"Battle in Outer Space" is another gem from Toho Studios. The film boasts some excellent (for 1959) special effects. The color print is stunning as well. The plot is similar to "The Mysterians" with aliens trying to take over mankind. In the end of course, earth triumphs over the aliens. The acting is decent, the dubbing is passable. The music score is done well. The real star of this film are the outer space scenes. I really enjoyed the spacecraft as well as the battle scenes. Toho Studios are more well known for their monster films (Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra)but these space films are just as good. If you get a chance, catch this as well as "The Mysterians".
37 Reviews
A Rarity from The Steven Spielberg of Japan
flapdoodle648 June 2011
Ishiro Honda is the Steven Spielberg of Japan in that he created a huge body of work...big, exciting, fantasy movies of such number, quality and iconic value that he stands head and shoulders above his peers.
This film is among Honda's lesser known works, and is a rarity in that there is absolutely no Kaiju in this film, not even a robot Kaiju such as seen in the better-known 'The Mysterians'. And, in terms of the fantastic cinema of Japan, this is one of the more serious science fiction creations of the period, although containing many inaccuracies that would be glaring to anyone with the slightest familiarity to the work of George Pal.
This film features creative and interesting FX that vastly outshine most of what the US was producing at this time, and might even have the most complex miniature sets and sequences of anything produced by Toho during the classic period. There are large scale space ship dogfight sequences that anticipate Star Wars, which was done 17 years later.
The plot, while not profound, is sufficiently interesting and entertaining and the actors are good enough to make this an enjoyable escapist film. Thematically, this is classic Invasion Literature, with few new wrinkles thrown in...definitely straightforward, Honda doesn't give us anything ambiguous or subversive to chew over.
Any fan of old-school scifi and Kaiju films is liable to enjoy this one very much, it's just an impressive spectacle.
This film is among Honda's lesser known works, and is a rarity in that there is absolutely no Kaiju in this film, not even a robot Kaiju such as seen in the better-known 'The Mysterians'. And, in terms of the fantastic cinema of Japan, this is one of the more serious science fiction creations of the period, although containing many inaccuracies that would be glaring to anyone with the slightest familiarity to the work of George Pal.
This film features creative and interesting FX that vastly outshine most of what the US was producing at this time, and might even have the most complex miniature sets and sequences of anything produced by Toho during the classic period. There are large scale space ship dogfight sequences that anticipate Star Wars, which was done 17 years later.
The plot, while not profound, is sufficiently interesting and entertaining and the actors are good enough to make this an enjoyable escapist film. Thematically, this is classic Invasion Literature, with few new wrinkles thrown in...definitely straightforward, Honda doesn't give us anything ambiguous or subversive to chew over.
Any fan of old-school scifi and Kaiju films is liable to enjoy this one very much, it's just an impressive spectacle.
In context, this is actually a very good sci-fi film.
planktonrules23 May 2011
In the 1950s and 60s, quite a few Japanese sci-fi and horror films were sold to the US. Then, the studios chopped the films apart and inserted American actors into some of the scenes to supposedly make them more acceptable to the public. Perhaps this was true, but in all these cases you wish today that you could also see the original non-bastardized version as well. One of the most famous examples of this sort of film is the original "Godzilla"--where they added lots of footage of Raymond Burr saying and doing practically nothing of value! In fact, his pointless performance was parodied very cleverly on "Pinky & the Brain"...with Burr's character saying "...yes....yes...I see..." every time the camera cut to him! "Battle in Outer Space" was originally "Uchû Daisensô" but was sold to Columbia Pictures for American distribution and I assume, too, that changes were once again made for domestic distribution. Unlike many of these films, it has been unavailable for viewing due to the film's decomposition (the print turned red). Somehow, they've either restored it or found a decent copy, as recently it has finally been re-released on DVD as well as on local On Demand viewing--and I must say the glorious 1950s color is outstanding.
The film begins with a UFO attack on an Earth space station orbiting our planet. Soon, UFOs are seen all over the planet and naturally the governments of the Earth (led by the Japanese) are organizing to combat this. But the scourge is much worse--aliens have also been kidnapping humans and implanting them with devices to control them! And, when you think it can't get any worse, the aliens set up a base on the Moon--presumptively to use for an eventual attack on the planet. All this occurs just in the first 20 minutes! Can the human race survive in an eventual battle in outer space?! If you compare this to other space films of the era, "Battle in Outer Space" is actually quite exceptional--and is probably among the best. However, with huge advances in technology since this film was made, today it all comes off as very quaint. But, don't dismiss it so quickly--as I said, for its time it's very good. The action sequences (especially those in space where you can't see all the wires!) and effects are Japanese 1950s robot cool. The biggest weakness in the film is in its narrative and characters--which are a tad bland.
