Everyone wanted in on the Godzilla and kaiju-craze, from Toei’s Gamera to Nikkatsu’s Gappa - but lets not forget Shôchiku’s The X From Outer Space, a kaiju which had eluded me for a number of years. It’s always been a favorite of my buddy Jocke, but I kinda wanted to wait until I could see it in perfect quality and in a legal way with good English subs. Finally Criterion, of all companies, released it in a wonderful box in 2012 - and two years later - I’m quite slow - I finally bought it, not just for The X From Outer space, but also for the other films in the box. I might get back to them later on this blog, cross your fingers.
To say this film delivers a competent, thought-through story is to claim Chuck Norris is an intelligent, charismatic and talented action star - not at all, of course. But where Chuck just feels like a child molester, The X From Outer Space feels like fucking Superman in comparison. Not sure why, but a gang of swinging Japanese hipsters is going on a trip to space, accidentally finds some slimy, strange alien spore - which they of course takes aboard. Like all not-so-smart scientists they bring this fucking thing back to earth where it starts to grow and finally becomes the super-corny space-chicken Guilala! And Guilala is fucking angry and hungry and just wanna eat some energy! What shall our heroes do? Take a drink and look hip to the sound of sixities jazz? Yes, of course, but also develop “Guilalaium”, something Guilala can’t resist - but also is highly dangerous for our new favorite gigant monster!
The script is a mess and most of the stuff that’s happening just happens without much explanation. Have you ever seen Ultraman or any similar Tokusatsu show? Those episodes is like Kaiju films compressed into 22 minute long short movies - and imagine one of those episodes drawn out to a feature length movie. That’s how to describe The X From Outer Space in a pretty accurate way. This is of course awesome, because when Guilala finally attacks - almost 50 minutes into the film - it never holds back and becomes one of the most spectacular, miniature-bashing Kaijus ever made. It never comes up in the quality of the Godzilla movies, or the second Gamera, but it looks gorgeous and delivers a couple of spectacular action sequences.
On of the best and coolest - maybe in the whole Kaiju history - is when Guilala is chasing a truck carrying Guilalaium, stomping right behind it, reaching out to try to grab the stuff. It looks terribly cool and the effects are awesome. Like an early version of the T-Rex chasing the jeep in Jurassic Park. There’s more interesting details like this, making the effects more alive and less detailed.
Guilala is a bit too contrived design-wise to be 100% effective (Godzilla and Gamera, to name two monsters, are very effective just because they’re so simple), but the suit and mechanics is well-made and less stiff than many other, more famous, monsters from the same time in Japan. High on cheese and entertainment, The X From Outer Space is a Kaiju well worth rediscovering!
Now this is my kind of movie. Im gonna check this one out very soon! :)
Oh and I've now added you to my blogroll Fred :)
/Karl Anton
Posted by: Karl Anton | April 07, 2014 at 20:33
"Finally Criterion, of all companies, released it in a wonderful box in"
Criterion can surprise you sometimes.
"but also for the other films in the box. I might get back to them later on this blog, cross your fingers."
I will...
"To say this film delivers a competent, thought-through story is to claim Chuck Norris is an intelligent, charismatic and talented action star - not at all, of course."
WHAT?????
hahahhahhahhah...yeah, I know, you hate him.
"The script is a mess and most of the stuff that’s happening just happens without much explanation."
But I guess it´s a wonderful mess...?
"Have you ever seen Ultraman or any similar Tokusatsu show?"
Not yet.
"High on cheese and entertainment, The X From Outer Space is a Kaiju well worth rediscovering!"
Nothing wrong with cheese...good review and thanks.
Posted by: Megatron | April 08, 2014 at 02:05