Space Amoeba

Space Amoeba
Space Amoeba
	Theatrical poster
Directed by	Ishirō Honda
Written by	Ei Ogawa
Produced by	Fumio Tanaka; Tomoyuki Tanaka
Starring	Akira Kubo; Atsuko Takahashi; Yukiko Kobayashi; Kenji Sahara; Yoshio Tsuchiya; Yu Fujiki; Noritake Saito; Yûko Sugihara; Sachio Sakai
Cinematography	Taiichi Kankura
Edited by	Masahisa Himi; Eli Haviv (US version)
Music by	Akira Ifukube
Production; company	Toho
Distributed by	Toho ; American International Pictures (USA, 1971)
Release dates	August 1, 1970 (Japan); August 4, 1971;
Running time	83 min.
Language	Japanese

Space Amoeba, released in Japan as Gezora, Ganime, Kamēba: Kessen! Nankai no Daikaijū (ゲゾラ・ガニメ・カメーバ決戦! 南海の大怪獣, lit. "Gezora, Ganimes, and Kamoebas: Decisive Battle! Giant Monsters of the South Seas"), is a 1970 Japanese Science Fiction/Kaiju film produced and released by Toho Studios. Directed by Ishirō Honda, and featuring special effects by Sadamasa Arikawa, the film starred Kenji Sahara and Yoshio Tsuchiya. The film tells the story of extraterrestrial amoeba-like aliens that highjack a probe and, after crash landing on a small South pacific atoll, create gigantic monsters from native lifeforms (a Kisslip cuttlefish, stone crab and Matamata turtle) with plans of conquering the Earth.

The film was released theatrically in the USA in the Summer of 1971 by American International Pictures as Yog Monster from Space.

Plot

The Helios 7 space probe is sent on a mission to study the planet Jupiter. While on its outward journey to the gas giant, the probe is overtaken by the Space Amoeba, an amorphous parasitic extraterrestrial. The probe returns to Earth and crashes into the South Pacific, where the Amoeba leaves the device and inhabits the body of a cuttlefish, causing it to mutate into what is called "Gezora." The tentacled kaiju begins attacking ships and islands in the area.

A photographer named Kudo and his entourage land on Selga Island for a photoshoot, but their camp is attacked by Gezora. Because of its mutation the creature can create extremely cold temperatures with its body. When the survivors discover that Gezora is vulnerable to high temperatures, Kudo and his friends use a leftover Japanese World War II munitions bunker to set fire to the monster. Severely burned, the creature retreats to the water where it dies.

Later, the Space Amoeba possesses a stone crab^{[disambiguation needed]}, mutating it into "Ganimes" and attacks the surrounding islands. Luckily the humans manage to lure Ganimes into a pit and destroy it with explosives. The Amoeba survives a second time and flees into the surrounding jungles plotting its revenge.

The Space Amoeba decides to control two Earth creatures this time. Another Ganimes, and a rock turtle named "Kamoebas." The two monsters raid the human camp. Luckily Kudo realizes the two monsters' weakness: supersonic waves. By releasing a storm of bats, the Amoeba loses control of its creations. Ganimes and Komoebas, no long under control, go berserk and begin to battle between them. The humans, using more explosives, cause the volcano to erupt, engulfing the Space Amoeba and the two monsters.

Cast

Gezora (Haruo Nakajima) comes ashore during filming.

Akira Kubo as Taro Kudo
Atsuko Takahashi as Ayako Hoshino　
Yukiko Kobayashi as Saki
Kenji Sahara as Makoto Obata
Yoshio Tsuchiya as Dr. Kyouichi Miya
Tetsu Nakamura as Onbo
Yuu Fujiki as the Head of Asia Development Company
Yoshitake Saitou as Riko
Yuuko Sugihara as a Stewardess
Sachio Sakai as the Chief Editor of Topics Weekly
Tyoutaro Tougin as Yokoyama
Wataru Oomae as Sakura
Ichirō Murakoshi as the voice of Space Amoeba
Haruo Nakajima as Gezora and Ganimes
Haruyoshi Nakamura as Kamoebas

Miscellaneous credits

File:Yogusa.jpg

American International Pictures theatrical poster for the 1971 U.S. release of Yog Monster From Space.

Takeo Kita – Production Design
Seiji Tani – Assistant to the director
Teruyoshi Nakano – Chief Assistant Special Effects Director
Yoichi Manoda – Special Effects Cinematography
Yoshiyuki Tokumasa – Optical Effects
Yasuyuki Inoue – Special Effects Set Director

Versions

Toho Co. Ltd.: Japanese (84 min.; original version)
Toho International: English (84 min.; International dub; released to DVD in America by Media Blasters)
American International Pictures: English (84 min.; Titra dub; released in American theaters and VHS; titled Yog, Monster from Space.)

References

External links

Guinn, Troy. (2006). Space Amoeba (DVD review) at eccentric-cinema.com
KFC Cinema Review
"決戦！南海の大怪獣 (Kessen! Nankai no Daikaijū)" (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
Space Amoeba at IMDb