Fulvue Drive-In.com
Current Reviews
In Stores Soon
 
In Stores Now
 
DVD Reviews, SACD Reviews Essays Interviews Contact Us Meet the Staff
An Explanation of Our Rating System Search  
Category:    Home > Reviews > Giant Monster Cycle > Japan > Monster From A Prehistoric Planet (aka Gappa – The Triphibian Monster/1967/Cheezy Flicks DVD)

Monster From A Prehistoric Planet (aka Gappa – The Triphibian Monster/1967/Cheezy Flicks DVD)

 

Picture: C-     Sound: D     Extras: C-     Film: C

 

 

To cash in on the giant monster cycle Toho launched with Godzilla, Nikkatsu tried to have their own hit with Daikyo Gappa aka Monster From A Prehistoric Planet aka Gappa – The Triphibian Monster in 1967.  It had the same kind of interesting model work, same people in giant monster suits, same battles with the Japanese military attacking the monsters without any solid results and same cast of caring characters trying to save the town proving it deserved to be saved.

 

However, this is one of the wackier entries into the cycle including a native boy with dark skin being an obvious Japanese actor in black face (!!!), a Jurassic Park-like theme park gone bad and baby dinosaur hatched from an egg whose disappearance brings his angry parents in search of him.  Clichéd and definitely cheesy, Director Haruyasu Noguchi does as good a job as anyone at Toho ever did with such material making it one of the most interesting entries of the classic period, no matter how laughable.

 

The butchered 1.33 X 1 image is a very soft, likely TV print version of the film with the sides of the image cut off, resulting in tunnel vision.  The color is poor and this film was originally a 2.35 X 1 film in NikkatsuScope, so purists will want to get a copy like that instead.  The PCM 16/48 2.0 Mono is really low, rough and compressed, so be very careful of playback levels and volume switching.  Trailers and Intermission shorts are the only extras.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


Marketplace


 
 Copyright © MMIII through MMX fulvuedrive-in.com