Invaders from Space
Entry updated 27 March 2023. Tagged: Film.
Japanese/US film (1965). Shintoho. Directed by Teruo Ishii. Written by Ichiro Miyagawa. Cast includes Ken Utsui. 77 minutes. Black and white.
This film was compiled from episodes 3 and 4 of the Japanese Super Giant film series (see Tokusatsu): The Mysterious Spacemen's Demonic Castle (1957, 39 minutes, original title Sūpā Jaiantsu – Kaiseijin no Majō) and Earth on the Verge of Destruction (1957, 48 minutes, original title Sūpā Jaiantsu – Chikyū Metsubō Sunzen). They formed a two part story that was edited and dubbed by Walter Manley Enterprises into Invaders from Space for American television. The Superman-like hero Super Giant was renamed Star Man; the other US television films made from the series were Atomic Rulers (1965), Attack from Space (1965) and Evil Brain from Outer Space (1966).
Learning the Salamander Men of the planet Kulimon (see Aliens) plan to destroy the Earth – and concerned that the resulting radiation would contaminate their own atmosphere – the inhabitants of the Emerald Planet (which we are told is two billion miles away) send Star Man (Utsui) to defeat the Salamander Men.
In fact, rather than using nuclear weapons, the Salamander Men spread a virus to wipe out humanity so they can have the planet to themselves (see Invasion) – though they do have radioactive breath that can paralyse people's brains. The virus is spread by a dance troupe whose futuristic act – and the performers' seemingly inhuman agility – attracts large crowds. Japan begins building an arsenal to fight the aliens, who respond by kidnapping a Scientist and dangling his granddaughter over a pool of acid to get him to reveal the arsenal's location; fortunately Star Man arrives in time to rescue her. Later a Salamander Woman, who carries a staff and seems more witch-like than the males, torments the scientist's family in their house: she melts when a fire extinguisher is accidentally set off, and humanity now knows the chemicals that can kill the aliens.
The Salamander Men begin to destroy Earth's cities and attack the arsenal, but Star Man takes out one of their Spaceships, causing the rest of the fleet to retreat to their home planet. The danger posed by Star Man and by humanity now knowing their weakness leads to a drastic plan – to stop Earth's rotation unless it surrenders. Star Man enters the spaceship carrying the device that will perform this feat and – after battling all the crew – destroys it. There is then a fight between Star Man and the leader of the Salamander Men: first in the air (not the most convincing of scenes), then underwater – where the leader eventually explodes. The remaining aliens are wiped out by soldiers whose guns shoot the chemicals known to melt them.
The plot is flawed (how much of this can be blamed on the English dub is unclear) and the Star Man fight scenes are poor; nonetheless, this is the best of the series. The Salamander Men entertain and are made more interesting by being based on Kappa, the often malicious amphibious creature of Japanese Mythology; the spartan design of their spaceships is reasonably effective and the dance troupe's show is interesting. These Villains are also Shapeshifters, though their mimicking of humans is imperfect, with disfigured faces; thus they usually appear masked when taking human form, but readily reveal their features when they wish to terrorize (see Horror). [SP]
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