Superman contra la banda negra

Ken Utsui (1931-2014) is a very popular actor. We seldom notice him in his 179 movies and TV series. He was in Seven Samurai (1954) as Samurai Wandering Through Town (uncredited.)

Yes, it is another Starman (Ken Utsui) episode. This time he is fighting the Spherion in his usual way. Will he be able to save the universe again?

And will he be able to save the schoolgirl (Utako Mitsuya 29 years old at the making of this episode) that is being held again and turned into a robot for what purpose? They will be sorry if she ever gets loose on the space station.

This is just one episode of what could be described as an after-school special. It does not have the depth of "The Cisco Kid".

Safe for kids as no real blood and guts.

This is another movie I wish MST3K had a chance to screen.

This movie is the combination of 2 Japanese movie serials from the Super Giant series of the late 1950s.

When I first saw this movie when I was a child, it scared the hell out of me, as it contains the usual 'violence against children' seen in movies like 'Invasion of the Neptune Men' and to a lesser extent, 'Prince of Space'. Even today, the scene where the Nazi-like soldiers kidnap the children is a little too edgy for anyone under 12 years old.

But the allure of this movie is the innocent and almost naive story line. Even though the movie has many ridiculous ideas, the actors remain deadly serious throughout.

The film opens with a bunch of ridiculous looking aliens with costumes that are right out of a 3rd grade theatre production. The aliens send 'Star Man' to protect the Earth from a invasion from the 'Spherions'.

Star Man is a slightly paunchy, overacting, average-looking, middle aged Japanese man. He flails his arms around, beating up Japanese extras in highly exaggerated and very poorly choreographed fight scenes. The fight scenes alone are worth the price of admission. Many times, actors aren't even close to being hit when they do flips and pretend to be knocked out.

Also, watch for the scene where Star Man disables flying saucers by bending what can only be described as a metal rack from a refrigerator.

As with most early Japanese Sci Flicks, there are numerous technical errors like people being able to breathe and fly through space.

But I recommend this movie to any B Movie fan. It's very campy and the shoddy production values are more than made up for by the movies goofy charm.

One of the reasons the TV show 'Batman' was so successful was because the actors took their roles so seriously. This is also what makes this movie work. All of the actors take their silly roles very seriously, as if they are acting in 'Hamlet. This only makes 'Attack from Space' even more enjoyable.

Why am I just now discovering Starman? And there are four of these movies? I can't believe I've never heard of this before. Attack from Space may be my introduction to Starman, but it won't the last time I pay him a visit.

In Attack from Space, the Earth is threatened by a race of aliens known as the Spherions. They show they mean business by blowing up one of the mountains in the Himalayas (odd choice, but whatever). A benevolent race of aliens from the Emerald planet send their superhero, Starman, to Earth to help defeat the Spherions. Starman discovers that one of the Earth's top scientists and his family have been abducted. Can he rescue the Earthlings and save the planet?

Rating and writing about a film like Attack from Space is difficult because, honestly, it's a train wreck of a film. Special effects, dubbing, lighting, acting, plot, logic, and just about anything else you can name is so bad it's impossible to put into words. It's bad, but it's also bizarrely fun. Things like the crazy looking council on the Emerald planet, the Nazi-esque aliens dressed like 1940s era US Navy officers, Starman's lumpy superhero suit, and, most of all, the ridiculous fight choreography - I can't describe what joy these things brought to me. Even though the fight scene between Starman and the Spherions overstayed its welcome by what seemed like hours, it's still the real highlight of the film. Starman has a style of fighting I've never seen before. He reminded me of the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz trying to do Kung Fu. Hysterical. The use of silly looking guns, reversed camera shots, and the most obvious dummy I've ever seen only added to the fun. Seriously, this is truly one of those "so bad it's good" type movies. I'm looking forward to the others in the series.

This is actually pretty good for something that was made for Japanese tv in 1965. It has the longest fight scene ever and it's totally ridiculous. There a few things I didn't care for though. Even though Starman was just created in another galaxy, everyone on Earth knows who he is. That's just lame. Also they start off by explaining the powers he has and they never mention that bullets and fire can't hurt him. Besides those two minor issues, it's really not that bad.

In ATTACK FROM SPACE, planet Earth is once again in grave peril. The Sepherians are up to their old tricks! With nuclear holocaust imminent, Starman (Ken Utsui) is called upon to save humanity. Much mischief is made by the Sepherians, but Starman doesn't get involved until they start messing with the annoying kids.

Starman doles out a lesson for the alien marauders, using his patented ballet fu to toss them around like lemons in a cement mixer! The seemingly endless final battle is a wonder to behold!

An epic saga of gargantuan proportions, every aspect of this movie is fun! Of course, it helps if you're about 8-10 years old. At certain points, there's a definite, pre-STAR WARS vibe going on. There's even a "Death Star". Hmmm, did a certain, ultra-famous sci-fi director happen to watch this movie as a youngster?...