The Mysterians (1957) User Reviews

childhood favourite still good as an adult

[gjhong · 7/10 · 28 June 2002]

I just rented "The Mysterians" which seems to be called "Earth Defence Force" in the Japanse version. The movie holds up well because it seems that the people involved treated the story seriously. When I was young I remember that the "Marcolights" were pretty cool and the music was very dramatic. The music still sounds good today but the sound quality on the tape wasn't that good.

I am glad to see the writers took the job seriously and had the characters ask the questions we asked from the audience. Can the Mysterians be trusted even though they say they are peaceful? Should we ask for a nuclear strike? The Marcolights have a limited range, how can we get around that? Should we wait for the Electronic Cannon or attack right now with the giant airships and Marcolights?

There were a few flaws. For example one of the characters mentioned that a fixed base was a weakness. I assume that is because you can't depend only on a defensive shield. A base must be defended by mobile fighter craft as well. The flying saucers performed that function until they unexpectedly retreated to the base during the climatic battle. The other weak point was the giant airships Alpha-1 and Beta-1. They moved like zeppelins and the standard cannon seemed weak. I guess their plot purpose was to be shot down so that Beta-2 could built for a second attack on the Mysterian base.

If you saw this movie as a kid it is still enjoyable as an adult. If you've never seen it then it is probably only of interest to those who want to see the early days of Japanese monster movies. You may be pleasantly surprised to see the leader of the Seven Samurai as the head scientist.

A Monsterpiece

[lordzedd-3 · 7/10 · 10 February 2007]

I am a big Ishiro Honda fan, may be rest in piece and the Mysterians show you why. Mogera is a great monster, a little on the bulky side. But still a cool robot monster. The only thing I don't get is what's up with the big multi-colored helmet. Did they need them to breath or what? Plus, what's the multi-colors for, is a sign of rank or what? But the story is sound but does drag on at points. What I respect more then anything else about Japanese especially about Japanese filmmakers like Ishiro Honda is the attention to detail they place in a film. I mean, the Mysterian ship has detailed blueprints, I doubt many other filmmakers around the world go to that much trouble. I always say no matter how much a movie doesn't work, I respect when they try their best. The Mysterians do more then just try, they succeed in many parts of the story and effects. A must have for Ishiro Honda fans and 7 big STARS.

The Science Fiction Film Most Worthy of a Remake

[Bob-45 · 6/10 · 29 March 2005]

How many American science fiction movies have conceived of survivors of the lost 10th planet (source of the asteroid belt) occupying a small chunk of territory before being attacked? NONE! Although "The Mysterians" uses some logical lapses to make the invaders clearly the bad guys (just WHY did they send the giant robot BEFORE attempting peaceful coexistance) and progresses WAY too quickly to its rousing finale (the world had these plans for superweapons just laying around), "The Mysterians" is an exciting, entertaining addition to any one's collection of "space invader movies." Well photographed, beautifully scored, decently executed (for the 50s) special effects" and freshly conceived, "The Mysterians" is better, in many ways than later films such as "Independance Day" and "V". Too bad Toho didn't make it longer and make a sequel (though it appears, that's what "Battle in Outer Space" was originally supposed to be.) See it.

The most fun you'll have watching a Japanese monster movie.

[boris-26 · 28 November 1998]

For the first fifteen minutes of "Chikyu Boeigun" (known in USA as "The Mysterians"), nothing happens. Scientist poking around a forest fire site comes face to face with a giant, metallic bird like monster. Then this film takes off, becoming more and more exciting. After the monster ravishes a village, the military kills it. We discover it's from the planet Mysteriod, and citizens of that planet are setting up a base here on Earth. The rest of the film concerns the battles betwen the Earth and The Mysterians. A bunch of Inoshira Honda's touches abound. There's a doomed hero (Ahikio Hirata) literally going on a kamikaze mission through the alien base, the plea for all nations to drop their petty squabbles and join forces to save the Earth, and wall to wall giant monster/spaceship excitement. Musician Akira Ifukube's score is militaristic, throbbing, and perfect. While "Gojira" is the best Japanese sci-fi classic, "The Mysterians", a candy coated treat is a close second, being the most fun.

Trivia note: Musician Akira Ifukube invented the famous Godzilla roar.

