Battle in Outer Space

"Will the Earth be reduced to space dust? A giant battle unfolds on the other side of the moon!"

1959 1h 30m JA

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 50

Science FictionAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1965, the space station JSS-3 is destroyed by a fleet of UFOs, which then begin a global siege on Earth, using rays to manipulate gravity and control the minds of men. In response, a global council meeting is held to determine the source of the attacks and prepare a rocket ship armada for a counter-attack, a true battle in outer space. . . The film is a sequel of sorts to Toho's THE MYSTERIANS in the reprise of the Etsuko Shiraishi character of that film as its heroine. It was edited to 74 minutes for its American release.

“Will the Earth be reduced to space dust? A giant battle unfolds on the other side of the moon!”

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Cast

Koreya Senda
Professor Adachi
Ryō Ikebe
Major Ichiro Katsumiya
Kyōko Anzai
Etsuko Shiraishi
Yoshio Tsuchiya
Iwomura
Leonard Stanford
Dr. Roger Richardson
Harold Conway
Dr. Immerman
Hisaya Ito
Kogure
Minoru Takada
The Commander

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ishirō Honda
Writers: Shinichi Sekizawa, Jōjirō Okami
Languages: German, Japanese, English
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

67 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, Japanese, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Mysterians Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ishirō Honda, shot by Hajime Koizumi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Akira Ifukube. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kazuji Taira shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Koreya Senda and Ryō Ikebe and Kyōko Anzai carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ishirō Honda directs. Hajime Koizumi behind the camera. Akira Ifukube scores. Kazuji Taira cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in German, Japanese, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
267 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, Japanese, English.
4Part of the "The Mysterians Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Ishirō Honda, shot by Hajime Koizumi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Akira Ifukube. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Kazuji Taira shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Koreya Senda and Ryō Ikebe and Kyōko Anzai carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Will the Earth be reduced to space dust? A giant battle unfolds on the other side of the moon!".
10IMDB entry: tt0053388 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 50 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
12Classified under 17 themes, including "mind control", "spacecraft", "new york city", "japan".

The technical file

Cinematography: Hajime Koizumi
Original score: Akira Ifukube
Editing: Kazuji Taira
Production design: Teruaki Abe
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: Battle in Outer Space (1959)

Part of

The Mysterians Collection

In Japan, scientifically advanced invaders from the war-destroyed planet Mysteroid cause an entire village to vanish, then send a giant robot out to storm the city by night, after which they request a small patch of land on Earth and the right to marry earthling women, claiming to be pacifists. Mankind must decide whether to capitulate or to resist. The nations of the Earth unite in a common cause to fight off an invader from outer space.