The Mysterians
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Movie Reviews of The Mysterians
Movie Review: The Last Day of the Earth is Approaching!
Summary: 4 Stars
The DVD case for The Mysterians aka Chikyu Boeigun (1959) - the IMDb lists a release year of 1957 (12/28/57, to be exact), so maybe 1959 was the year it made it to the U.S. - states `The Greatest science fiction picture ever conceived by the mind of man.' That's seems like a pretty haughty claim, especially for a film made by a studio (Toho) most famous for movies featuring guys in rubber suits crushing miniature buildings...and after watching the film last night, I feel it didn't quite live up to said claim, but still, it was fun nonetheless (besides, would your interest be peaked in a film that claimed something like `Not the greatest science fiction film in the world, but it will do in a pinch'? Probably not...)...directed by legendary Japanese director and Academy Award winner Ishirô Honda, the creator of Godzilla, The Mysterians was Toho Studios 1st wide screen sci-fi color release (Rodan was the 1st Toho monster film color release, also directed by Honda...some may claim Rodan is a sci-fi film, and it does have many sci-fi elements, but it will always be a monster film to me). Appearing in the film is Kenji Sahara (King Kong vs. Godzilla, Attack of the Mushroom People), Yumi Shirakawa (Rodan), Momoko Kochi (Godzilla), Akihiko Hirata (Rodan, Gorath, the Mysterious Star), and Takashi Shimura (The Seven Samurai, Godzilla).
As the film starts, we see a village of Asian peoples celebrating something or other, only to be interrupted by a fire consuming a nearby forest. Three men foolishly decide to try and put out the massive fire, with predictable results (do you like your sushi fried?). Later said village suffers yet another disaster in that a giant sinkhole swallows them whole...better luck in the next life, I suppose. An investigation provides little information, except for the presence of radioactivity (that's never a good sign, doubly so in a film like this) and this marks the appearance of what looks like a giant, metal, flightless bird that shoots destructive eyebeams. Whatever was left of the village is now completely gone, and the army soon arrives to deal with the menace. There's the obligatory fleeing of Asian peoples, and the creature is finally brought down, and it is learned that it is not of this Earth. Turns out the creature was controlled by a group of aliens, from the planet Mysteroid (I had a case of mysteroids once...got some cream from the drugstore and it went away) calling themselves, aptly enough, Mysterians, who have decided to take up residence on the Earth, and used the mechanical creature as a demonstration of their awesoma powers. What the heck do these Mysterians, who've arrived from the dark side of the moon (there's a Pink Floyd joke in there somewhere), want? Well, I'll give you a hint, it has something to do with our wimmin...I've come to the conclusion females are among the scarcest commodity in the universe. Anyway, beside the wimmin, they have other demands (I think if they just wanted some wimmin, we probably would have acquiesced, but then they got greedy...let that be a lesson to all you aliens out there), demands the Earth aren't willing to meet, and that means all out war! Whoo hoo! Let the fireworks begin (literally...I think some of the scenes featured actual fireworks)!
I did enjoy this film immensely, but I also had a few problems with it...the biggest fault, I suppose, is the story often gets bogged down as the characters seem to be in a continual state of conferencing and holding meetings, trying to decide how to deal with the aliens. This was certainly one way to dole out the exposition, but if all the meeting scenes were removed, the 88-minute runtime would have probably been reduced to about an hour. I wasn't even born at the time this film came out, but I gotta figure the effects were pretty amazing, in all their full color glory. They still come off really well. The rubber bird suit looked pretty funky (strangely, our handguns have no effect on the creature!), but everything else was top notch, especially the realistic nature of miniatures. Apparently the giant creature wasn't initially part of the story, but the producer decided the film needed a giant creature, so maybe that's why it has an odd fit with relation to the rest of the film. The Mysterians looked pretty cool, sort of like retro Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (who I don't care much for, and probably even less now as it would appear they `borrowed' their costume concept from here). I think one of my favorite elements of the film is the music, created by legendary composer Akira Ifukube. It's very distinct, aggressive (as the aliens), and indicates some operatic influences (think of the effectiveness of Wagner's The Ride of the Valkyries and its usage in Francis For Coppola's Apocalypse Now during the helicopter scene). Seems rare to find a composer these days whose music blends in so nicely with the material on the screen.
