The Mysterians (1957)

"Some escaped. The nations of the world must now stay united in the struggle against unknown forces instead of fighting each other." ~ Dr. Tanjiro Adachi (Takashi Shimura)

 

(Review by Dax and Seth Bradley)

It was the Atomic Age of movies. In the 1950's, film makers were determined to show us that playing with nuclear weapons would only result in our doom. Besides the obvious result of being vaporized, we were warned that radiation would create our next nightmare: Giant monsters! These movies, known collectively as kaiju, began with the most recognizable fictional reptile in the world, Godzilla. The Big G rose to fame first as an over sized tyrannosaurus, given his enormous size because of atomic testing. He was soon joined by Rodan, Mothra, and many others. One thing the Japanese know how to do is beat a horse until it is really and truly dead. 

Japanese film company Toho became synonymous with giant atomic monsters, and as the genre grew in popularity, they began marketing them toward children. Gamera always had that goofy Japanese kid following him around for no reason, there was the creepy twins who could summon Mothra to vanquish Tokyo's monstrous threat of the week, and even Godzilla had a young-un, bizarre little Minya.

 

Before the genre devolved into childrens' fare, Toho made a statement not only with atomic testing, but also against Zionism with 1957's "The Mysterians". This tale, aimed at grown-ups, involved a group of aliens who visit Earth after their home is destroyed by nuclear war.  They promise all they want to do is occupy 3 kilometers of land, oh and one more thing; intermarry with Earth women.  The leaders listened to their proposition in a meeting that went something like this:

 

 

"We would like to occupy only 3 kilometers of your land."

 

"Hmmm...ok, go on."

 

"We are advanced, and could share amazing technology."

 

"Well, doesn't sound so bad..."

 

"And...marry some of your women to propagate our species. Who's hungry?"

 

"Wait, wait, what? What did you say? What was that last thing?"

 

"Hungry, who's hungry?"

 

OK, so it didn't go exactly like that. At any rate, the scientists and military leaders were not too hip to give up their women, and the fight was on.  Actually, it was on before any negotiations took place.  The aliens presented their mecha-Godzilla knock-off, known as Moguera. He is a Giant Robot With Frickin' Lasers, which didn't sit too well with the military. Obviously, they had to fight back, only to be quickly as the kids say now, "pwned". Interestingly, Moguera would be brought back to the movies in 1994's Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla as a protagonist.

In films of this genre, generally one of two things happen to resolve the threat:  One, you can summon another giant atomic monster to kill the threat.  Or, two, you have a crack team of scientists build some advanced weaponry, stat. Since this isn't one of the monster vs. monster movies, we have the scientists built stuff now scenario.

The team puts together an electronic ray which has been on the drawing board for a while. The weapon, combined with the Air Force fleet, stages an all-out battle that saves mankind. There is also a sort-of romantic sub-plot involving a young science guy and his love-starved fiance. He is aloof, and basically brushes her off for reasons we don't fully understand until later. It seems he has been in contact with the Mysterians this whole time, and now has to help defeat them from the inside, kind of like a sleeper cell.

I won't tell the whole story, but suffice to say there is more than enough action to keep you watching.  If this genre isn't your cup of saki, you might not want to check it out. However, if you are a fan of Toho films, especially the ones that were just a little darker than the many Godzilla vs. Whatever movies, you'll have a rollicking good time.

If you watch the movie for the first time, and feel that it is familiar all the same, there is a reason.  The Mysterians was directed by none other than Ishiro Honda. He is the director of the original Godzilla, as well as Godzilla's Revenge, King Kong vs. Godzilla, Rodan, and too many others to list here. His films all follow a set of rules, so if you love one you'll love them all.
The score is better than expected, giving just the amount of tension and drama without going overboard. Special effects were outstanding for a movie made in 1957. Rather than using solely toy cars and planes, the makers opted to use real vehicles as often as possible. In a twist of irony involving a movie about the dangers of occupation by powers with the pretense of peace, they got much of their military footage filming planes and other vehicles at an American military installation!  Scenes involving destruction of buildings and natural environments were especially well done. The scale is often a dead giveaway, but the attention to detail was such that I never felt I was looking at miniatures.

I thought I heard familiar sound effects in the scenes where the giant robot and the scientists' 'ray gun' would shoot lasers. It seems to be lifted right from the soundtrack of the U.S. film War of the Worlds (1953). It isn't unheard of, especially in films made overseas, then re-dubbed and redistributed in the States.

If I had one bone to pick with the movie, it would be that the Giant Robot With Frickin' Lasers didn't seem to be in the movie enough. I'm used to movies in which the mecha is the main focus, creating havoc, and destroying Tokyo like a live-action Rampage video game. Yes, I worked an 80's game reference into my review.

Overall, I found the movie to be a nice distraction. Its effects, story, music, and acting are above its peers. There was plenty of action, though as I said I would like to see more of the awesome mecha. Check it out if you enjoy giant monsters as much as I do! I give this: 2 1/2 out of 4.

Didja Know?

When Toho was only allowed one hour to film footage of the Military Air Transport Service cargo plane unloading, producers shut down production of the film and used all available cameras to shoot the operation from different angles. By hiding the plane number, it appears that multiple planes have landed. Toho did a similar thing in "Gojira/Godzilla." Only allowed to film the movement of one military convoy, producers simply put their cameras in jeeps and raced ahead of each section of the convoy to make it seem as if the convoy was massive. (Source: www.imdb.com)