Gamera (1965)

Daiei Film
Directed by Noriaki Yuasa
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Mill Creek)

An atomic blast in the Arctic awakens a hibernating giant turtle. He spits, and breathes, fire and can retract his legs so that they become jets which allow him to spin and fly. He heads straight for Tokyo, where else, where he stomps around hydroelectric plants and oil refineries looking for energy to consume. Scientists lure him to an island where they intend to try to destroy him. A little boy, whose grief over the loss of a pet turtle causes him to sympathize with the giant monster, tries to convince everyone that Gamera really means no harm. Entertaining, if not particularly intelligent, escapism from Japan, although derivative of the earlier Godzilla films.