The picture, in TohoScope (the early Japanese equivalent of widescreen anamorphic), is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 (this was one of the first Japanese films to see such a release), and looks wonderful. There are a few scratches present (especially during the air combat sequences), but I sure this will probably blow away any VHS copy you may possess. As for the audio, there are five separate tracks available in English 5.1 Surround, Japanese 5.1 Surround, Japanese Mono, Spanish Mono, a commentary track featuring a moderator and two special effects artists named Koichi Kawakita and Shinji Higuchi (they all speak in Japanese, but there are English subtitles), and finally you can watch the film with music only. Other special features include a photo gallery, design gallery, storyboards, an original trailer, and previews for Matango - Attack of the Mushroom People (1963), Dogora (1964), Varan (1962), Gappa The Triphibian Monster (1967), and One Missed Call (2003).
Cookieman108
Movie Review: If you like aliens destroying miniatures in Japanese movies, then "The Mysterians" is for you
Summary: 4 Stars
There are a handful of movies that I remember seeing on television in the 1960s, and one of them was "The Mysterians" ("Chikyu Boeigun," which translates as "Earth Defense Force"), so watching the movie for the first time in almost forty years was interesting to say the least. All I really remember is the neat name of the titular aliens and the giant bubble dome structure that the Japanese military keeps attacking without success for most of the movie. But the biggest surprise is to learn that it was not "Seven Samurai" or "Rashomon" but this 1957 science fiction film from Toho Studio where I first saw the great character actor Takashi Shimura, who plays Dr. Tanjiro Adachi.
"The Mysterians" brings together the creative team behind the original "Godzilla," with director Ishiro Honda, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, and Eiji Tsuburaya doing the special effects for the first film shot in TohoScope. The aliens come from the planet in our solar system that used to be between Jupiter and Mars, but was destroyed because of an atomic war. The survivors come to earth so that they can breed with Earth women and repopulate their race (to be clear, this is a decade before the lamentable "Mars Needs Women" starring Tommy Kirk). The Mysterians also need three kilometers of land around their bubble (presumably so they can take the Earth women for walks in between breeding sessions). The demand for land, certainly a rare commodity in the floating kingdom of Japan, seems to be what provokes the military response from the Japanese government, while the young scientist investigating what is going on is more upset about their targeting his girlfriend.
The strength of this film are the scenes involving miniatures, both the ones where the Mysterians cause some natural disasters but more so when the army attacks the alien dome. There is some TohoScope footage of actual Japanese Defense Forces, and also some shots of the U.S military (we show up to help our allies), but our affection remains for the miniature tanks and cannons. Yes, there is a guy in a monster suit early on, but that is the least fun part of the movie compared to the floods and earthquakes. It is amazing how willing you are to sit and watch everything do no damage to that damn dome, although it changes color from time to time. But there is lots of action and in the end the Earthlings trot out a rocket ship to save the day.
Seeing the Mysterians (the aliens) is like looking at the ancestors of the Power Rangers, what with their bright pastel colored cloaks and crash helmets (but kewl shades). The scientific debates tend to get silly (why would anyone think the giant robot is alive?), but they certainly take the proceedings seriously enough. That is why I happily admit the rating here is based almost exclusively on the special effects with the miniatures, my nostalgic memories, and Takashi Shimura being in the movie.
Warning: Unless you instruct it otherwise you will watch the film dubbed into English, which is really the only way to watch Japanese science fiction movies, a rule that does not apply to the works of Kurosawa and other Japanese masters of cinema (so do not expect the hobgoblin of consistency to rear its ugly little head in this respect). However, the commentary track by special effects supervisors Koichi Kawakita and Shinji Higuchi is what is in Japanese with subtitles. You will also find the original theatrical trailer, which unlike the other previews included has subtitles, and some galleries. The fact there is a commentary track for this film is another reason to justify rounding up.
Movie Review: Kaiju Auteur
Summary: 4 Stars
This has some of the highest production values, some of the best FX sequences, the best musical scoring and some of the best acting to be seen in any Kaiju film. Personally, I rate this as 3rd or 4th all-time best in the Kaiju genre, behind such uber-classics as Godzilla, Invasion of the Astro-Monster, and War of the Gargantuas.
