The Mysterians

Ishiro Honda’s The Mysterians (Chikyu Boeigun) is a classic of 50s Japanese sci-fi filmed in glorious colour Tohoscope.

Like Honda’s Godzilla, The Mysterians also explores the dangers of the atomic bomb combined with the kaiju eiga (Japanese giant monster movie) sub-genre, but for the first time in Japanese culture it introduced a new concept – alien invasions.

After an unexplained landslide destroys a village near Mount Fuji, investigating scientists find traces of radioactivity and rivers full of dead fish. Soon they find themselves pursued by Mogera, a massive robot who shoots death rays from its eyes and sets to destroy everything in its path.

The robot is being remotely controlled by the alien Mysterians, survivors of a planet destroyed by nuclear war, who have landed on Earth in order to rebuild their scientifically advanced but dwindling population. When a group of Earth scientists accept an invitation to meet with the Mysterians inside their dome-like ship, they soon discover that the aliens’ intentions are far from benign.

The Mysterians was the first colour Japanese science fiction film to be shot in widescreen. The creative team responsible for Godzilla reunited for the production and the special effects are striking. Flying saucers, zeppelin-type aircraft, ray-gun blasts, mass floods and violent explosions are fantastically executed, setting the standard for model effects and science fiction art design for years to come.

Vibrant and bursting with action, The Mysterians is an arresting vision of futuristic warfare and a cautionary tale for the atomic age. A treat not only for robot fanatics and cult sci-fi film fans, The Mysterians is one of Ishiro Honda’s most celebrated and spectacular extravaganzas, not to be missed.

• Original theatrical trailer.
• Rare production designs and artwork.
• Storyboards.
• Posters and stills galleries.
• Illustrated booklet including notes by author Kim Newman and biographies.