Battle in Outer Space

Battle in Outer Space (Uchu Daisenso) (1959)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: Ishiro Honda

Starring: Ryo Ikebe, Kyoko Anzai, Minoru Takeda, Koreya Senda, Len Stanford

From: Toho

It was time for a cheesy 50’s sci-fi picture. I hate framing the movie that way given it was from Ishiro Honda, featured Eiji Tsuburaya and had music from Akira Ifukube… however, the only copy in English that I can locate is dubbed into English instead of subtitled. Plus, the plot isn’t that complex even if the music and effects are nice for the time. Technically the film is a sequel to 1957’s The Mysterians, reviewed by me about 18 months ago although that’s only because this featured more than one character that was in Mysterians, albeit played by a different actor and Battle can be viewed on its own.

Aliens from the planet Natal built a base on the moon and start their attacks on Earth. Note that this all takes place in the far-flung future of… 1965. Of course it’s more complicated than that; UFO’s appear, the aliens implant devices into the brains of certain humans, which causes sabotage on one of the two rockets sent to space; in fact, there are battles in outer space against those darned aliens.

After the initial half hour of drama and presenting the plot, they take the battle to space, where I marveled at the charming design of the ships and the practical battles done on and off the surface of the moon. The focus is on that rather than any characterization—but I’d like to think of it as a better (to me) version of those modern blockbusters which are based on spectacle rather than characters. To its credit there are several Caucasian people in the cast & a strong message of everyone together on Earth united against this common enemy. Especially in this day & age, a solid message to hear.

Plus, there are some boffo laser guns…