Behold the peculiar and twisted wonder of MESSAGE FROM SPACE.
I’ve always held a special place in my heart for MESSAGE FROM SPACE. It’s imperfect, over-acted (featuring a maybe/maybe not sober Vic Morrow wearing a fur coat)…
…its effects are inconsistent to downright dodgy, and its pacing is all over the place - so much so that one gets the sense the filmmakers didn’t particularly care.
But, much like BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS a few years later, it’s so earnest…and so damn filled with abandon…that it’s hard not to fall at least a little bit in love with this one.
A bizarre fusion of Samurai mythology with science fiction spectacle (very much like STAR WARS, although MESSAGE wears its inspirations far more overtly), the picture OTT and ADD - as evidenced by this frenzied asteroid sequence (more on this scene momentarily).
But, much like BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS a few years later, it’s so earnest…and so damn filled with abandon…that it’s hard not to fall at least a little bit in love with this one.
A bizarre fusion of Samurai mythology with science fiction spectacle (very much like STAR WARS, although MESSAGE wears its inspirations far more overtly), the picture OTT and ADD - as evidenced by this frenzied asteroid sequence (more on this scene momentarily).
So, yeah.
What’s interesting about MESSAGE FROM SPACE is its content in relationship to the timing of its release. MESSAGE FROM SPACE, called UCHU KARA NO MESSEJI in its native Japan, was released as something of a STAR WARS ripoff roughly one year after the original film in that franchise hit screens. MESSAGE was, to that point, the most expensive film ever made in Japan.
The release of MESSAGE pre-dates STAR WARS follow-ups THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK by two years, and RETURN OF THE JEDI by five year. Why is this significant? MESSAGE features a protracted asteroid chase sequence two years before Han Solo plummeted the Millennium Falcon into a field of space rocks in STAR WARS EPISODE V, and its conclusion sees fighter ships diving towards the core of an enormous planet ship - to destroy the power generator located in the center of the world/structure. Just as Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles did in the closing battle of RETURN OF THE JEDI in 1985.
Am I insinuating that Team Lucas’ creative direction was somehow informed by a film which was itself a ripoff of their own work? That’s an amusing notion to be sure, although I’m not sure I’m willing to make such a pointed assertion. In matters like this, parallel development can easily occurr, and folks deriving inspiration from similar roots may naturally find their way to the same end. Whatever the case here, though, the timing and similarities are rather apparent.
MESSAGE FROM SPACE is not currently available on Blu-ray anywhere in the world, although Shout Factory recently issued a rather respectable DVD, and other versions available overseas for folks with players who can accommodate multi-regional playback.
A little known television spinoff of MESSAGE, called SAN KU KAI, made it to air in 1979 - adding a funky Wookie-like ape dude into the mix. It is available on DVD in several regions, and is recommended for anyone who thinks they might enjoy Japanese actors dubbed in French…performing beside a Funky Wookie.
Which, like its bigscreen progenitor, seems pretty great to me.
What’s interesting about MESSAGE FROM SPACE is its content in relationship to the timing of its release. MESSAGE FROM SPACE, called UCHU KARA NO MESSEJI in its native Japan, was released as something of a STAR WARS ripoff roughly one year after the original film in that franchise hit screens. MESSAGE was, to that point, the most expensive film ever made in Japan.
The release of MESSAGE pre-dates STAR WARS follow-ups THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK by two years, and RETURN OF THE JEDI by five year. Why is this significant? MESSAGE features a protracted asteroid chase sequence two years before Han Solo plummeted the Millennium Falcon into a field of space rocks in STAR WARS EPISODE V, and its conclusion sees fighter ships diving towards the core of an enormous planet ship - to destroy the power generator located in the center of the world/structure. Just as Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles did in the closing battle of RETURN OF THE JEDI in 1985.
Am I insinuating that Team Lucas’ creative direction was somehow informed by a film which was itself a ripoff of their own work? That’s an amusing notion to be sure, although I’m not sure I’m willing to make such a pointed assertion. In matters like this, parallel development can easily occurr, and folks deriving inspiration from similar roots may naturally find their way to the same end. Whatever the case here, though, the timing and similarities are rather apparent.
MESSAGE FROM SPACE is not currently available on Blu-ray anywhere in the world, although Shout Factory recently issued a rather respectable DVD, and other versions available overseas for folks with players who can accommodate multi-regional playback.
A little known television spinoff of MESSAGE, called SAN KU KAI, made it to air in 1979 - adding a funky Wookie-like ape dude into the mix. It is available on DVD in several regions, and is recommended for anyone who thinks they might enjoy Japanese actors dubbed in French…performing beside a Funky Wookie.
Which, like its bigscreen progenitor, seems pretty great to me.
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