Thank goodness the Earth they had their flying weinermobiles! See the film and you'll know what I mean.
The film begins with a UFO attack on an Earth space station orbiting our planet. Soon, UFOs are seen all over the planet and naturally the governments of the Earth (led by the Japanese) are organizing to combat this. But the scourge is much worse--aliens have also been kidnapping humans and implanting them with devices to control them! And, when you think it can't get any worse, the aliens set up a base on the Moon--presumptively to use for an eventual attack on the planet. All this occurs just in the first 20 minutes! Can the human race survive in an eventual battle in outer space?! If you compare this to other space films of the era, "Battle in Outer Space" is actually quite exceptional--and is probably among the best. However, with huge advances in technology since this film was made, today it all comes off as very quaint. But, don't dismiss it so quickly--as I said, for its time it's very good. The action sequences (especially those in space where you can't see all the wires!) and effects are Japanese 1950s robot cool. The biggest weakness in the film is in its narrative and characters--which are a tad bland.
Thank goodness the Earth they had their flying weinermobiles! See the film and you'll know what I mean.
A fun movie, worth seeing
rudge4929 November 2005
Saw this when I was 11 years old, I recall the rocket fighters sent up by the Earth Forces are based on the X-15 rocket plane. One thing I remember-and it moved me at the time, and is one of the movie's strengths-is the scene where the earth space ships go past the area where the space station was destroyed-and you see the bodies of the crew. The action moves at a brisk pace, no long winded speeches or philosophizing. The SFX are pretty good for the time. As a side issue, I got a chuckle when I saw "Star Wars" in 1977, I recognized the "futuristic weapons" as being models of British Lee Enfields, German MG-42 machine guns, Heckler & Koch submachine guns.
Fun movie, cool miniatures
ebeckstr-115 January 2019
Some really neat miniatures, beautiful matte paintings, and a very cool lunar set, are the highlights of this movie. It's fun entertainment for the first half, but becomes especially enjoyable midway through once our heroes land on the Moon.
As other reviewers have noted, this movie seems to have influenced Star Wars, in particular a couple of shots during the climactic battle in space, which seem as though Lucas might have lifted them from a print of this film and dropped them right into A New Hope.
As other reviewers have noted, this movie seems to have influenced Star Wars, in particular a couple of shots during the climactic battle in space, which seem as though Lucas might have lifted them from a print of this film and dropped them right into A New Hope.
Not one of director Hondas' best, but diverting enough.
Hey_Sweden13 September 2015
Hostile aliens from the planet of Natal make their presence known to the people of Earth. All that they demand is complete surrender. But humankind won't go down without a fight. All the nations of the planet are thus motivated to band together. An integrated crew mans two rockets that are flown to the moon, where it is believed that the aliens are headquartering.
"Battle in Outer Space" is fun to watch, to a degree, although this viewer never found it as exciting as he might have liked. It is slightly overlong, and plodding. It takes until the final quarter hour of the movie until the title battle can take place. The characters, by and large, lack any really interesting features, except perhaps for the dedicated scientist Professor Adachi, played by Koreya Senda. There is a quiet romantic interlude early on, but it's over before too long.
At the least, it can be said that this is fairly colourful (both literally and figuratively) entertainment. The visuals are nicely photographed in widescreen by cinematographer Hajime Koizumi, and the special effects are rather dazzling. Some of the sequences on the moon are reasonably creepy. One fine moment occurs when one of our human characters risks their own life to ensure that the other heroes can make a clean getaway.
The extremely prolific Japanese genre director Ishiro Honda gives the proceedings a decent amount of style. His movie does just fine as a selection for a slow Sunday afternoon.
Six out of 10.
"Battle in Outer Space" is fun to watch, to a degree, although this viewer never found it as exciting as he might have liked. It is slightly overlong, and plodding. It takes until the final quarter hour of the movie until the title battle can take place. The characters, by and large, lack any really interesting features, except perhaps for the dedicated scientist Professor Adachi, played by Koreya Senda. There is a quiet romantic interlude early on, but it's over before too long.
At the least, it can be said that this is fairly colourful (both literally and figuratively) entertainment. The visuals are nicely photographed in widescreen by cinematographer Hajime Koizumi, and the special effects are rather dazzling. Some of the sequences on the moon are reasonably creepy. One fine moment occurs when one of our human characters risks their own life to ensure that the other heroes can make a clean getaway.
The extremely prolific Japanese genre director Ishiro Honda gives the proceedings a decent amount of style. His movie does just fine as a selection for a slow Sunday afternoon.
Six out of 10.
Uchû daisensô: Absolutely atrocious
Platypuschow30 September 2018
In 1957 Toho brought us The Mysterians in an attempt to cashin on the popularity of sci-fi movies in the west. It was commercially successful but in this guys eyes was an appalling film.
