A group of benign aliens warn the earth's leaders about a runaway planet that's on collision course with our world. Scientists work with the aliens to avert this impending catastrophe before it's too late. Unfortunately, a bunch of no-count mobsters kidnap one prominent scientist who has a formula the aliens need to succeed with their mission. Director Koji Shima relates the compelling story at a steady pace and maintains a serious tone that becomes progressively bleaker in the last third with severe heat and natural disasters ravaging the earth. Hideo Oguni's clever and inspired script combines crime, alien and apocalyptic end-of-the-world elements together in a fresh and engaging manner. The cast all contribute sound performances, with especially commendable work by Bontaro Miyake as the wise Dr. Kamura, Isao Yamagata as the equally sage Dr. Matsuda, Shozo Nanbu as the eager young Dr. Toro Isobe, and Keizo Kawasaki as the excitable Toru. The wonderfully bizarre one-eyed starfish-shaped extraterrestrials look really neat and distinctive. Seitaro Omori's rousing score, Kimio Watanabe's sharp, vibrant cinematography, and the funky special effects are all up to speed as well. Moreover, there's a pleasant central message about not judging other creatures solely on the basis of their physical appearance and an interesting point made about nuclear weapons having the potential to be put to good use. Offbeat, intriguing and well worth a watch.
Review of Warning from Space