The End of the Cold War

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 23 August 2016]

When Godzilla with its American scenes with Raymond Burr made it to the USA it started a run of Japanese science fiction that lasted well over a decade. When I was a lad I well remember the TV commercials for this film and how I just had to go see it.

60 years later The Mysterians holds up rather well. A group of aliens arrive and demand a small tract of land for use. We have to grant it because these folks are way technologically superior to us earthlings. But when a big robot starts doing to Japan what live monsters usually do it's time to resist.

What I remember best from this was the rather quick end the USA and the USSR terminate the Cold War to fight these aliens. They also start researching and move quickly up the scale in weaponry.

They are a mysterious group these Mysterians. We never do see their faces.

It's always been a pet theory of mine that a lot of cultural differences will melt rather quickly if earth ever did face an alien invasion. The Mysterians is one of those few films that support that thesis.

I wish they'd show this thing. Back in my younger days after its theatrical release it was constantly on local TV in New York City.

Imaginative 'alien invasion' story

[jamesrupert2014 · 7/10 · 22 February 2018]

Earth has been invaded by duplicitous aliens and all nations must band together to protect our world (and our women)! "The Mysterians" is an excellent example of the creative and entertaining tokusatsu produced by Toho studios in the 1960's. Directed by kaiju perennial Ishiro Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya and music by Akira Ifukube, the film has a similar look and sound to early Godzilla movies (especially those featuring conniving aliens). The special effects are a mixed bag: the miniatures are excellent (as usual), as are the 'battle scenes' and some of the more exotic sets (the inside of the Mysterians' underground base for example), but most of the optical effects are less effective (you can see through the tanks in some of the battle scenes). As "Godzilla" (1954) had demonstrated the popularity of giant monsters, a huge bird-like mecha (the "Moguera") puts in a brief appearance early in the invasion (belying the Mysterians' later protestations of being a 'peace-loving' people). The suit-mated robot is pretty well done, as is the battle between it and the JDF. I watched a reasonably well dubbed English version of the film, but the acting seemed typical of the genre - fine, but not in particularly demanding roles. All in all, the movie is an entertaining, colourful, and imaginative science-fiction adventure with a charm than is missing (IMO) from the current generation of CGI-based films. Followed by "Battle in Outer Space" (1959), another entertaining Toho space-yarn with similar aesthetics.

Dumb - loads of fun

[Matti-Man · 6/10 · 8 March 2006]

Just saw the subbed, widescreen version of this Nipponese classic from 1957. OK, there was no characterisation to speak of. The "hero" and his professor mentor (played by Takashi Shimura, leader of the samurai in SEVEN SAMURAI, by the way) are just cardboard cut-outs serving the relentless, by-the-numbers plot. But the real star of this is the quaint-as-all-get-out vintage special effects.

The Toho spfx team were the best. Take a good look at the miniature work in the spectacular flooding scene. This is way better than similar miniature flooding scenes in the far bigger budgeted and later SUPERMAN THE MOVIE (1978), one of the last films to use traditional miniature work.

But you just got to love these Mysterians in their elegant colour-coded costumes, and the great design of the alien burrowing machine engine room.

So ... not a great deal of sense but a real visual treat. Switch off your brain, sit back and enjoy this madcap, popcorn fest for what it is. Fab, gear and groovy entertainment.

The First Toho Outer Space Film

[Johnnycitystar · 6/10 · 12 November 2007]

For Years The Mysterians has made a name for being one of the first outer space science fiction films in japan.At the time it was a popular film due to it's Amazing special effects,straight-forward plot that is interesting,Great music and Aliens.Though this film is not perfect it has it's flaws It's lack of character development,The Acting is a mixed bag and a rough pacing that somewhat downs this amazing film.