It spawned two sequels and this is the first of them. I expected bad, I just didn't expect it to be anywhere near as bad as this.
I'd give my usual brief on the story but I'd feel dirty in doing so. Partially because it's so recycled and partially because it's such an absolute mess.
Somehow it actually manages to look bad even for it's time, the writing is atrocious and the plot is a jumbled mess of incoherence, pseudo science and stupidity.
Toho made great moody bleak movies and became the kings of the kaiju films but sci-fi? What an embarassment.
The Good:
It ended
The Bad:
Awful plot
Incredibly ugly
Cringe inducing script
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
Gravity randomly turns on and off at will
Toho scifi is too bad even for the Scyfy channel
It spawned two sequels and this is the first of them. I expected bad, I just didn't expect it to be anywhere near as bad as this.
I'd give my usual brief on the story but I'd feel dirty in doing so. Partially because it's so recycled and partially because it's such an absolute mess.
Somehow it actually manages to look bad even for it's time, the writing is atrocious and the plot is a jumbled mess of incoherence, pseudo science and stupidity.
Toho made great moody bleak movies and became the kings of the kaiju films but sci-fi? What an embarassment.
The Good:
It ended
The Bad:
Awful plot
Incredibly ugly
Cringe inducing script
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
Gravity randomly turns on and off at will
Toho scifi is too bad even for the Scyfy channel
pleasant 1950s B budgeted Japanese sci-fi, better than THE MYSTERIANS
r-c-s17 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
In the future (1965!) alien invaders attack earth. They ride flying saucers and are able to control humans through microscopic brain implants. They destroy a giant, manned satellite and then proceed to build a base on the moon. Counterattack is soon launched and the battle is won after a few plot twists. TAKEN FOR WHAT IT IS (=Japanese 1950s low budget ) is is a very pleasant movie: SFX are good, era/genre wise. It is much better than THE MYSTERIANS. Character development is little (if anything). There are no meaningful plot twists, besides the "human controlled by aliens", played twice ( subplot often used in coming sci-fi series, namely the 1960s UFO ). Acting is mediocre and cardboard. There are a few incongruities: the first subdued human is an Indian scientist attending a secret convention to showcase the new weapons to use against the aliens. Interpol agents arrive chasing said Indian scientist...but how could they possibly know of his trance induced by aliens? Later, aliens attacks the 2 spaceships approaching the Moon. Yet, while said spaceships are exposed during the landing phase, aliens mysteriously disappear, to come back later. Again, no trace of the aliens during a few meaningful moments of vulnerability. Also watch out for the chase after prof. Achmed: more goofy&hilarious than Abbott&Costello! All in all a pleasant movie, but i'm not sure i'd watch it twice.
One continuous Battle for the World movie.
OllieSuave-0073 May 2001
This movie is a fight for Planet Earth, which is being invaded by munchkin-like aliens from the planet Matel. This film is one big and continuous battle between the humans and aliens, involving lots of flying saucers, rockets and laser guns. The scene where the humans and aliens battle in outer space is an inspiring work of special effects, which closely resemble a battle fought in "Star Wars." And, that particular movie didn't come to theaters in another 18 years! Though the special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya are good, the plot in this movie was not inspiring and even boring at times (especially the beginning scenes where the people blabber with one another on the planet invasion case and on the weapon inspections). The human characters weren't very remarkable. Jojiro Okami and Shinichi Sekizawa's story is interesting, but the plot just wasn't intriguing. The action scenes were the saving grace of the film.
Overall, not one of the best and exciting of Toho's sci-fi movies.
Grade D
Overall, not one of the best and exciting of Toho's sci-fi movies.
Grade D
An early sci-fi film that will place a smile on your face
christopouloschris-5838822 June 2019
Made almost two decades before Star Wars, Battle in Outer Space (1959) was certainly an outstanding accomplishment by Toho studios. Of particular note is the almost 3-dimensional effect of the space battles in which we have a real sense of space craft maneuvering.
There are some cringe-worthy moments in Battle in Outer Space such as when one of the crew members during take-off places his hands on either side of his face and stretches the skin to illustrate the effects of g-force. There are also the miniature models of the buildings in Tokyo being destroyed and sucked up that don't look very detailed or realistic. And of course, there's the nutty techno-babble and pseudo-science that would make a flat-earth proponent sound credible!
Oh my gosh, one could not fail to notice the Ewok-like munchkin aliens on the moon shuffling around, waving their arms and acting like cute squeaky toys! They didn't look capable of attacking one single astronaut let alone an entire planet!
Please don't get me started on the Keystone cops chase involving the inept security guards on the tail of the Iranian delegate Dr. Ahmed. All we needed was the theme tune to the Benny Hill Show.
