Movie Review: Invaders from Space

I will not quit on you, Sci-Fi Invasion box set. No matter what kind of lame, bizarre, and boring junk you throw at me, I will keep coming back until the last movie is done. It may take some time, but I will get through. I just have to look at each movie as an opportunity, a new experience, and hopefully I will walk away with something. Good or bad, every movie adds to your experience. This latest experience is pretty unique. I cannot truthfully say I completely disliked it, but I cannot exactly recommend it either.



The movie is called Invaders from Space. It hails from Japan and arrived in the States in 1965, although its actual origins date back to 1957. After watching this bizarre find I feel fairly certain it helped coin the phrase "Meanwhile, in Japan." Seriously, it is a bizarre slice of science fiction that it almost defies explanation. Still, I guess it is not all Japan in this case, although a lot of it is. The movie is a cobbling together of a children's serial called Super Giant and is one of a series of four films. It is slapped together and held in place by some voice over narration.

The story contends that the Earth is about to be invaded and destroyed by the Salamander Men of the planet Kulimon. This news is learned by the Emerald people of a neighboring planet, they are afraid that any resulting radiation from the battle on Earth would infect their planet. So, being the kind alien souls they are, they send their hero, Starman (Ken Otsui)m outfitted with the globometer, a special device that allows the wearer to fly, to travel through space, and speak the languages of Earth. In reality, it is a watch. And the Emerald people are depicted as a group of odd looking aliens who communicate n waving their arms.

On Earth, the Salamander Men disguise themselves as an avant garde dance troupe, a ruse they use to spread a deadly virus. All right, it is about here that I kind of stopped following all the details of the plot. All we really need to know is that the bad aliens are trying to take over, Starman is fighting to help us, and scientists are trying to figure out a weapon to use against the bad guys. That really is all there is to it.

So, what are you going to watch this for? You can start with the arm waving aliens at the start. There are the undercover Salamander Men who look like gangsters and have faces that look like a cross between Joker and a Goomba, movie version. Watch the Salamander Men fight by dancing around and doing flips. Watch Starman throw punches that never land. Watch the Salamander Men spit radioactive breath. How about the threat of dropping a child into acid? Perhaps watch the bad guys reverse the rotation of the Earth, affecting baseballs and beakers.

It is crazy, nonsensical, and for a brief time, a little fun. It is cheap, corny, and definitely a product of its time. It is not something I would ever recommend going out of your way for, but should you happen to uncover it, spend a few minutes win it.

Not Recommended.