It begins at a festival with the main characters Atsumi and Shiraishi(Kenji Sahara & Ahikiko Hirata) and their girlfriends until they see a forest fire Shiraishi goes into the forest fire but is undiscovered the next day.The Next Day Atsumi gets a phone call about a tremor destroying a village.he goes and checks it out during his search he sees a landslide and something coming out a giant robot that starts attacking anything it sees it's defeated when it reaches a bridge since it was planted with explosives.days later A dome appears out of nowhere it is a alien base the aliens are called Mysterians who are on earth for at least two miles of land and five earth woman and one of them are Atsumi's girlfriend Atsumi and The Japanese government disagree with this offer so they decide to attack the mysterians with force.

soon enough Atsumi finds out Shiraishi has joined the Mysterians because of their advance technology and Science.Shiraishi warns Atsumi that attacking the Mtysterians is not smart and earth should join the mysterians.The Army Attacks but don't even put a dent on there dome and come with other ideas.Soon Enough The Mysterians kidnap Atsumi's Girlfriend ans Atsumi has no choice but save her so he finds a secret entrance to enter The dome.while in the Dome Shiraishi Helps atsumi destroy the Mysterians because The Mysterians were using him to takeover the earth.So Shiraishi tries to destroy the base and the Army using Heat Rays to destroy the Dome.The mysterians are defeated and they fly back into space.

The Plot is very Straight-forward and that how most Science-fiction films were back in the day no changing or surprising plot just straight forward.About The Mysterians the plans to defeat them and etc.

As for Special effects there are some of the best I've seen in a toho film from The Alien robot to the scene where the army soldier uses the flamethrower on the robot to the army battle between the Mysterians is excellent as well.To the inside of the dome with all the gadgets and weird technology.everything is good for the special effects.

As for Character Development it's very flat and Weak.there are no develop characters that stand-out except Shiraishi who sides with the Mysterians then Betrays them for the good of the earth.Atsumi played by Kenji Sahara is a straight-forward hero no development at all.as for everyone else the same as well there are no developed characters.

As for the Acting It's a mixed bag at times no one gets into their roles or have fun with it.Kenji Sahara gives a bland performance as Atsumi as he is out of place with his role and really isn't in to it and really needs to master his craft.Takeshi Shimura Gives without a doubt the best performance of the lot even though at times lacks the energy and feels uninspired.Same goes to Akikiko Hirata at times he's emotionless and uninspired and dosen't get into his roles.really there are no memorable performances at all.

But what Kills this film is the Pacing it feels so long with the long speeches and the planning of how to defeat the Mysterians is boring.

Overall It's A solid film with good special effect and is enjoyable.

Chikyû Bôeigun: A rare Toho flop

[Platypuschow · 3/10 · 16 September 2018]

Toho have a history of two kinds of films, the dark gritty dramas and the whimsical big monster films such as Godzilla. This is the latter.............kind of.

Toho embrace the science fiction alien invasion type movie made popular in the west and mix it with the giant monsters they seemed to love so much.

The result, a bit of a mess. I liked the general creation, I appreciated the giant monster robot but the actual plot was silly and the aliens were so ridiculous it was impossible to take them seriously. They looked like early inspiration for the Power Rangers.

The plot is outstandingly unengaging considering that it has aliens, a giant robot and a battle for the fate of the world.

Toho are writing masters, they're right up there with Studio Ghibli! So what in the blue hell was that?

Clearly Toho were having an off day, maybe too much sake was consumed that day?!

The Good:

Interesting looking monster

The Bad:

Plot is terrible

Aliens are laughable

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Aliens are a blend of teletubbies and power rangers, who wear sunglasses indoors

Silly fun

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 1 April 2021]

Known as Chikyu Boeigun (Earth Defense Force) in Japan, The Mysterians is important to our kaiju studies as it contains the first appearance of Moguera, who would one day become M. O. G. U. E. R. A. (Mobile Operation Godzilla Universal Expert Robot Aero-type), who took over the role intended for Mechagodzilla in Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla. While the robot never was in a Godzilla film in the Showa timelime, he would become the big green guy's only ally in the Heisei films*.

But here, he starts the movie blowing up a village and then gets destroyed by the military before the Mysterians show up, demanding their own land and the right to marry Earth women.

That's because 10,000 years ago the planet Mysteroid was destroyed by a nuclear war. Once it was the fifth planet from our sun and now it's nothing, with the Mysterians losing eighty percent of their people and needing to get at least five Earth women to make their race strong again.

Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka recruited Jojiro Okami, an aeronautical engineer and military test pilot who later became a science fiction writer to write the script for director Ishiro Honda.

The story of this movie would continue in 1959's Battle In Space and 1977's The War In Space. As for its influence, the band ? And the Mysterians would get their name from this film.

*The original Moguera suit was destroyed by an accidental fire during the filming of The Prophecies of Nostradamus.