Despite some of its shortcomings, Battle in Outer Space contains an entertaining and well-paced story delivered by a cast who give sincere performances. The effective cinematography, along with a rousing music score and mostly impressive special effects serve to make this film quite enjoyable.
There are some cringe-worthy moments in Battle in Outer Space such as when one of the crew members during take-off places his hands on either side of his face and stretches the skin to illustrate the effects of g-force. There are also the miniature models of the buildings in Tokyo being destroyed and sucked up that don't look very detailed or realistic. And of course, there's the nutty techno-babble and pseudo-science that would make a flat-earth proponent sound credible!
Oh my gosh, one could not fail to notice the Ewok-like munchkin aliens on the moon shuffling around, waving their arms and acting like cute squeaky toys! They didn't look capable of attacking one single astronaut let alone an entire planet!
Please don't get me started on the Keystone cops chase involving the inept security guards on the tail of the Iranian delegate Dr. Ahmed. All we needed was the theme tune to the Benny Hill Show.
Despite some of its shortcomings, Battle in Outer Space contains an entertaining and well-paced story delivered by a cast who give sincere performances. The effective cinematography, along with a rousing music score and mostly impressive special effects serve to make this film quite enjoyable.
So-so Japanese sci-fi
rosscinema12 April 2003
I've always been a sucker for these cheaply made films because I grew up on them but this one just doesn't have the lasting impact of the other films of this kind. Earth is of course attacked by martians in UFO's and the countries of the world unite to combat them. We send a crew of astronauts to their planet to stop them and then get ready for the battle royal back here on Earth. Although early on in the film their is to much talking and discussing on how to stop them, once the two ships leave for the planet then the film never ceases the action. But one thing that I think hurts the film is that the martians just don't leave a mark. We see them in one scene and they seem somewhat harmless. They are short with orange plastics suits and big helmets with lights on they're foreheads and have long noses! Not scary at all! So the rest of the film is just UFO's flying around. As silly and laughable as other films like "Mothra", "War of the Gargantuas", and "Rodan" at least those are memorable in their own way. This one seems to be easily forgotten. It just doesn't distinguish itself like the other films.
A special effects extravaganza for its time.
kelsci15 July 1999
I saw this film in 1960 playing with "The Time Machine" as a double feature. Though not as rich in story line as "The Mysterians" this film really takes off when the two Speep earthships go to the moon to battle a base set up by the planet Matal who also fly "Mysterian" style flying saucers. On the moon the action really starts with marvelous raygun battles between the enemy and earth forces. The earth forces possess a marvelous heat ray cannon as well as smaller but potent raygun rifles. Later in the film, the earth forces battle invading flying saucers and a mother ship with X-15 styled fighter craft equipped with heat ray guns. The finale with the mother ship's ray gun destroying Toyko is done quite well.
For the time this film was made, the special effects are quite good. Considering my nickname is ray-gun 3, this is a ten star IMDb vote scale film in that department. I think the best scene in the film is on the moon where one of the crew stays behind with his ray rifle destroying flying saucers so the earth force can get away in their Speep spaceship. This scene is one of the best piece of special effects I have scene in this type of movie. A thought to remember is the film was made 17 to 18 years before "Star Wars". An outstanding accomplishment by Toho studios.
For the time this film was made, the special effects are quite good. Considering my nickname is ray-gun 3, this is a ten star IMDb vote scale film in that department. I think the best scene in the film is on the moon where one of the crew stays behind with his ray rifle destroying flying saucers so the earth force can get away in their Speep spaceship. This scene is one of the best piece of special effects I have scene in this type of movie. A thought to remember is the film was made 17 to 18 years before "Star Wars". An outstanding accomplishment by Toho studios.
Ishirô Honda Sci-Fi
parkerbcn22 May 2021
A very fun Sci-Fi pop movie by the great Ishirô Honda, with the classic Japanese special effects of maquettes and miniatures that I love so much. It's not as good as other works of his and, even when at the time it was quite a big film, it has dated a lot, but still it was influential in the kids of the 60s. You can easily imagine Roland Emmerich enjoying the final destruction of cities in the extra-terrestrial attack.
This could be quite good sci-fi movie
the_wolf_imdb15 July 2012
This movie has pretty decent special effects for its era and might be quite good. The fundamental flaw is the incredible nativity of the plot and stupidity of the "actions" of Earth soldiers. A little hint here: You should never allow troops to be lead to the war by the nation who just lost the war. The combat scenes are stupid and overall "plan" of Japan lead Earthlings is basically nonexistent. I do mean the combat scenes are painfully stupid. This has degraded the movie so much!
I think it still worth to see how great special effects could be made before the CGI era. They are really really good. But the plot should be written by someone completely else.
I think it still worth to see how great special effects could be made before the CGI era. They are really really good. But the plot should be written by someone completely else.
This is just one big battle from beginning to end.
