Gamera, the Giant Monster

Gamera, the Giant Monster (大怪獣ガメラ, 1965) is a Japanese kaiju film from Daiei studio, and you can watch it online on iFILM. A bomber is shot down over the Arctic, the nuclear blast thaws an ancient creature out of the ice, and a giant fire-breathing turtle wakes up hungry.

Once loose, Gamera flies halfway around the planet chasing energy, smashing power plants and oil depots along the way. Dr. Hidaka and the military scramble for a way to stop her, but ordinary weapons do nothing. Only a boy named Toshio insists the monster isn't evil and refuses to treat her as the enemy. Shot in black and white, with miniature cities and a man in a rubber suit.

This was Daiei's answer to Godzilla, and it kicked off a franchise that ran for decades. Director Noriaki Yuasa built the story around a child hero, which is how Gamera became the "friendly" monster kids grew up loving. Creaky by today's standards, but this is where one of the great kaiju series begins. Stream Gamera, the Giant Monster (1965) online on iFILM.