The session: "Japanese Sci-Fi"
Four Japanese science fiction movies -- but not the cliche giant monster kind
Week 1: Green Slime (1968)
Directed by Kinji Fukasaku
My Level of Prior Knowledge:
I hadn't heard of this.
Plot:
Astronauts destroy an asteroid to save earth. But they unleash a deadly alien life that starts out as green slime.
Reaction and Other Folderol:
Back when I was in grad school, my Sunday night ritual consisted of watching Dr. Who with my friends Rod and Diana. Though it was part of my weekly routine, I never really got into that show. The one thing I remember well was that the special effects were pretty bad -- comedically bad. And in some ways, the effects in Slime brought me back to that. The aleins here were in equal measure Dr. Who and Sid and Marty Krofft.
But I'd be doing the movie a disservice if I were to leave it at that. For starters, I can get on my soapbox, and note that the alien monsters are actually very effective. The cheesiest of costumes beat the best CGI. And the fact is that the plot itself is legitimately serious science-fiction. It could do with some better character development, but all in all it was reasonably done.
By the way, I would be remiss if I failed to note the totally groovy theme song. This has got to be one of the best movie themes ever. And, while these writeups usually only have one video (typically, a trailer), I will make an exception here.
Ratings
Me: 8
Bob-O: 9.5
Christina: 9.1
Dave: 9.5
Ethan: 7
That is a pretty good song
ReplyDeleteI know, right! I loved it!.
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