Les Évadés de l'espace

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

This was one the first of the many Star Wars knockoffs and it does borrow certain key elements (the bad guys operate from a mobile planet which blows up real good at the climax, the spoiled rich girl rides around in a ship that is basically a rectangular version of The Millineum Falcon). Okay, so the effects and art direction are a throwback to the sixties, but it does have some original ideas-the heroes are a motly bunch; all seeking redemption for their wasted lives-, Kinji Fukusaku keeps it belting along at good pace, and once Sonny Chiba starts beating up on the bad guys in the final, there is just no stopping him!

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."

MESSAGE FROM SPACE answers the question: "What if, just prior to creating STAR WARS, George Lucas had removed his brain and replaced it with lint?".

Packed with groovy music, flashing lights, explosions, and insane characters, this is in the running for the most uber-ridiculous of the STAR WARS clones.

See! Vic Morrow dressed in intergalactic pimp clothes! Watch! Grown adults as they hunt for "space fireflies"! Witness! Sonny Chiba in the single most embarrassing role of his career!

If you're expecting a serious science fiction adventure, then you might want to drive an icepick through your pelvis before viewing. That way, you'll already be in agony going in.

Plot? Actually, it's better to simply watch agog and not worry about any trivialities such as a "story line". However, if you must know, it has something to do with a handful of flying, glowing, mystical nuts.

Visuals just happen randomly throughout: Look! Seagulls!

BOTTOM LINE: This movie is a riot! There's no need for any intoxicants or hallucinogens. It's all done for you!...

This certainly isn't a masterpiece, however it's something that shouldn't be overlooked. It's Japan's attempt to make Star Wars and is a complete failure. That doesn't mean it's terrible. It's history. These types of movies are so cool to look back on and watch. We shouldn't forget or overlook them.