The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Lately I find I have a special place in my heart for the Japanese disaster movie of days gone by. They are so much fun, and their filmmakers throw everything but the kitchen sink in, both so that there's something to please everybody and because they're frankly just so chock-full of bizarre yet interesting ideas. It seems like it would have been a great time to make movies there! I enjoyed this a lot, though many aspects weren't understandable to me, like why as the meteor got ever closer to Earth it got so incredibly hot. I can understand, since the Moon influences tides through its gravitational pulls, why there could have been flooding, but the impact on temperature...I suppose it's simply one of those aspects of watching pre-manned space flight science-fiction films in which you have to approach simply with fun and acceptance, and turn off your disbelief, to simply enjoy the ride. I have no problem with that approach for these films.Cool ideas I really liked were the way one of the aliens altered its appearance so that the warning would be listened to, so that both worlds could be saved, and the concept that when a world crisis occurs, different countries and cultures--and various planets, for that matter--can sit down and work things out together, that all is not lost for civilization and its discontents in 2016. It's thoughts like that that help me sleep at night.This would make a great double bill with 'Melancholia'.

To make a change from the crap German SF I am reading at the moment (I have suddenly become addicted to the stunningly awful Perry Rhodan books) I thought I would see what the other former WW2 Axis power could throw at me in the way of bad SF. Synopsis:Giant Klu-Klux-Klan starfish, wanting to make contact with an eminent aged scientist, lurk about Tokyo and make people point at them and shout "Monster!" a lot before coming up with plan B.Plan B involves transformerising one of their number into the hefty showgirl who did the previously inexplicable and totally incongruous nightclub dance routine in reel 4.The transormerised alien is discovered floating in a pond by a bunch of assorted scientists out for a walk. They take her home with them and just as her lack of fingerprints, her ability to walk through locked doors, and tendency to leap 10 feet in the air to return tennis shots were arousing their suspicions, she destroys the only copy of one of the scientist's super-explosive formula, announces she is from Earth's twin counter-world and warns them about a rogue planet "from another galaxy" on a collision course, then inexplicably disappears until she is needed right at the end of the movie.The scientist leap into action and petition The World Congress to bomb "Planet R" to itty bitty bits. The World Congress refuses. Planet R heaves into view. Tokyo is evacuated except for a couple of dozen school kids who, for no apparent reason, take shelter in the the scientist's observatory basement. The scientists sit about getting sweatier and sweatier as Planet R gets closer and closer. The World Congress changes its mind and fires all its nukes at Planet R. Nothing happens. "If only we had some of that super-explosive old Wassisname invented" say the scientists. Old Wassisname meanwhile has been kidnapped by baddies, who want his formula, and has been left tied up in an abandoned building.After lots more getting hot and sweaty the aliens come back. "Hey, we're ready to blow up Planet R. All we need is Old Wassiname's formula. Where is he?""No idea." say the scientists, "Haven't seen him for a month.""No sweat," say the aliens, "He's wearing one of our rings which shows up really well on Radar." (Which is the first we've heard of it). The aliens appear in the abandoned building and rescue old Wassiname who has been bound hand and foot in a chair for a whole MONTH!Aliens blow up Planet R. Rabbits come out of burrows. Turtles crawl into ponds. Little children run into the arms of parents. The End.Great chunks of this film are insanely boring. Long shots of aged scientist peering into the business end of a very big telescope waiting for something to happen, inter-cut with long shots of not quite so aged scientists watching the first aged scientist waiting for him to say something. They must have shot hours of film of people peering into that telescope, hours and hours and hours, including, believe it or not, someone peering down it wearing sunglasses. And still the continuity goes to pot. In one cut towards the end chief aged scientist swaps eyes between shots.Having said that there are some nice things about this film. Some of the shots are nicely set up and the director gets a lot of value from a limited number of sets. Not bad enough to be good or good enough to be memorable, only worth watching if you are desperate.

As most of the sci-fi movies of the 1960's this one is out there in many ways. But is a memorable and much needed to be viewed movie. It begins when a small planet enters into a collision course with Earth, giant starfish like aliens come to warn the humans. Their appearance cause worldwide panic, making it difficult for them to deliver the message. When they finally do, they commission a scientist to develop a bomb to destroy the planet, but the bomb is stolen by a rogue group who intend to use it for their own purposes. The question is asked, can they recover the weapon in time, or will the Earth be destroyed? Well we are still here so we kinda know the answer but is always neat to find out what danger lurks in the imagination of the writers of the 60's. I enjoyed the film and most people will too.

Neat little epic about starfish shaped aliens coming to Earth to warn it of impending Clayson with another planet. Oddly enough,viewers complains about the cheap costumes of the aliens,if they listened to the story,the aliens wore protective costumes to function in Earth's atmosphere because their actual shape would horrify the earth people. The special effects are very good,par for the course for fifties sci-fi. Definitely a must for your video shelf. The color is a bit faded but it's still a nice film to watch. The dubbing is well done and the musical numbers are fun. Probably not the classic film one would like but it still good. I'm a big fan of Japanese sci-fi.so it goes well with my collection.