutally beats his wife during a fight after a slip of the tongue, slams a locker down on a cripple, and attempts numerous times to murder people for his own cause. The performance sells the human element.
Oddly, there's far more action on the side of people than on the monsters. This is a movie that features Gamera, but Barugon is the show stealer. Gamera barely ends up with ten minutes of screen time. The military struggles with the oddball Barugon for most of the film, fending off a freeze ray, elongated tongue, and what remains the strangest monster power out of the entire Japanese roster, a deadly heated rainbow.
There are some daring shots with special effects included here, particularly one from the POV of Gamera as he unleashes his fire breathing attack on his foe. Another shows the entire shoreline exploding as Barugon sets off numerous fires. Not everything goes as planned, including the Barugon suit itself. It's an ungainly creation, with a massively oversized head that needed extra support by a string (which tends to show through on film more often than it should).
Even with the extra budget put forth and an effort to draw in an adult audience, there is still some sloppy work. As a four-legged creature, few attempts are made at hiding the fact that the suit actor is kneeling the majority of the time. The final struggle between the beasts uses two completely immobile puppets that the filmmakers give more screen time than they should have, and some wirework is simply terrible.
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