Horror Fan31 January 1999
Aliens are causing havok on Earth. So a bunch of astronauts are sent to the moon to war with these little funny midget aliens. Just a big battle from beginning to end, with the aliens sucking up Tokyo at the end (man is that cool). It is basically like a Japanese Independence Day except not nearly as intense or violent
1959 Toho Scope and not monsters
Bernie444412 October 2023
I saw this in Japanese and English. The original title is Uchû daisensô.
We are in for a treat as the director is Ishirô Honda(1911-1993.) He is known as the father of Gojira.
The world is being attracted by advanced conization that uses an antigravity beam.
While hero, Maj. Ichiro Katsumiya (Ryô Ikebe) goes rambunctious in space. Back home in the Fort...oops, base cute Etsuko Shiraishi (Kyôko Anzai) holds it all together.
Lots of action and alien treachery. I hope we will win.
Be sure to watch the voiceover commentary as it is better than the movie and explains a lot about the actors, set, and writers.
We are in for a treat as the director is Ishirô Honda(1911-1993.) He is known as the father of Gojira.
The world is being attracted by advanced conization that uses an antigravity beam.
While hero, Maj. Ichiro Katsumiya (Ryô Ikebe) goes rambunctious in space. Back home in the Fort...oops, base cute Etsuko Shiraishi (Kyôko Anzai) holds it all together.
Lots of action and alien treachery. I hope we will win.
Be sure to watch the voiceover commentary as it is better than the movie and explains a lot about the actors, set, and writers.
A Fun Sci-Fi Romp
gavin694212 May 2014
The nations of the Earth unite in a common cause to fight off an invader from outer space.
The film is considered a loose or "nominal" sequel to "The Mysterians" (1957), jumping ahead several years to 1965, when Etsuko Shiraishi and Dr. Adachi, among others, are now heavily involved in the United Nations Space Research Center in Tokyo. The continuity is not important, though, and if someone did not see the earlier film they will not be confused in the least.
Although not the first time "Godzilla" director Honda takes on space, a topic on the forefront of everyone's minds in the late 1950s, this is probably one of his better explorations of the theme. It is always interesting to see what movie creators thought space travel and space suits. This film was able to correctly predict a fair number of things, and even takes a crack at what walking on the moon would look like.
Howard Thompson gave the film a generally positive review, stating, "The plot is absurd and is performed in dead earnest... the artwork is downright nifty, especially in the middle portion, when an earth rocket soars to the moon to destroy the palpitating missile base... the Japanese have opened a most amusing and beguiling bag of technical tricks, as death-dealing saucers whiz through the stratosphere... and the lunar landscape is just as pretty as it can be."
I have nothing to add to what Thompson has said, other than to note that critics today would likely be even more favorable in retrospect -- the film holds up well and displays a sense of fun and imagination rarely seen today.
The film is considered a loose or "nominal" sequel to "The Mysterians" (1957), jumping ahead several years to 1965, when Etsuko Shiraishi and Dr. Adachi, among others, are now heavily involved in the United Nations Space Research Center in Tokyo. The continuity is not important, though, and if someone did not see the earlier film they will not be confused in the least.
Although not the first time "Godzilla" director Honda takes on space, a topic on the forefront of everyone's minds in the late 1950s, this is probably one of his better explorations of the theme. It is always interesting to see what movie creators thought space travel and space suits. This film was able to correctly predict a fair number of things, and even takes a crack at what walking on the moon would look like.
Howard Thompson gave the film a generally positive review, stating, "The plot is absurd and is performed in dead earnest... the artwork is downright nifty, especially in the middle portion, when an earth rocket soars to the moon to destroy the palpitating missile base... the Japanese have opened a most amusing and beguiling bag of technical tricks, as death-dealing saucers whiz through the stratosphere... and the lunar landscape is just as pretty as it can be."
I have nothing to add to what Thompson has said, other than to note that critics today would likely be even more favorable in retrospect -- the film holds up well and displays a sense of fun and imagination rarely seen today.
Aliens Attack Again!
AaronCapenBanner30 April 2014
Sequel(of sorts) to "The Mysterians" has a Japanese space station attacked and destroyed by aliens who use it as a bridgehead in their second attempt to conquer the Earth, which includes flying saucers decimating cities and causing widespread destruction. The United Nations mounts a counter-offensive to defeat these invaders, and save the civilized world before all is lost...Like its predecessor, there is lots of action and explosions, both in space and on land, but is also similarly silly and one-dimensional, both in story and characters, but children are unlikely to mind. Fine model work and F/X on display here, but ultimately forgettable.