Aliens Attack Japan!

[AaronCapenBanner · 3/10 · 30 April 2014]

Ishiro Honda directs this kid-friendly science fiction tale that starts off with a giant robot attacking Japan after emerging from a mountain; after it is repelled, the military and scientists learn that it was created by mysterious aliens who offer a peaceful co-existence but in reality want to occupy and invade the country - and steal their women too... Of course, they must be stopped, and are fought with every weapon at the military's disposal, and that the scientists can create. Lots of action, but is awfully silly and one-dimensional otherwise, though better enjoyed in the original Japanese language track on the DVD.

Ifukube's score is the most action packed score ever.

[Horror Fan · 10/10 · 14 February 1999]

The Japanese tape begins with an overture. The music with the overture is the greatest film score ever written by Akira Ifukube. So this film concerns hooded aliens who come to Earth with plans to capture and have sex with Earth women. So they release a huge bird-like robot named Mogera (it later returned renovated in Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla) to prove they mean buisness. The army manages to defeat it by booby trapping the bridge and blowing it up while the monster is using it. Then the battle for the cosmos begins with the Mysterians and their ray firing ships and the humans and their markalite lasers. This is another film I believe inspired the film Independence Day. It's certainly the most colorful of any of the fifties invasion flicks. A must. Eiji Tsuburaya also did an exellent job with his marvelous miniatures and special effects.

I watched this on the big screen when it came out...

[bheadher · 7/10 · 20 June 2020]

...and boy am I laughing now. The Japanese pumped out scifi movies for quite a while back then, and marketed them to the US. Always extremely low budget and with production values that no one would envy, they were sometimes entertaining

The Mysterians was one of the exceptions, actually posessing a plot, even if it was entirely predictable for an nine year old boy like me. Sure, it is dumb and cheesy...all of them were, but you could still enjoy them for their quirks.

Not The Greatest Of Toho's Kaijus.

[meddlecore · 4/10 · 23 October 2019]

Suruga Bay is suffering from the aftermath of nuclear fallout, with all the radioactively toxic sludge having washed into the sea where it has been either killing or deforming the sea creatures that dwell there.

Inevitably- with a little help from the imagination of a child- a monstrous, smog sucking, tadpole creature arises from the depths to wreak have on the Surugans.

Meanwhile, a number of mysterious natural disasters start to occur around Japan. So a group of scientists set out to investigate the matter, only to discover they have been beset upon by a giant robotic monster...that has been designed for destruction.

Eventually, they discover that the robot was created by the Mysterians- from Planet Mysteroid- who are operating from the dark side of the moon, and an underground base on Earth.

Mysteroid was, apparently, the fifth planet in the solar system, before the Mysterians blew it up as a result of their reckless use of nuclear weapons.

Those lucky enough to escape first settled on Mars, before moving to the Moon, with plans to colonize Earth.

However, the Mysterians only seek to colonize an area within a 3-mile radius of their base...though they also want to mate with the Earth women (as their DNA has been damaged from exposure to radiation)...and warn them against any thoughts of military intervention.

Really, they seek to prevent the humans from colonizing space, themselves. All while getting that sweet Earth ...

There's no Godzilla in this one (though there is that one robot kaiju earlier on in the film)...this is a purely technological battle- where human ingenuity is pitted against a race of technologically advanced invaders.

It's all a weird blend of 50's UFO induced paranoia, Japanese xenophobia, and attempts to spin in post-war nationalistic sentiment (after their military was supplanted by the Americans).

And there's something subtly Nazi-ish about it...

Despite the fact that they end up fighting alongside the Americans, under the UN banner, the Japanese are always portrayed as superior...with the underlying implication that they will dominate the world sphere through influence wielded from technological supremacy.

Also...it's kind of boring, relatively speaking...and the special effects are pretty bad, comparatively.

4 out of 10.

Good Invasion Flick From Toho

[Sargebri · 28 April 2005]

This is a pretty decent invasion film. This time around, Honda seems to have been inspired by the films "War of the Worlds" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and does a good job in conveying a lot of themes that pretty much permeate a lot of his films, fear of nuclear war and the world unifying for a common cause. Also, Akihiko pretty much built on his portrayal of the tragic hero that sacrifices himself at the end to save humanity and did his usual good job.

