“Gamera vs. Viras” (also known as “Destroy All Planets”) serves as the fourth entry in the “Gamera” film series. I have such a soft spot for the ridiculous kaiju (giant monster) films from Japan. The original run of “Gamera” films have such an innocence to them and I also admire their creativity.

A group of aliens from a distant world are trying to take over Earth. Gamera goes to battle their spaceship. However, the aliens soon capture two young boys and seize control of Gamera, sending him out to cause mass destruction. Once Gamera is freed from the control of the aliens’ mind control device, he must fight against Viras in a battle to save our world.

Like other Gamera films, kids play a prominent role in the movie. They are pleasant but don’t expect them to be great characters. It’s always fun seeing Gamera battle different monsters. Viras look absolutely hilarious during the final battle. Viras is basically like a giant squid monster with the funniest face I’ve seen on a giant monster in a long time. Although Viras is the main monster, we do also see Gyaos due to this film’s use of stock footage. We even see a black and white version of Gamera due to stock footage.

The use of stock footage is pretty lazy but apart from that, this is another fun “Gamera” adventure. The special effects are delightfully cheesy and I like the energy the kids bring. These films don’t take themselves even remotely seriously and they just exist to provide light entertainment. Again, it’s not as good as the highs of the “Godzilla” franchise but you can’t go wrong with the rocket-powered turtle. The “Gamera” franchise does offer you more giant monster mayhem if you’ve already seen a lot of the “Godzilla” movies.