Warning from Space (1956)

Here’s a quick bit of trivia: Did you know that Stanley Kubrick was inspired to make 2001: A Space Odyssey after watching Japanese science fiction movies? That’s true. One of those movies was Warning from Space, a strange mash-up of The Day the Earth Stood Still and tokusatsu.

When a flap of UFO sightings occurs over Tokyo, scientists are pressed to offer an explanation. When a journalist puts the squeeze on Dr. Kumara (Bontarô Miake) at his favorite sake bar, the female proprietor comes to his defense. “A scientist is not like a politician who can answer every question,” she admonishes him. Soon, though, Dr. Kumara and his colleagues see the UFOs themselves and can’t easily explain them away. However, when residents report seeing cyclopean starfish-shaped creatures roaming around, things really get difficult to rationalize.

The creatures are known as Pairans and, unlike most science fiction aliens, they’re not evil. They’ve arrived to warn humanity of an impending catastrophe. They’re actually puzzled that humans find their starfish-like appearance to be terrifying. So, one of them “transmutates” into human form. Assuming the appearance of a popular Japanese singer, she tries to infiltrate the scientific community to deliver the Pairans’ message. It seems a rogue planet is on a collision course with Earth.

Made to take advantage of the demand for tokusatsu films that kicked off with Toho’s Godzilla in 1954, Warning from Space was the first Japanese science fiction film to be made in color. The Pairans’ starfish-like appearance was designed by Japanese avant-garde artist Tarō Okamoto. The story capitalizes on the fear of nuclear weapons, which becomes a key plot point once the Pairans make contact. Taken individually, these factoids are mildly interesting. Combined with the script’s oddball sense of humor and apocalyptic foreboding, however, Warning from Space becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

The first half of the movie reminded me a bit of Don’t Look Up in that a message of impeding doom is received somewhat skeptically by the populace. When the Pairans encourage the countries of the Earth to use their nuclear weapons to destroy the approaching planet, they’re met with a non-committal response from “The World Council.” It’s not until the planet — dubbed Planet R — is visible to the naked eye that they reconsider.

Visually, Warning from Space is a delight. The aforementioned aliens are so dopey looking that it’s impossible to harshly criticize them for being exactly what they are: men in over-sized onesies with a single, giant unblinking eye strapped to their chests. The cinematography by Kimio Watanabe bathes scenes in brilliant (and sometimes menacing) swaths of color. The special effects range from hokey to startlingly impressive for their time.

Fans of 1950s science fiction films will find Warning from Space loaded with a plethora of familiar tropes. But the delivery, as flawed as it is, makes the film more palatable than it has any right to be. An unexpected — and extremely weird — surprise.