A Quick Look: THE X FROM OUTER SPACE (1967 - color)

   Here's one of Japan's oddest giant monster movies (and consider that statement...), THE X FROM OUTER SPACE. This is the closest thing we ever got to an Italian Godzilla movie (as if feels more closely related to Italian space operas than it does the typical Godzilla cash-in). A space flight to Mars is turned back when it encounters a strange flying saucer just beyond the moon. The ship picks up a weird spore and brings it back to Earth. There, the spore grows into a gigantic dinosaur-like fungus creature that draws energy from the attacks arrayed against it. THE X FROM OUTER SPACE was one of numerous Japanese films AIP-TV imported directly to the small screen, understanding that a big rubber monster is a reliable ratings bonanza. It later became a popular rental video when Orion released a set of giant monster tapes in the 80's. Here's another one where the superior AIP dub is becoming increasingly rare. The monster itself, Guilala, recently returned for a genre spoof that re-created the original costume so perfectly that footage from the '67 film was mixed in. THE X FROM OUTER SPACE isn't considered the best of it's breed, but it is a fun, breezy space opera/monster movie perfectly evocative of the 60's aesthetic. (In the most bizarre bit, the film's ending moral seems to be a plea against racially mixed marriages! Still something of a taboo in 60's Japan.)