Runtime: 84 minutes
Directed by: Ishiro Honda
Starring: Akira Kubo,
Atsuko Takahashi, Yukiko Kobayashi, Kenji Sahara, Yoshio Tsuchiya
From: Toho
NOTE: While this print currently on Amazon Prime was dubbed rather
than subtitled, this was not the AIP version known as Yog, Monster From
Space.
I saw another kaiju movie last night but one that was not Godzilla, although it featured the usual talent behind the scenes that did some of The Big G's films and even had some of the same cast as Son of Godzilla. This one also took place on a tropical island, yet was about some characters going there as a resort will be constructed soon (despite natives living on the island) and things go haywire as a satellite crashes near there, now carrying the titular space amoeba. As it's sentient, it causes a cuttlefish-not an octopus as identified in the dubbing nor the giant squid it appears to be-a stone crab and a spiny turtle that for purpose of legal reasons does not resemble Gamera in any way grow to giant size and trample miniatures on a set as you'd expect from a genre. As it's a kaiju film, OF COURSE one of the leads is a reporter/journalist.
This is exactly what you'd expect from a movie where a creature that resembles a giant squid walks upright on land in order to destroy a tropical grass hut village. Those that enjoy the genre stand a good chance to like this also; there's a variety of different characters, a budding romance, and a wacky weakness that the amoeba has... although it's not as silly as, say, aliens trying to invade Earth when they have water as an Achilles heel... anyhow, Ishiro Honda directed this, Akira Ifukube did the score (borrowing some tracks from his King Kong vs. Godzilla score, which is far superior to the lame tracks used for the American version) and this was a cheesy good time.
Admittedly not the best thing that Honda did and the special effects do suffer as stalwart Eiji Tsuburaya had passed away after his long run doing the effects on Toho's previous kaiju features... like I said this may still satisfy genre fans.
I saw another kaiju movie last night but one that was not Godzilla, although it featured the usual talent behind the scenes that did some of The Big G's films and even had some of the same cast as Son of Godzilla. This one also took place on a tropical island, yet was about some characters going there as a resort will be constructed soon (despite natives living on the island) and things go haywire as a satellite crashes near there, now carrying the titular space amoeba. As it's sentient, it causes a cuttlefish-not an octopus as identified in the dubbing nor the giant squid it appears to be-a stone crab and a spiny turtle that for purpose of legal reasons does not resemble Gamera in any way grow to giant size and trample miniatures on a set as you'd expect from a genre. As it's a kaiju film, OF COURSE one of the leads is a reporter/journalist.
This is exactly what you'd expect from a movie where a creature that resembles a giant squid walks upright on land in order to destroy a tropical grass hut village. Those that enjoy the genre stand a good chance to like this also; there's a variety of different characters, a budding romance, and a wacky weakness that the amoeba has... although it's not as silly as, say, aliens trying to invade Earth when they have water as an Achilles heel... anyhow, Ishiro Honda directed this, Akira Ifukube did the score (borrowing some tracks from his King Kong vs. Godzilla score, which is far superior to the lame tracks used for the American version) and this was a cheesy good time.
Admittedly not the best thing that Honda did and the special effects do suffer as stalwart Eiji Tsuburaya had passed away after his long run doing the effects on Toho's previous kaiju features... like I said this may still satisfy genre fans.
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