Message from Space (1978)
Where Fantasies are Real & Reality is Fantastic.
Message from Space (宇宙からのメッセージ, Uchū kara no Messēji) is a 1978 Japanese space opera film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. The film stars Sonny Chiba, Etsuko Shihomi, and Vic Morrow. The film was produced by Toei and cost between the equivalent of US$5 and 6 million, the most expensive movie made in Japan up to that time.
On the film’s release in the United States, it received generally negative reviews from critics who not only found many similarities with the previous year’s original Star Wars (1977), but also complained that the special effects were poorly executed in comparison to the film by George Lucas.
Why It Matters
Message from Space is a useful example of space opera built around selection, resistance and mythic adventure. Its heroes are drawn together from different backgrounds and pulled into a conflict much larger than any one of them expected.
Worldbuilding Inspiration
- A resistance that recruits unlikely champions through a symbolic call.
- An occupied world asking outsiders for help against a stronger empire.
- Space travel presented with the structure and energy of a heroic quest.
Related Screen Archive
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