Ishiro Honda was the greatest auteur of Kaiju. He was not only the D.W. Griffith of that genre, he was also the Orson Welles. His Kaiju films can be put into 3 rough categories: earnest (i.e. Godzilla, War of the Gargantuas); surreal (Mushroom People); and camp (Invasion of the Astro Monster).
This film is mostly in the earnest category, but the sequence with the long tailed mechanical monster hints at Honda's immanent surreal and camp tendencies.
Anyhow, this is definitely a very well-made Kaiju, but it is a little slow in some places and the whole strategy of the Mysterians for conquering Earth has some serious flaws. Nonetheless, the idea of alien invaders occupying Japanese territory and and seeking total domination, not to mention the aliens' designs on the local women, is interesting. And surely this storyline must reflect Honda's attitudes toward the American occupation forces which still were maintaining high visibility in Japan in this period.
It is my understanding that this film was originally released in Cinemascope or the equivalent, and it really would have been a gas to see it on the big screen that way. The battles between the Earth forces in their strange slow-moving aerial battleships and the Mysterians' ray weapons, in glorious color and with the orchestra playing in full stereo, must have been a kick.
Of less interest is the fact that the aliens in this film seem to be the direct inspiration for a dreadful yet popular 1990's children's TV show, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
All told, this movie is still a lot more interesting and fun than most of the scifi summer blockbusters nowadays, especially the crap with Will Smith or Tom Cruise.
Movie Review: Mars needs Women!!!
Summary: 4 Stars
Essentially a Japanese remake of the 1956 Ray Harryhausen flick "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers", with just a splash of kaiju thrown in for good measure, "The Mysterians" ("Chikyû Bôeigun " or "Earth Defense Force") is good old nostalgic Sci-Fi that should best be viewed on a lazy Sunday morning, preferable in pajamas and while lying on the couch.
The plot is just what it should be. Aliens come to Earth and attempt to contact us peacefully, and they get a big rocket to the face in response. That ticks them off, so they decide to come in and take over, demanding our women and a little strip of land to call home. Being clever little Earthlings, we figure out a new super-weapon just in the nick of time, to send those guys packing. Because we are just that awesome. Go Earth!
"The Mysterians" has impeccable credentials. Director Ishirô Honda helmed the original "Godzilla" film, and he has brought in the always-great Takashi Shimura ("Seven Samurai", "Ikiru") to play the role of the venerable scientist. Honda definitely shows his kaiju yearnings, as he manages to stick in the giant robot Moguera for a few scenes, not to be seen again until the 1994 "Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla".
All in all, it is a lot of fun. Not a great movie, by any means, and not up to the caliber of the original "Godzilla", but it is good old fashioned cheesy 50's Sci-Fi, in color and Japanese-style to boot. Can't go wrong with that!
This DVD has the full release of the film, instead of the edited version that usually appeared on US television. There was a sequel to "The Mysterians", called "Battle in Outer Space (1959)" but that one doesn't seem to have an American DVD release yet.
Movie Review: The Mysterians
Summary: 4 Stars
The whole of Earth falls under attack by a race of space invaders from the planet Mysteroid that threaten to destroy all of mankind if their demands are not met. All that they require is an allotment of land in which to settle, and the right to mate with any of the women of the Earth women of their choice. Now, it is up to the people of Japan to fight off the alien menace or give in to their fiendish demands! THE MYSTERIANS encapsulates each of the most common themes that ran through Japanese Science Fiction films in the 1950's and 60's, as well as many of Fantasy director Ishiro Honda's most notable storytelling techniques. Although the special effects and miniatures are not up to Tsuburaya's usual best, many of his early attempts are extremely ambitious, and lead the way to his more impressive work in the years to follow. Akira Ifukube's monumental score, on the other hand, is a triumph within the genre. The saturated color palette also brings the aliens to life in a wide range of brightly lit hues, with THE MYSTERIANS being one of Toho's earliest Science Fiction films to be shot both in color and in TohoScope anamorphic widescreen. While it may seem silly and quaint by today's standards, this epic Space Age fantasy is a classic in Japanese cinema that is loaded with action, drama, and suspense!
-Carl Manes
I Like Horror Movies