Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

by **Pkmatrix** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 4:55 pm

Well...have you? I've been looking for information on this movie, from which the warship Goten (from GFW) originates, but...there's NOTHING. ANYWHERE. Can somebody give me a basic summary or review? I'd like to know a bit more about this seemingly rare Toho Sci-Fi flick.

by **gfanikf** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 5:10 pm

I've seen the movie and its a lot of Fun. Not a great movie but very enjoyable

by **musukogoji** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 5:19 pm

I have the Japanese version subtitled into English. Many fans hate this picture. And usually their critque of it is just somewhat high-horse nonsense: "it's cheaply done", "it's a pale rip-off of 'Atragon' and 'Battle in Outer Space' or 'Star Wars'", "Rife with stock footage" and that kind of stuff. Fine, fine, fine. That's all true. But the big thing is... "The War in Space" is fun. Just silly nonsense from the boys at Toho and Nakano doing what he does best: blowing the hell out things (even a whole planet this time). I reviewed the film back in G-Fan 54, so for more indepth stuff you could seek that... or just ask.

The plot is that it's 1988 (still seemingly 1977 though). Weird signals from Venus point to an alien invasion. And just as they figure it out, small spaceships attack the world and level our major cities [mostly stock from "The Last War" and "Prophecies of Nostradamus (Catastrophe 1999)"]. The Earth Defense Forces go to Professor Takigawa (Ryo Ikebe) to ask him to use his spaceship, the Gohten, against the invaders. At first he refuses, but after being visited by an alien imposter off he goes to complete work building the Gohten. In no time, the spaceship is good to go and they easily defeat the small spaceships and head off for Venus. On the way there, Takigawa's daughter June (Yuko Asano) is kidnapped by the aliens. They get a message from the lead bad guy who calls himself the Supreme Commander of the Empire of Galaxies (no, I'm not kidding; played by Goro Mutsumi) who tells him to go back of June will die. Takigawa presses on and once on Venus discovers a gigantic Armada-era galleon--the aliens' main ship (the Daimakan). His crew infultrates the ship, saves June, does battle with a horned Wookie-wannabe, then heads back to the Gohten. The Gohten and the Daimakan engage in a mid-air joust resulting in the Gohten being crippled. Takigawa heads into the drill-bit section, and sails off, revealing there's a massive bomb in the bit. The bit drills into the Daimakan and the alien ship is destroyed and falls into a volcano. The crew on the Gohten gets it running again and they flee back to earth just as Venus explodes. The End.

Lots and lots of fun. Lowest common denominator filmmaking and wacky, wonky Toho shenanigans. Toshiaki Tsuhima delivers a really groovtastic score. I've never seen the dubbed version of the picture so I can't really comment on that. The film's best exchange has to be heard to be believed:

<Supreme Commander of the Empire of Galaxies> Professor Takigawa, as you can see, we have your daughter. Turn back or we will kill her.
<Takigawa> We will not. Go to hell!

Man, you just can't write dialogue like that... er, well maybe you can.

There's a nice backstory to this film I should probably tell: Tomoyuki Tanaka was in Hawaii and saw a screening of "Star Wars". He immediately flew back to Japan and ordered "Battle in Outer Space 2" into production. The film eventually became "The War in Space" and actually wound up BEATING "Star Wars" to Japanese theaters. The film is a half-hearted remake of "Battle" and "Atragon" more than it is "Star Wars". Toei's ponderous "Message from Space" is a bigger rip of "Star Wars" than "The War in Space" could ever hope to be.

Anyone who comes here and says it's bad? They'll list off any number of reasons why they think so, and most of them are probably valid. But as always I'd suggest that you don't listen to 'em, seek the film out, and make up your own mind. Any more questions?

by **gfanikf** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 5:37 pm

Musuko, you forgot to mention the awesomeness of Jimmy

by **musukogoji** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 5:46 pm

Psh. No, I didn't.

by **August** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 8:09 pm

by **Pkmatrix** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 10:41 pm

Thanks guys!

Now I REALLY want to get my hands on this movie!

by **musukogoji** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 11:11 pm

by **The Reverend Tegoth** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 12:10 am

Monster movie You know plugging bootleggers on MZ is against board rules, Rev. DO NOT DO THIS AGAIN.

by **musukogoji** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 12:58 am

by **The Reverend Tegoth** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 1:36 am

by **August** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 6:52 am

by **musukogoji** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 3:26 pm

by **SparkieGojira** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 7:13 pm

[quote="AugustIt's just a plain-old fun time at the movies, which borrows liberally from SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO (aka "Starblazers"),
[/quote]

You know they should had made the Goten a revamped Goten Go outfitted for space travel just to further the Yamato similarties.

Where your friends who did the WAR IN SPACE fanzine by chance the Project Jujo group of fans? They gave me a cool T shirt with the Goten and baddie ship and romaji script lyrics of GORATH's "We are Space Pilots" made up for a reunion they hosted of WAR IN SPACE alumni.

by **The Reverend Tegoth** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 8:43 pm

by **August** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 10:14 pm

by **SparkieGojira** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 11:05 pm

by **musukogoji** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 11:44 pm

Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

Has Anybody seen "War in Space"?

Has Anybody seen "War in Space"?

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