The only complaint I have about the film is the fact that the appearance of Moguera takes place too early in the film and his destruction is much too early. They do return him to the end, but I would have preferred to see him as the weapon of last resort that the aliens use to try to deliver the crushing blow. Other than that, this is a pretty good movie.

Japanese Monster Mash

[dingin77 · 7/10 · 2 February 2009]

Japanese "monster" movies of the post-war 1950s were cleverly-disguised satires of the American occupation.

Two things were going on: The Americans were every where and they had lots of money. The US set the exchange rate at 360 yen to the dollar. The Japanese were desperately trying to rebuild their economy and taxes ran high along with barely submerged resentment of Americans.

Enter the low-budget film maker. Finding production money was tough so they were rather frugal in their spending on everything but film and sound tape. Indulge in a guilty pleasure and re-visit the genre; imagine sitting in a theater full of Japanese kids cheering every time the giant mutant monster destroys a US tank or airplane.

Toy explosion

[pbczf · 6/10 · 23 October 2023]

The aliens are here and all they want is the land within a radius of three kilometers. OK, now all they want is the land within a 120-kilometer radius. OK, now all they want is all of eastern Japan and all the women. Now it's time to fight! Although the plot doesn't quite hang together, this is no low-budget film. Takashi Shimura, a member of Kurosawa's stock company and who brilliantly played the bureaucrat who thinks he's about to die in Ikiru, is the elder scientist Dr Adachi. The model work in the natural disasters at the beginning of the film is first-rate and the aliens are very stylish: there was a very high cape budget and the helmets have small antennae that seem to imitate the decorations on samurai helmets. The interior of the aliens' lair is like an explosion of 1950s Japanese toys. You may quickly forget the Very Important Lessons the film is trying to teach, but the cool visitors make an impression.

B-movie fun

[davidmvining · 7/10 · 26 April 2024]

Up until the final ten minutes or so, I was a bit more mixed on this science fiction effort by Ishiro Honda. It's silly but doesn't realize it. It's got that singular obsession with dull scientists that Honda has included with every monster movie he's made so far. It's both underexplained and overexplained at the same time. But, with ten minutes to go, a character is reintroduced in a narratively interesting way, and it pushed my appreciation up just a bit more. This, reportedly the personal favorite of Honda himself from his own work, is a small gem from a shaky and uneven filmography.

In a small village at the base of Mount Fuji, astrophysicist Ryoichi (Akihiko Hirata) insists on doing his research despite no seeming reason for it at that particular place, causing confusion in his friend Joji (Kenji Sahara), his sister Etsuko (Yumi Shirakawa), and his fiancée Hiroko (Momoko Kochi). Before we get time to settle on these questions, though, presented during a local and colorful festival, the forest surrounding the village is consumed in flames. A few days later, an earthquake eats up the entire town and, supposedly, Ryoichi himself who stayed behind to further investigate. Out of this hole comes a giant dome, populated by the eponymous Mysterians, an extraterrestrial race that come from a planet Ryoichi had theorized was once in between Mars and Jupiter. The translation around celestial phenomena seems to be not great, but I think it's supposed to have once been the Asteroid belt. The subtitles say that it was original a star, which would make no sense, so I think it's really just a translation issue and not that Honda and his screenwriter, Takeshi Kimura, think that asteroids come from stars.

Anyway, the Mysterians come with a message that they only want three square kilometers of land for their own, and Japan is having none of it. They immediately set out to attack. One of the issues I have with the film is how we are expected to assume that the Japanese efforts are just. I think it may just be a "defense of the homeland" sort of thing, but there isn't even that kind of explanation given. No one says, "Not Japan! Go to China and displace those dogs," or anything. It's just, the Mysterians show up, and it's time to fight them. And fight them the Japanese forces do, helped not at all by the fact that the Mysterians' first appearance is a giant robot that comes crashing out of a mountain and causing havoc (put in to take advantage of that whole Godzilla craze for giant things stomping on stuff that Honda started with Godzilla).

