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Film Review: Warning from Space (1956) by Koji Shima

In the 1950s, while the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States heightened the threat of nuclear war, storytellers and filmmakers attempted to capture the mood of the times within their works. With the images of the atom bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima on everyone's mind especially the science-fiction genre emphasized the catastrophic outcome of nuclear technology which can be seen in works like Ishiro Honda's “Godzilla” and Robert Wise's “The Day the Earth Stood Still”. Especially the former sparked a plethora of similar stories and resulted in a boom for the genre, with many Japanese studios wanting their share of the success of Honda's feature. In 1956, Daei released “, directed by , a feature that was met with negative reviews upon release, but has been a source of inspiration for other filmmakers, such as Stanley Kubrick.

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At the beginning of the story, the citizens of Tokyo are both fascinated and scared by the sightings of flying saucers in the sky, an event which is met with much skepticism by scientists like Dr. Kamura () as well as his colleagues Dr. Itsobe () and Dr. Matsuda (). However, as the sightings start to increase in number and scientists observe a number of flying objects through their telescopes, even the most skeptical have to come to the conclusion there must be extraterrestrials out there. While scientists all over the world discuss the implications of these events, the aliens, large starfish-like creatures, have already made their way to earth, scaring the people they encounter and eventually leaving earth again.

As science tries to explain the sudden disappearance of the aliens from Earth, the visitors from outer space have actually made their way back to our planet, this time disguised as humans. Since Matsuda has been working on a formula about a new element which has the potential to meet the world's energy supply, he is contacted by one of the aliens, claiming his idea will set the foundation for the world's annihilation. Matsuda and his colleagues get together to interpret what the alien has said, when it returns yet again to inform them about a planet named “R” which is on a collision course with earth and threatens the existence of all human life. Only a united effort of all the countries in the world can prevent the apocalypse from happening and it is due to the Japanese scientists to convince the world of their plan.

Even though some of its elements may appear goofy to today's audiences, Koji Shima's feature needs to mentioned at least for attempting to stress the “science” part of the genre. With its protagonists being scientists from various fields of research, 's script, based on a novel by Gentaro Nakajima, stresses how these people may be unaware of the potential consequences of their work, but they certainly know how to take responsibility and take action. Similar to the characters in “Godzilla”, Matsuda, Itsobe and Kamura appear quite likable, if a little odd at times, but, nevertheless, approachable and highly dedicated to serve the good of mankind. The image of them and their teams communicating with other scientists and researchers from all over the world to find explanations for the phenomenon of the flying saucers emphasizes the status of science as a collaborative effort, a unifier of people and cultures, which is quite interesting, but not an unfamiliar concept in films made during the time of Cold War.

Another feature which is noticeable in Shima's feature is the portrayal of the alien. Their design – courtesy of artist Taro Okamoto – may again look goofy at first sight, but also shows their peaceful intentions with their starfish-like shape and the one big eye in the middle. As they are more advanced regarding technology and knowledge, these advances may be supported by their design, with the eye highlighting the idea of great wisdom, for example. Similar to Wise's “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, their original intention is to offer support and knowledge to mankind, a concept which has been abandoned in the genre, apart from a few efforts in recent years.

In the end, “Warning from Space” ends up being an interesting addition to the genre, especially for its rather positive message. Although some of its aspects have not aged that well, some of the scenes, especially those depicting the scientist characters still maintain a certain charm and appeal.

About the author

Rouven Linnarz

Ever since I watched Takeshi Kitano's "Hana-Bi" for the first time (and many times after that) I have been a cinephile. While much can be said about the technical aspects of film, coming from a small town in Germany, I cherish the notion of art showing its audience something which one does normally avoid, neglect or is unable to see for many different reasons. Often the stories told in films have helped me understand, discover and connect to something new which is a concept I would like to convey in the way I talk and write about films. Thus, I try to include some info on the background of each film as well as a short analysis (without spoilers, of course), an approach which should reflect the context of a work of art no matter what genre, director or cast. In the end, I hope to pass on my joy of watching film and talking about it.

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