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George R. Reis'
original review from DVD Drive-In, with kind permission from George R.
Reis:
After the success of
GODZILLA and RODAN, Toho producer Tomoyuki Tanaka reassembled the talented
team of director Ishiro Honda, special effects man Eiji Tsuburaya,
composer Akira Ifukube, along with various cast members from both movies
for another project. As before, the new film would have a science-fiction
premise, touch upon the dangers of the atom bomb, and feature numerous
opportunities to depict sequences of mass destruction. But THE MYSTERIANS
would utilize alien invaders rather than the usual giant monster as its
main focus of mass terror, and it’s the first Japanese film to do so.
During a festival, a
Japanese town is totally destroyed by radioactive flames, and the military
are called in to investigate. They soon come face to face with a bulky,
beaked giant robot that squashes everything in site, knocking down
buildings and incinerating cars with its deadly eye-beams. Though the
robot (known as Mogera) is resistant to blow-torch fire, it is easily
defeated when a bridge on which it is standing is detonated. We then
discover that Mogera was from the planet Mysteriod, and the inhabitants of
that planet have set up base here on Earth in a dome that submerges from
the ground. The Mysterians are seemingly civil aliens who sport
color-coordinated helmets and capes, claiming to have come in peace.
Calling a group of Earth scientists into their dome for a private meeting,
they request a piece of land, as well as wanting to obtain a group of
Earth women for breeding purposes. The request causes outrage, enough for
Earth to declare war against the Mysterians. World officials spend a lot
of time in meetings, deciding what weapons to use against the alien
invaders, and with the Mysterians' advanced technology, matching them is
no easy challenge!
THE MYSTERIANS was
the first Japanese science fiction film shot in Scope (2.35:1) and it
takes full advantage of the then-innovative anamorphic widescreen process.
The alien invasion themes seem to be somewhat inspired here by Hollywood
films like WAR OF THE WORLDS, but Toho really proved they knew how to
construct this sort of film. It’s fast paced, almost like a pulp comic
book coming to life, and the special effects (with the expected visible
flaws) represent some of the best of its type, especially considering this
was shot almost 50 years ago. Flying saucers, zeppelin-like air vehicles,
ray gun blasts, mass floods, and violent explosions are all well depicted
with the help of convincing miniatures and matte shots. The alien suits
are pretty slick and ahead of their time, and the clunky metallic Mogera
was thrown in as an afterthought, but is a real treat for giant monster
fanatics. The capable cast includes a lot of actors from the original
GODZILLA and RODAN, including Yumi Shirakawa, Kenji Sahara, Momoko Kochi,
Akihiko Hirata, and Takashi Shimura.
THE MYSTERIANS is
the first in a series of non-Godzilla Toho titles that Media Blasters has
gotten the DVD rights to, and the resulting product is marvelous. Any U.S.
viewer used to faded and cropped VHS and TV transfers will be very
pleased. Presented it its original 2.35:1 Tohoscope aspect ratio with
anamorphic enhancement, the original Eastman colors look pleasing, if not
overly dazzling. The print source is in impeccable shape, and only shows
blemishes when optical effects are employed. The original Japanese
language track is playable in mono or stereo (with optional English
subtitles), and there’s a new English track in 5.1 stereo. The newly
dubbed track will disappoint those used to the original American version,
but it’s actually respectably done, except for a few unfitting voices. A
mono Spanish track is also included, as is a track where Akira Ifukube’s
stirring score can be isolated. Also not that this DVD edition is the full
uncut Japanese version with several extra minutes of footage not in the
U.S. cut, including the brief appearance of a second Mogera during the
climax. All the credits are in Japanese as well.
Extras include a
Japanese language commentary with Toho effects directors Koichi Kawakita
and Shinji Higuchi, who started their careers in 1962 and 1984
respectively. There is a commentator on hand, and English subtitles
accompany it. Both men share a lot of knowledge about Toho, as well as
their craft, revealing a few effects secrets, and they both obviously have
a lot of respect and admiration for THE MYSTERIANS. Also included are
three different photo galleries, including black and white stills, costume
and set designs and storyboards. There is also the original Japanese
trailer, original trailers for the upcoming DVDs of MATANGO, VARAN and
DOGORA, as well as GAPPA and ONE MISSED CALL.
-- George R. Reis
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