Invasion of the Neptune Men (1961)
"Uchu Kaisoku-sen" (original title)

Clumsy invaders from Neptune are thwarted by hero Space Chief and a nondescript group of microshort-wearing Japanese kids.

Director:

Koji Ota

Writers:

Shin Morita, Akihiro Watanabe (story)

Stars:

Sonny Chiba, Kappei Matsumoto, Ryuko Mizukami

Cast

Credited cast:
Sonny Chiba	...	Tachibana - Scientist / Space Chief (as Shinichi Chiba)
Kappei Matsumoto	...	Tanigawa Hiroshi
Ryuko Mizukami	...	Tanigawa Yoko
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Harold Conway	...	Washington Broadcast Station Chief
Shinjiro Ebara	...	Yanigada - Scientist
Hidemichi Ishikawa	...	Yoshimoto Hiroshi
Seiichirô Kameishi	...	Yamagata Yukichi
Takashi Kanda	...	Defence Chief Takita
Genji Kawai	...	Morie
Mitsue Komiya	...	Saito - Scientist
Junji Masuda	...	Tamiya Hiroshi
Masazumi Okabe	...	Railway worker
Kôsaku Okano	...	Reporter
Koji Sahara	...	Garrison Chief Mikami
Shôken Sawa	...	Land Commander Inukai

Storyline

(English version) Slow-moving aliens from the planet Neptune, wearing nosecone-shaped space helmets, attempt to invade Earth in a winged rocketship. But they are thwarted by a mysterious superhero called Space Chief who flies around in a rocket-propelled car.

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Plot Keywords:

space | alien | flying car | superhero | children | 

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Genres:

Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

19 July 1961 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Space Greyhound

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toei Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many of the invasion scenes in Tokyo were edited from World War III Breaks Out. The appearance of a giant billboard of Adolf Hitler has led some viewers to believe that the stock footage is taken from documentary footage of World War II Japan.

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Connections

Featured in Mystery Science Theatre 3000: Invasion of the Neptune Men (1997)

User Reviews

They Took Out The Hitler Building!

Aliens in bullet-head helmets, young boys running around in short shorts, army soldiers made up like Ru-Paul, Sonny Chiba (!) at his most un-heroic and Thomas the Tank Engine as the alien spaceship - is this any way to make a sci-fi movie?

It is if you've made this one. "Uchu Kaisoku-sen" (or "Invasion of the Neptune Men", as I know it) is a movie I have mixed feelings about. On one hand, it has a plot that feels like they left a few pages out of the script and replaced it with LOTS of stock footage. On the other hand, this is also a movie that will leave you rolling in the aisles (or your living room floor), gasping for breath at the stupid (dubbed) dialogue, fakey "special" FX, small disc ships that look like evil crab cakes and large groups of Japanese people running around all over the place - with no Godzilla in sight.

And that Space Chef - excuse me, Space CHIEF - what kind of a mook traipses around in white leotards, cape and a helmet with a corrective sun visor, trying to subdue the bad guys with karate kicks and chops that my two year-old daughter could out-maneuver with ease? To think that this was Sonny Chiba in that spandex is a head-scratcher; we all gotta start somewhere, I suppose.

You can watch this either way: alone or with Mike and the robots. Doesn't matter 'cause you'll get entertainment value either way. Derisive laughter is derisive laughter, no matter how you take it. Though I still cackle when I think of how the MST3K crew reacted when they blew up the Hitler building ("WHAT?!!") or Servo's song dedicated to the stock footage ("da da da-da da da...EAT IT, MOVIE!!!).

Anyway, you watch a movie like this on a Saturday afternoon - after the cartoons and before the pro-bowler's tour. Perfect way to waste a couple of hours: laughing hysterically.

Seven stars (yeah, that's right - SEVEN) for "Uchu Kaisoku-sen". Ten stars, as always, for the MST3K version.

And, as always, "NE C'EST PAS"!