Toho's Star Wars
kevinolzak29 May 2019
1959's "Battle in Outer Space" is one of the more obscure Toho efforts, no giant monsters and few recognizable faces among the cast either. Theatrically double billed with Columbia's black and white "12 to the Moon," if nothing else it showed how much more colorful and exciting the Japanese can be with a mildewed premise not handled conventionally on a miniscule Hollywood budget. Earth in 1965 is menaced by invaders from the planet Natal, causing destruction across the globe from their base of operations on the moon. They try to prevent the building of a special heat ray through human slaves whose minds are controlled by radio waves but two rockets successfully blast off at the half hour mark, reaching their destination after an hour. The main dome on the moon is targeted, after which the survivors return to Earth where the final battle takes place in the air, one mother ship and several smaller craft all that's left to fight for the would be conquerors. This was Toho's second space opera, following "The Mysterians," a subgenre that never gained much traction despite their superiority in depicting mass destruction. As entertaining as it is, it's nothing but full scale battle scenes with only a small number of human confederates causing minor damage to the victorious Earth fleet. One almost wishes it didn't look so easy, and director Ishiro Honda actually steered clear of alien invaders thereafter, except where Godzilla was involved.
Battle In Space!
BandSAboutMovies16 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Directed by Ishiro Honda, written by Shinichi Sekizawa and special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya, Battle In Outer Space starts with disaster all over the world. Major Ichiro Katsumiya, Professor Adachi and Dr. Richardson think that it's aliens and they are soon proved right by Dr. Ahmed, the Iranian scientist in the group, who starts sabotaging everything.
The Earth is going to become part of the planet Natal, unless Earth can get it together and do what we do best: kill things. Some of the biggest cities are turned into models and blown up real good, but don't worry. We know how to vaporize things. We have the technology.
The exterior of the Science Center is the National Sports Center, which was made as part of the Tokyo Olympiad. I love that Japanese filmmakers decide to just blow up their own country more often than anyone else's, but when the Cinerama Dome in Tokyo gets zapped, I did get depressed.
When Apollo 11 landed on the moon, Eiji Tsuburaya watched and said, "We were right, our special effects team did a great job. Now, we can hold our heads before the public."
The Earth is going to become part of the planet Natal, unless Earth can get it together and do what we do best: kill things. Some of the biggest cities are turned into models and blown up real good, but don't worry. We know how to vaporize things. We have the technology.
The exterior of the Science Center is the National Sports Center, which was made as part of the Tokyo Olympiad. I love that Japanese filmmakers decide to just blow up their own country more often than anyone else's, but when the Cinerama Dome in Tokyo gets zapped, I did get depressed.
When Apollo 11 landed on the moon, Eiji Tsuburaya watched and said, "We were right, our special effects team did a great job. Now, we can hold our heads before the public."
Postwar fantasy of global brotherhood
glenaobrien4 March 2024
I was surprised how influential this film appears to have been. The meticulously clean set designs and some of the shots obviously influenced Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. The scenes of fighter planes going up against flying saucers bring to mind Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Independence Day and so many others. Also a clear influence on the last-mentioned film is the destruction of famous monuments and the global coalition that bands together to defeat the flying saucers and their mother ship.
The legendary Ishirô Honda, creator of Godzilla, directs this Toho Studios outing and, though the dialogue is awful, and the pacing in the first half drags a bit, visually it's a thing of beauty. I love the American flying saucer films of the period, but, aesthetically, this is streets ahead of what the US was producing at the time. The miniature work is so well done, even if at times you think you're watching an episode of The Thunderbirds. Frankly, I'd rather see real objects held by strings than CGI that's laid on so thick you may as well be watching a cartoon. Life size lunar vehicles were built for the actors to climb in and out of, and they match the miniature work very well.
Often said to be a kind of sequel to 1957's The Mysterians (though I don't know why) there are no giant monsters or robots, but we do see the aliens on the lunar surface stumbling around in their space suits not looking very dangerous at all. Once they're in the air, however, raining down the apocalypse on Tokyo, New York and San Fransisco, they're clearly a formidable threat to humanity's existence. The final act is an aerial battle that kicks alien butt but it's all resolved very abruptly as the world cheers on its airborne heroes. As a postwar fantasy about the world's capacity to band together in brotherhood in order to secure a prosperous future, it's pretty hard to beat.
Ishirô Honda may not be taken seriously by film buffs but he took his own work very seriously. He was a close personal friend of Akira Kurosawa (who spoke at his funeral) and worked with the master on Kagemusha (1980) and Ran (1984). Kurosawa is certainly the greater genius but Honda gave us Gojira, Mothra, and the Mysterians. For those, and this precursor to so many great science fiction classics, he also deserves to be celebrated as one of the greats of Japanese cinema.
The legendary Ishirô Honda, creator of Godzilla, directs this Toho Studios outing and, though the dialogue is awful, and the pacing in the first half drags a bit, visually it's a thing of beauty. I love the American flying saucer films of the period, but, aesthetically, this is streets ahead of what the US was producing at the time. The miniature work is so well done, even if at times you think you're watching an episode of The Thunderbirds. Frankly, I'd rather see real objects held by strings than CGI that's laid on so thick you may as well be watching a cartoon. Life size lunar vehicles were built for the actors to climb in and out of, and they match the miniature work very well.
