The War in Space (1977)

In the future of 1988, Aliens from Venus attack the Earth. Heroic Miyoshi returns from America with a request from the UN for Prof Takigawa: finish the construction of the submarain-like spaceship Gohten. Takigawa had stopped construction either because all the good crew had left the project, or out of spite because Miyoshi blew off his daughter, Jun. She’s seems to be fine with it, now engaged to Miyoshi’s friend, Muroi. With the Earth in danger, Takigawa completes the craft and heads to Venus, with a crew including Miyoshi, Muroi, Jun, an Asian sidekick, and an American sidekick.

This is the film people are talking about when they say something is so bad it’s good. Shot in Toho-scope, the plot is ridiculous, the acting is hilarious, and the effects have an early Flash Gordon charm about them. And The War in Space wouldn’t be as much fun without the atrocious dubbing. I knew what I was in for in the first scene, when our hero is clearly talking, but we hear nothing but music. The voices never contain the emotion one would expect for the situations, but then neither do the facial expressions. I’d be surprised if the English voice actors had any idea what they were saying before they said it. Others who have heard it in Japanese have said the original voices are “better,” but sometimes better isn’t what you’re looking for, particularly when you are so far from “good.”

It is hard to believe this film came out the same year as Star Wars (except when a poor-man’s Wookie threatens the hot babe who the alien’s have forced into a cute leather outfit), and it’s best to forget that, and imagine this being an early ‘50s flick. Somehow all its many flaws are enjoyable if taken as the last hurrah for the old space serials. We have a space battle where a submarine is shooting at what seems to be a Roman galleon and neither are effected by gravity. That’s not the kind of thing I get to see in sci-fi any more.

Toho was never a first rate FX house, and that was even more the case after they’d (for a time) shut down their Godzilla franchise. Japanese companies didn’t have the budgets to compete with Hollywood. For The War in Space, footage from previous films was used whenever they thought they could get away with it, and the Gohten model is just the Atragon sub model, slightly redressed. And yes, you can see strings, and when you can’t, it’s pretty clear where they are. How much that bothers you depends on your state of mind. For a film made in only a few months, I think it looks pretty good.

There are worse things than behind-the-times effects, questionable acting, and general silliness. There is boredom, and that’s not a failing in The War in Space. Everything is lightning quick. There’s no time wasted on dwelling on anything. Zip, bang, and we’re on to the next scene. And you know how annoying it is for characters to throw tantrums, whine, or otherwise act unpleasantly when all you want to see is them blowing stuff up? No problem here. Nothing phases these folks. Best friend dies? It happens. Family massacred? Yeah, that was a bummer, but that was a scene ago. Aliens in the house trying to kill me? Unfortunate, but not worth getting up off of the couch for. Sure, their calm demeanors are’t realistic, but then this is a film with a green guy wearing a silver centurion outfit threatening to destroy the galaxy, so realism isn’t a goal. Besides, is all the whining in other films realistic (I’m looking at you Luke)? You won’t get to know these characters, but they also won’t get on your nerves.

The War in Space is a cotton candy confection of absurdity. It’s bad, but it’s bad in all the right ways. Yes, you’ll be laughing at it, instead of with it, but you’ll be laughing.