Thiel-a-Vision Review: The Mysterians

Every once in a while, I encounter a beloved movie or TV show from my youth, only to be reminded that the younger me wasn't necessarily very discerning. Case in point: The Mysterians, a late-'50s, Japanese sci-fi epic which I hadn't seen in at least two decades. Unfortunately, I have to confess that the eagerly-awaited Region 1 DVD release wasn't quite the film I remembered.

Made by Toho Studios just a few years after the original Godzilla, it bears the influence of that monster mash but has more in common with the 1953 American version of The War of the Worlds. Aliens from the long-destroyed planetary body Mysteroid come to Earth to establish a stronghold, and amongst other gambits, loose a giant, mole-like robot on the Japanese countryside.

The film begins much like War of the Worlds, with a small town's musical reveries broken by the first sign of an alien invasion. However, unlike the American tale, the young scientist/hero in attendance disappears during his initial investigation, later to turn up as a pawn of the Mysterians.

The relationship between aliens and Earthmen is odd, and it's never entirely clear which of the two species is the more belligerent. The Mysterians claim to come in peace, seeking only a small patch of land near the base of Mt. Fuji, and five pre-selected human women with which to help repopulate their dying species. (Why they appear to prefer these specific women, all of whom were present at the initial sighting, is left unanswered.) While there are suggestions that the Mysterians are planning to expand their sphere of influence, it does seem that they are relatively sincere in their initial requests, and only begin ramping up their plans after being attacked. (Granted, they did start it by sending their mole-bot on a brief rampage, but this was ostensibly to prove their scientific superiority and preempt Earthling aggression.)

The Mysterians are presented somewhat sympathetically. They destroyed their world (which once floated between Mars and Jupiter) in a nuclear war, and are down to a small number of refugees who have been living a meager existence on Mars. But the humans are apparently so repulsed by the notion of interbreeding that they declare war on the Mysterian dome. Despite the invaders' claims of weapons far more powerful than H-bombs, they never unleash massive destruction, and in fact, seem technologically outclassed by film's end, when surrounded by a variety of Earth-made ray cannons and rocketships.

The movie moves slowly, with little plot and many scenes of scientists and military commanders discussing their options. While there are many pyrotechnics during the lengthy battle scenes, the action isn't as peppy as many of the later Toho monster flicks, and the isolated, single location lacks the worldwide scope of other alien invasion films. It is, at least, colorful and spectacular. 

One striking scene occurs near the midpoint of the film, as two women are kidnapped by the Mysterians. The manner in which they grab their captives and silently float upwards into their hovering saucer must surely have influenced many a real-life "repressed memory" of alien abduction.  

The new DVD release is well-done, with a crisp, widescreen transfer, audio commentaries and the original Japanese trailer. It includes several scenes not seen in the original U.S. theatrical release, the most notable being a brief appearance by a second Moguera robot, burrowing beneath the ground during the final battle. 

The English-dubbed track features some odd creative choices, including a Japanese yokel talking with a Southern accent, as well as the high-pitched, vibrating voices of the Mysterians. Amusingly, there are several scenes in which English-speaking characters from countries involved in the international anti-alien effort are assisted by translators who dutifully turn English...into English. It's translation for the Hard of Listening.

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