Gappa: The Triphibian Monster A.K.A Gappa: monster from a prehistoric planet (1967-Film)

Gappa the Triphibian Monster (大巨獣ガッパ, Daikyojū Gappa) is a 1967 Japanese kaiju film directed by Haruyasu Noguchi. The film is about a group of Japanese reporters who discover an infant monster called a Gappa on Obelisk Island. The reporters cage the creature and take it to Japan where it becomes a media attraction. This angers the natives of the island and Gappa's full-grown parents, who head toward Japan to find their child. Its plot virtually duplicates that of the 1961 British film Gorgo.
The film was released theatrically in Japan in 1967, but only received release on television in the United States as Monster from a Prehistoric Planet. It received positive reviews from Variety and Phil Hardy.
Certain shots of the Gappas attacking Japan were used in the 1991 Red Dwarf episode "Meltdown".
== Plot. ==
An expedition from Tokyo heads to Obelisk Island, which the greedy Mr. Funazu, president of Playmate Magazine, wants to turn into a resort. The natives of Obelisk welcome the expedition, but two members, Hiroshi and Itoko, venture into a forbidden area, despite the pleas of a native boy named Saki. They enter a cavern blocked by a fallen statue and find a giant egg, out of which hatches a baby monster, a "bird-lizard", referred to as "Gappa". The natives plead with the skeptical scientists not to take the baby away, lest it anger the baby's parents. Sure enough, they take the baby away, and soon, inside the caverns, its two parents rise from the underground waters beneath the volcano, destroying everything in their path. Saki, the only survivor, is rescued by an American Navy fleet and brought back to Japan.
Meanwhile, back in Japan, the baby "bird-lizard" is making world headlines, not to mention being experimented on by scientists. To the shock of the expedition members, there is news of two giant flying creatures appearing over Sagami Bay. The Gappas ravage cities looking for their offspring and are impervious to military weapons. Hiroshi, Itoko and Professor Tonooka (a scientist from the expedition) realize that the "Gappas" are not a legend after all. They, and Saki, try to convince the headstrong Mr. Funazu to let the baby go and return it to its parents.
== Rating ==
PG:10+-M:12+
== Runtime ==
84 minutes (Japanese) / 90 (international)