Often said to be a kind of sequel to 1957's The Mysterians (though I don't know why) there are no giant monsters or robots, but we do see the aliens on the lunar surface stumbling around in their space suits not looking very dangerous at all. Once they're in the air, however, raining down the apocalypse on Tokyo, New York and San Fransisco, they're clearly a formidable threat to humanity's existence. The final act is an aerial battle that kicks alien butt but it's all resolved very abruptly as the world cheers on its airborne heroes. As a postwar fantasy about the world's capacity to band together in brotherhood in order to secure a prosperous future, it's pretty hard to beat.
Ishirô Honda may not be taken seriously by film buffs but he took his own work very seriously. He was a close personal friend of Akira Kurosawa (who spoke at his funeral) and worked with the master on Kagemusha (1980) and Ran (1984). Kurosawa is certainly the greater genius but Honda gave us Gojira, Mothra, and the Mysterians. For those, and this precursor to so many great science fiction classics, he also deserves to be celebrated as one of the greats of Japanese cinema.
Unfortunately not great
Jeremy_Urquhart4 June 2022
I'm a big fan of old Japanese science-fiction movies, but this one was a bit of a letdown. It's a pretty simple alien invasion movie, but I guess a large part of it involves the humans meeting the invaders halfway, before they reach earth, so that makes it a little different.
It was directed by Ishiro Honda, who directed many early Godzilla movies (including the very first one) and numerous other science-fiction/horror/action movies throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. This is probably a little less entertaining than most of his efforts though, unfortunately.
The second half provides some fun action and special effects sequences, but otherwise it's a bit boring and by the numbers (though not horrendously awful). Some of the fighting near the end reminded me of the finale in the very first Star Wars, so it make me wonder if George Lucas ever saw this (or it might just be a coincidence).
It was directed by Ishiro Honda, who directed many early Godzilla movies (including the very first one) and numerous other science-fiction/horror/action movies throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. This is probably a little less entertaining than most of his efforts though, unfortunately.
The second half provides some fun action and special effects sequences, but otherwise it's a bit boring and by the numbers (though not horrendously awful). Some of the fighting near the end reminded me of the finale in the very first Star Wars, so it make me wonder if George Lucas ever saw this (or it might just be a coincidence).
Hey! It was 1959!
D_Idaho8 June 1999
I saw "Uchu daisenso" or as it was titled when I saw it, Battle in Outer Space" when I was a kid- a long time ago. Now of course the inevitable comparison to modern space operas will reduce the impact of this simple picture, but taken in the context in which I first viewed it, this was a really cool movie. For starters, it was in glorious color, a rarity in sci-fi in the late 50's I can tell you. I saw a lot of horror and sci-fi movies when I was kid and color was rare. And like most Japanese sci-fi imports of the time this was the whole world united against the invading alien hordes. Yeah a little like Independence Day but In "Uchu daisenso" the United Earth already existed. It didn't take an invasion from outer space to unite the planet. Good (relatively speaking!) effects, a noble if simple plot, combined with beautiful Eastmancolor and this was the perfect drive-in movie.
This is another well done science fiction gem by Honda
kevin_robbins4 January 2022
Battle in Outer Space (1959) is a Toho classic I recently watched on a random streaming site. The storyline follows invaders that have taken over the moon and plan to invade Earth next. As they begin arriving the world realizes they cannot wait for an invasion and need to take the fight to the aliens. A spaceship is sent to the moon to destroy the alien base and send them crawling back home.
This movie is directed by Ishirô Honda (Godzilla, 1954) and stars Ryô Ikebe (Pale Flower), Koreya Senda (The H Man), Hisaya Itô (Destroy All Monsters), Yoshio Tsuchiya (Yojimbo) and Ikio Sawamura (The Hidden Fortress).
The science explanations in this always crack me up as they explain what's happening and how to defeat it. The models are always awesome - the moon landscape, the saucers, the attack scenes and destruction are all entertaining and well done. The Ray guns were excellent. They did a really great job with everything.
Overall this is another well done science fiction gem by Honda. I would score this a 7-7.5/10 and strongly recommend seeing it.
This movie is directed by Ishirô Honda (Godzilla, 1954) and stars Ryô Ikebe (Pale Flower), Koreya Senda (The H Man), Hisaya Itô (Destroy All Monsters), Yoshio Tsuchiya (Yojimbo) and Ikio Sawamura (The Hidden Fortress).