The regular joy of these Honda monster/science fiction films is the special effects, and it's obvious that Honda had a good budget to play with here. The miniature work is very good, and there's a lot of it. Special flying ships. Lasers. Rolling antennae that shoot big beams of tech that are definitely not nuclear powered (it's an assumption going in at this point that Honda makes non-nuclear, at best, movies, if not outright anti-nuclear, necessitating often ridiculous leaps in new technology for characters to use). But, aside from some brief negotiations, television broadcasts from Ryoichi saying that the Mysterians are truly peaceful and humanity should do what it can to appease them, and some high-level discussions in the military and civilian government (including some international discussions with the UN) about what to do, the focus of the back half of the film really is those special effects.

The talk is mostly just excuses to use new-looking technology to try and explode things, and I do get a kick out of it. It honestly wasn't enough to save the film overall for me since pretty much the entirety of the human-side of the storytelling was dull, but I was having a decent enough time. And then, Ryoichi's friends sneak into the Mysterian base, and we get a reintroduction of a character who finally provides the rationale for the Japanese people to uniformly oppose the presence of the Mysterians, and it was a nice narrative effort to provide some small levels of complexity and even what one might consider a plot twist into things. Well, let's just say that I appreciated that a lot more than the inventor of the oxygen destroyer killing himself at the end of Godzilla as an effort to appease the guilty Japanese conscience.

So, it's colorful fun that almost doesn't have enough to come together as a whole but pulls it off in the end. It's not anywhere close to Honda's best film (I have to assume that Honda was talking about his science-fiction output when he called The Mysterians his favorite, purposefully separating them from his melodramas and war films because those are regularly far superior). However, in terms of his science-fiction work, it's a bit more thoughtfully crafted and comes together decently well. Also, I always get a chuckle at seeing Takashi Shimura in a film like this. It's so beneath him, but he was a contract player at Toho and was game for anything the producers assigned him.

Fun, but I just wanted more big robot stuff

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 6/10 · 5 May 2022]

Fairly enjoyable Japanese science-fiction film about a group of very odd aliens that launch an invasion on earth, mainly because they're after earth women. You kind of have to just go with it- it's that kind of movie.

It was directed by Ishiro Honda, who did many of the early Godzilla films. As such, the sequence near the start which features a giant monster (well, robot) is probably the best part of the movie. I definitely wanted more of the giant robot stomping around, and while the other action sequences later on aren't bad, they didn't really measure up.

Still, the aliens are unique-looking and not your typical movie alien invaders, and it's only about 90 minutes long, which I'm always a fan of when it comes to straightforward, fairly simple sci-fi movies like this. It contains a decent amount of goofy, old-fashioned fun for anyone who likes this kind of stuff.

flash gordon (1930) meets plan 9 from outer space

[r-c-s · 2/10 · 8 January 2006]

well, this movie is NOT very brilliant. lots of toys, poor budget, C series acting. You get giant rockets reminiscent of those Buster Krabbe 1930's Flash Gordon movies but the overall feeling is that we're dealing with some upscale (!) version of "plan 9 from outer space". The monster MOGERA will resurface decades later in the 1990's Godzilla movies. SFX are laughable, even back in the 1950's: most scenes are either garage sales toys or regular scenes with poor superposed effects, like the burning effect or else. Overall, not a movie worth any price and not a movie i'd watch twice. The Universal horrors of the 1930's and even Abbott&Costello meet Frankenstein had in comparison sky-high super SFX.

Much better once the dopey giant monster is gone.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 28 July 2021]

"The Mysterians" ("Chikyû Bôeigun") is a Japanese science fiction film that is part giant monster film and part serious sci-fi. When it's serious sci-fi and its plot is about an invasion of the planet, it's pretty good. When it's a giant silly looking monster (like Godzilla and an accordian...with deely bopper antennae), it is pretty stupid....and really unnecessary to the plot.

Some aliens from what was the planet between Mars and Jupiter arrive and set up camp in Japan. While these aliens say they want peace and are not invading....well, they don't want peace and they are invading. So it's up to all the know-it-all scientists and the military to figure out a way to dispossess these interlopers...especially now that they are also demanding nookie with some Earth women!

This is a decent film....but the whole giant monster portion definitely seems out of place and hurts the overall film. Very watchable but nothing more.

Japan's Fantasies Finest Hour

[xerses13 · 8/10 · 10 November 2005]

We have always enjoyed the early Japanese Fantasy Films circa 1954-1963. During this time they took themselves and there subjects seriously. What ever their technical short comings were you could see they were in earnest. Basically after this period starting with KING KONG -vs- GODZILLA the slide down to kiddy fare began just a step above STARMAN.

