Uchu kara no messeji

So, ah, imagine "Star Wars," only with as much Japanese-brand weirdness as is at all possible, dubbed by chimps and involving not only the wackiest costumes I've ever seen but magic, glowing walnuts. I don't have to tell you this is the best movie ever made. There's a witty robot, a wormy guy in a glittery jacket and very orange shirt, two guys in disco spacesuits, a plucky girl, some people who wear leaf-wreaths and lucky Vic Morrow in a kind of Captain Harlock get-up. The bad guys seem to be the children of Stormtroopers and the Wicked Witch of the West's soldiers. Oh... and there's a scene where the protagonists swim around on ropes catching SPACE FIREFLIES. In all sincerity, "Uchuu Kara no Message" is more fun than a barrel full of magic walnuts. If you're into that, I mean.

This movie was ready for release in Japan when Star Wars was released.

If this film "rips off" anything, it's "The Seven Samurai".

And, since Star Wars is a blatant "rip off" of two or three Japanese films - mostly Kurosawa's "Hidden Fortress", but also somewhat his "Yojimbo" - and took other major action bits - the attack on the Death Star, for instance - from English World War 2 films, accusing *anything* of being "a STAR WARS ripoff" simply shows how little the accuser knows of film history.

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Ahhh.. Message From Space. This was, as you probably read in previous comments, a grab at Star Wars from Japan. Sonny Chiba plays the main character of Hans. Chiba has a multitude of films under his belt as well as a very large following. The film is pure eye candy for any child despite its weak overall attempts at working out plot, characters, etc.. I actually like this movie. I enjoyed the fumbling Vic Morrow despite his intoxicated performance. I thought the special effects & props were creative. You see, the problem with any scifi film released in 1978 is that it will be compared to Star Wars. Star Wars set something as far as expectations, and anything else is considered a ripoff & a cheap one at that. The effects are retarded compared to Lucas & Co. But good for a saturday afternoon type movie. As a child this had a massive look to it and it was fast paced. The ships were actual sailing vessels in space, lots of good ideas but even with a date of 1978 there is no real excuse for how corny it ended up. Yes, & the walnuts.. Hard to believe. A not so typical 1978 type space saga with one step below the effects of the Flash Gordon movie. 5/10

I first saw this movie when I was 8 and it just gets better every year. Sure, it's a Star Wars ripoff, but so what? Message From Space has better swordfights and Vic Morrow in a funny hat. Plus Sonny Chiba kills a lot of silver-skinned aliens, Peggy Lee Brennan demonstrates that in the future, people will still have Long Island accents. There aren't two minutes of this film that aren't filled with laser gunfights, spaceships, monsters, explosions, giant holograms, or major satellite destruction, and the original script is by Shotaro Ishinomori, who is Japan's #2 all-time manga genius. In short, this movie rocks. Somebody get off your butt and give me my DVD release!!!

I saw a Kabuki production in Tokyo in August, 2006. Read the 2nd half of the plot synopsis shown below. It is very clear to me that the business with the glowing walnuts, and the "chosen" ones (dog warriors, below) coming together to fight the good fight, was based on this Kabuki plot.

"Hakkenden: the original novel is an immense epic by 19th century novelist Takizawa Bakin published over many years, but eventually reaching one-hundred and sixty volumes. The Satomi clan is being attacked and its lord offers his daughter Princess Fuse to the warrior that will bring him the head of the enemy. It is his loyal dog that kills and beheads the enemy and, saying that her father must not go back on his word, Princess Fuse goes with the dog. Nevertheless, the Satomi clan is defeated and one of its loyal retainers goes to rescue Princess Fuse, shooting the dog, but unfortunately shooting Princess Fuse as well. The eight crystal beads of her rosary, each engraved with the Chinese characters of one of the Confucian virtues, goes flying through the air. Miraculously, each will be found with a newborn baby. These eight children, all of whom have the character inu for "dog" in their names, eventually meet and join together to restore the Satomi clan. The play features all the stars of the company and follows the adventures of the eight dog warriors as they meet and gradually join together, leading to a climactic fight on the roof of a dizzyingly high tower."