Space Amoeba
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| Space Amoeba | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster for Space Amoeba (1970) |
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| Directed by | Ishirō Honda |
| Produced by | Fumio Tanaka Tomoyuki Tanaka Samuel Z. Arkoff (US release) Salvatore Billitteri (US release) |
| Written by | Ei Ogawa |
| Starring | Akira Kubo Atsuko Takahashi Yukiko Kobayashi Kenji Sahara Yoshio Tsuchiya Yu Fujiki Noritake Saito Yûko Sugihara Sachio Sakai |
| Music by | Akira Ifukube |
| Cinematography | Taiichi Kankura |
| Editing by | Masahisa Himi Eli Haviv (US version) |
| Distributed by | Toho American International Pictures (AIP)(USA, 1971) |
| Release date(s) | August 1, 1970 (Japan) August 4, 1971 (USA) |
| Running time | 83 min. |
| Language | Japanese English |
| Followed by | Godzilla: Tokyo SOS |
| IMDb profile | |
Space Amoeba or Yog--Monster from Space, released in Japan as Gezora Ganime Kamēba: Kessen! Nankai no Daikaijū (ゲゾラ・ガニメ・カメーバ 決戦！ 南海の大怪獣 Gezora Ganime Kamēba Kessen! Nankai no Daikaijū?, lit. "Gezora Ganime Kameba: Decisive Battle! Giant Monsters of the South Seas"), is a tokusatsu science fiction film produced and released by Toho Studios in 1970. This was one of director Ishirō Honda's last kaiju movies, and the first such movie made after the death of special-effects director Eiji Tsuburaya. Sadamasa Arikawa did the special effects for this film.
While some fans deride the film as a last gasp of the kaiju eiga genre, others appreciate the fact that the monsters have been scaled down (only being 20 to 30 meters tall), making their interactions with human characters more compelling.
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[edit] Plot
An alien life form bent on world domination takes control of a gigantic cuttlefish (Gezora), turtle (Kamoebas), and crab (Ganime) on a tropical island (called Selzio Island).
[edit] Synopsis
A space probe, dubbed Helios 7, is sent to study Jupiter. En Route to the planet, the probe is invaded by Yog, an extraterrestrial being of pure energy. The probe lands in the South Pacific, where the disembodied alien leaves the device and invades the body of a Gezora, a giant cuttlefish, which proceeds to wreak havoc. When a photographer named Kudo and a small entourage landed on Selga Island, they are likewise menaced by Gezora. Gezora can generate extremely cold temperatures with its body, either naturally or due to Yog. When it is discovered that Gerzora is vulnerable to fire, Kudo and his allies use a leftover Japanese World War II munitions cabin discovered on the island to set the monster aflame. Severely burned, the creature retreats to the water.
However, Yog continues its attack by similarly invading and controlling the bodies of two other rare giant creatures, a gigantic crab called Ganime and a gigantic predatory water turtle called Kamoebas. The two monsters are coaxed into battling each other through the use of bats' natural sonar, which Yog has an aversion to. The two monsters stumble into an erupting volcano and meet their end, destroying Yog in the process.
[edit] Cast
- Akira Kubo .......... Tarou Kudo， Journalist
- Atsuko Takahashi ............ Ayako Hoshino
- Yukiko Kobayashi ............. Saki，Daughter of Island Selgio
- Kenji Sahara ............. Makoto Obata
- Yoshio Tsuchiya ............. Dr. Kyouichi Miya， Biologist
- Tetsu Nakamura ........... Onbo， Elder of Island Selgio
- Yuu Fujiki ............ Mayor of publicity department of company 『Asia deveropment』
- Yoshitake Saitou .............. Riko，Youth of Island Selgio
- Yuuko Sugihara .............. Stewardess
- Sachio Sakai ............ Chief editor of Weekly magazine 『Topics』
- Tyoutaro Tougin .............. Yokoyama，Investigation engineer
- Wataru Oomae ............. Sakura，Investigation engineer
- Ichirou Murakoshi ............ Voice of Alien
- Haruo Nakajima ............ Gezora，Ganime
- Haruyoshi Nakamura ............. Kamoebas
[edit] Miscellaneous Credits
- Takeo Kita- Production Design
- Seiji Tani- Assistant to the director
- Teruyoshi Nakano- Chief Assistant Special Effects Director
- Yoichi Manoda- Special Effects Cinematography
- Yoshiyuki Tokumasa- Optical Effects
- Yasuyuki Inoue- Special Effects Set Director
[edit] Trivia
- Akira Ifukube experimented with synthesizers for the first time here.
- This is the only time Haruo Nakajima portrays two kaiju in one film.
- The film was planned in the period when Eiji Tsuburaya was still head of the SFX department. Thus it can be considered the last of the "Honda/Tsuburaya Golden Duo" films.
- On the poster, it is seen Gezora fighting Kamoebas, although the two beasts never come in contact.
[edit] Versions
- Toho Co. Ltd.: Japanese (84 min.; original version)
- Toho International: English (84 min.; International dub; released to DVD in America by Media Blasters)
- American International Pictures: English (84 min.; alternate dub; released in American theaters; titled Yog-- Monster from Space.)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Guinn, Troy. (2006). Space Amoeba (DVD review) at eccentric-cinema.com
- Romero, Anthony. Review: Space Amoeba (1970) at tohokingdom.com
- KFC Cinema Review
- 決戦！南海の大怪獣 (Kessen! Nankai no Daikaijū) (Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