Though we consider the original GORJIRA/Godzilla as the first and the best THE MYSTERIANS is the one (1) we enjoyed most. This is a SPACE OPERA on a grand scale. Watching it is like seeing the old pulp Science-Fiction magazine covers of the 1930's being brought to life. Basically the team that acted and made the original Godzilla are back plus the addition of Technicolor and WideScreen. They needed a big and splashy story and THEM -vs- US for the world was the canvas that well suited this first effort.

We first saw it on T.V. in the mid 1960s and were enthralled like any early teenagers by these scenes of action and massed destruction. But even then we (my brother and I) felt something was missing. It was not until the early 1990s that we saw a restored Japanese print in it's original format (WS) and subtitled in English that what happened on screen made sense. Best of all there were more scenes of destruction.

It is a pity that TOHO did not make a direct sequel and made BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE instead (still a fun film). Now that they are more technically adapt it would be nice to see this film remade. The one (1) thing I would keep though (other then the basic plot line) is the exceptional musical score.

First seen on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater in 1979

[kevinolzak · 5/10 · 25 February 2022]

1957's "The Mysterians" ("Chikyu Boeigun" or Earth Defense Force in Japan) kicked off Toho's 'space opera' trilogy, preceding "Battle in Outer Space" and "Gorath," both done on a higher budget, this one remaining grounded in one earthbound location with the forces from Mysteroid, an asteroid near Jupiter that had already conquered Mars, first sending out a robot called Moguera to wreak havoc in nearby villages after emerging from a cliff. Decimated by nuclear annihilation, the aliens have come to Earth for women to repopulate their race, meeting resistance as nations across the globe unite to defeat them. The robot remains the one concession to a giant monster, and is also played by Godzilla veteran Haruo Nakajima, it's just a shame that its rampage ends before the half hour mark. Once the Mysterians prove that their 'peaceful' intentions are false, the entire second half consists of one battle after another, plenty of action but little human conflict apart from Akihiko Hirata, whose belief in the invaders almost leads to Earth's downfall. "Battle in Outer Space" would be an upgrade, split between forces on the moon and in the skies above, while "Gorath" offers a wandering star threatening to devour our planet.

Colourful, toy-like sci-fi romp although occasionally draggy

[DrLenera · 5 March 2005]

Although best known for their Godzilla series, Japan's Toho Studios made many other sci fi and fantasy films. This was the first of many that would be about aliens from another world invading Earth {that idea would be later incorporated into quite a few Godzilla films}. It's dated in some respects but still pretty good fun and must have seemed quite impressive at the time of it's western release. Before that the only major film that dealt with alien invasion on a "full scale,open war" kind of level was The War Of The Worlds, and The Mysterians attempts even more, if not quite succeeding, in the way of spectacle.

The first half hour is terrific, the characters are briefly introduced, strange things happen and a large bird-like robot goes on the rampage in Godzilla fashion. After this,things go downhill a little bit, too much time is taken up with meetings and the lengthy battle scenes between the aliens and the humans are a bit static and go on a little too long. Nevertherless there is a charming toy-like nature to these scenes, as various futuristic weapons are employed against the invaders.

Special effects are occasionally poor {watch out for the awful superimposed explosions} but generally better than most Hollywood sci fi films of the time. Filmed in very garish colour {which particularly highlights the alien's costumes} and with a tremendous main march theme by Akira Ifikube, the Mysterians has it's dull bits, but is still worth watching for some childish fun. Toho would perfect the alien invasion idea two years later with the incredible Battle In Outer Space.

Mogera Is Awesome! This film However Is Not IMHO

[coconutkungfu-30704 · 4/10 · 21 October 2021]

Mogera appears in this film for the first time, and it is a sight to behold! Mogera is an excellent Kaiju and the scenes featuring it are pure awesomeness. Sadly, much of the rest of the film falls pretty flat.

The plot is not necessarily bad, it's more so that it isn't told in a very compelling way, and it never really takes off and engages me as a viewer. When Mogera is onscreen the movie shines, but any other time it is fairly uninteresting and subpar to me.

One of my least favorites of the TOHO Kaiju/Tokosatsu movies unfortunately, despite the very cool kaiju in it.