The science explanations in this always crack me up as they explain what's happening and how to defeat it. The models are always awesome - the moon landscape, the saucers, the attack scenes and destruction are all entertaining and well done. The Ray guns were excellent. They did a really great job with everything.
Overall this is another well done science fiction gem by Honda. I would score this a 7-7.5/10 and strongly recommend seeing it.
Attack of the squeaky toys!
henri sauvage30 October 2003
Pint-size aliens from the planet Natal are bent on conquering the Earth in this colorful space opera from the heyday of Toho Studios. Second in a trilogy of space-themed movies directed by the inimitable Ishiro Honda (the other two being "The Mysterians" and "Gorath") this is pure mindless fun.
The special effects may seem dated now, but for the time they were first-rate, much better than your average sci-fi and far superior to any of the monster films Toho cranked out from the mid-60s onward. This was definitely not done on the cheap: The sets are well thought-out, the astronomical backgrounds detailed and quite convincing.
Eiji Tsuburaya's intricate miniature work is amazing as always. The voyage to the Moon, the fight on the lunar surface, and the final showdown (with souped-up X-15s squaring off against alien saucers and a huge mother ship) are elaborately staged and exciting.
Which is why it's easy to forgive the occasional cheesy bits. For instance, when the beautiful SPIP rockets are taking off for the Moon, Honda illustrates the effects of high-G by having one of the crewmen put his hands on either side of his face and *pull* the flesh back. I also suspect they were running out of funds (the film's only 74 minutes long) when it came time to shoot the scene where the alien mother ship tears up downtown Tokyo with a gravity-reversing ray. Although it's a clever effect, apparently achieved by building the models on top of compressed air jets, the sequence feels too short. Plus the miniatures just don't look quite as detailed or realistic, when compared to other Toho films of the era.
My biggest complaint: In the one scene where you actually meet the aliens in the flesh (sort of) they're in spacesuits which make them look like midget Michelin Men and they sound like a bunch of squeaky dog toys. When a crowd of them "menaces" the heroine, there's not a ray gun in the bunch; all they can can do is shuffle, wave their arms and squeak. Not very intimidating, to say the least. (If anything, they're hilariously reminiscent of that roomful of sex-crazed Cub Scouts in Woody Allen's "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex".)
But the good far outweighs the not-so-good in this romp. In a theater, in its original Tohoscope (Toho Studios' equivalent of Cinemascope), it must have been something to see.
(Update: In 2007, an outfit called Monsters in Motion released "Uchu Daisenso" on DVD -- in letterbox, in the original Japanese with English subtitles -- as part of their "Toho Masters" series. With its companion piece "Gorath" available from MiM, and Tokyo Shock's gorgeous edition of "The Mysterians", Honda's entire space trilogy is now obtainable in the original, unedited widescreen versions.)
The special effects may seem dated now, but for the time they were first-rate, much better than your average sci-fi and far superior to any of the monster films Toho cranked out from the mid-60s onward. This was definitely not done on the cheap: The sets are well thought-out, the astronomical backgrounds detailed and quite convincing.
Eiji Tsuburaya's intricate miniature work is amazing as always. The voyage to the Moon, the fight on the lunar surface, and the final showdown (with souped-up X-15s squaring off against alien saucers and a huge mother ship) are elaborately staged and exciting.
Which is why it's easy to forgive the occasional cheesy bits. For instance, when the beautiful SPIP rockets are taking off for the Moon, Honda illustrates the effects of high-G by having one of the crewmen put his hands on either side of his face and *pull* the flesh back. I also suspect they were running out of funds (the film's only 74 minutes long) when it came time to shoot the scene where the alien mother ship tears up downtown Tokyo with a gravity-reversing ray. Although it's a clever effect, apparently achieved by building the models on top of compressed air jets, the sequence feels too short. Plus the miniatures just don't look quite as detailed or realistic, when compared to other Toho films of the era.
My biggest complaint: In the one scene where you actually meet the aliens in the flesh (sort of) they're in spacesuits which make them look like midget Michelin Men and they sound like a bunch of squeaky dog toys. When a crowd of them "menaces" the heroine, there's not a ray gun in the bunch; all they can can do is shuffle, wave their arms and squeak. Not very intimidating, to say the least. (If anything, they're hilariously reminiscent of that roomful of sex-crazed Cub Scouts in Woody Allen's "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex".)
But the good far outweighs the not-so-good in this romp. In a theater, in its original Tohoscope (Toho Studios' equivalent of Cinemascope), it must have been something to see.
(Update: In 2007, an outfit called Monsters in Motion released "Uchu Daisenso" on DVD -- in letterbox, in the original Japanese with English subtitles -- as part of their "Toho Masters" series. With its companion piece "Gorath" available from MiM, and Tokyo Shock's gorgeous edition of "The Mysterians", Honda's entire space trilogy is now obtainable in the original, unedited widescreen versions.)
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