Plot
A spaceship containing an expedition force from Planet Viras approaches Earth, with its occupants discussing their intentions to occupy the planet for its atmosphericCast
{{castlist, *Production
''Gamera vs. Viras'' was filmed at Daiei-Tokyo Studios.{{sfn, Galbraith IV, 1996, p=150 The film is the fourth in the ''Gamera'' film series.{{sfn, Galbraith IV, 1996, p=150 Daiei was in "financial trouble" at the beginning of 1968 and as a result cut the film's budget to ¥20 million, about $56,000 at the time. Footage from previous ''Gamera'' films was re-used in some parts of the movie. The film was shot in 25 days.{{Cite book, title=The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies Volume 1: 1954-1982, last=LeMay, first=John, publisher=Biceps Books, year=2017, isbn=9781536827880, pages=163–165 The agreement between Daiei and AI-TV stipulated that an American boy be cast as one of the two main child characters. No American child actors who spoke Japanese could be found at the time of production, so "Carl Craig, the child of a U.S. Army man stationed in Japan" was cast, even though he had no acting experience."Release
''Gamera vs. Viras'' was released in Japan on 20 March 1968.{{sfn, Galbraith IV, 1996, p=150 It was "such a big success in Japan" that the studio asked director Yuasa if he could produce two additional ''Gamera'' films per year. Although Yuasa said that that was impossible, it opened the door to additional ''Gamera'' films being made. The film was never released theatrically in the United States.{{sfn, Galbraith IV, 1996, p=150 It was released directly to television by American International Television in 1969 as ''Destroy All Planets''.{{sfn, Galbraith IV, 1996, p=150Reception
In a retrospective review, AllMovie stated that the film offers "everything one expects from a massive zero-budget monster battle film" while also having "unintentionally brilliant quirky moments like the hypnotized army, Japanese men with glowing eyeballs, and a fiendishly fake-looking squid alien who wishes to attack Earth for its supply of nitrogen." Phil Hardy, the British film critic, calls the move "a straightforward children's film" and that it "continues the shift of the monster genre towards a space opera context," which diminishes "the thematic interest of the genre."{{Cite book, title=The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: Science Fiction, editor-last=Hardy, editor-first=Phil, publisher=The Overlook Press, year=1995, isbn=0879516267, location=Woodstock NY, pages=272 American writer John LeMay said that "in terms of character utilization and script, ''Gamera vs. Viras'' could be the film where it all came together. But, in terms of budget and pecial effects it was the film where it all started to fall apart."References
Footnotes
{{reflistSources
{{Refbegin * {{cite book , last=Galbraith IV , first=Stuart , title=The Japanese Filmography: 1900 through 1994 , publisher=McFarland , date=1996 , isbn=0-7864-0032-3 * {{cite book , last=Galbraith IV , first=Stuart , title=Monsters Are Attacking Tokyo! The Incredible World of Japanese Fantasy Films , publisher=McFarland , date=1998 , isbn=0922915474 {{RefendExternal links
{{Wikiquote * {{cite web , url=http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1968/cr000600.htm, title=ガメラ対宇宙怪獣バイラス (Gamera tai Uchu Kaijū Bairasu), access-date=2007-07-18, language=Japanese, publisher=