Evil Brain from Outer Space

Infobox_Film
name = Evil Brain from Outer Space


caption = DVD cover for Alpha Video's release of "Evil Brain from Outer Space" (1964)
director = Koreyoshi Akasaka
Akira Mitsuwa
producer = Mitsugi Okura
writer = Akira Mitsuwa
Ichiro Miyagawa
starring = Ken Utsui
Junko Ikeuchi
Minoru Takada
music =
cinematography =
editing =
distributor =Walter Manley Enterprises Inc.
released = 1964
runtime = 78 min. (USA)
language = English (dubbed)
budget =
preceded_by = "Attack from Space"
imdb_id = 0058072|

"Evil Brain from Outer Space" is a 1964 film edited together for American television from films #7, #8 and #9 of the Japanese short film series "Super Giant".

Plot

The film concerns Starman's efforts to save the Earth from the followers of Balazar, an evil genius from the planet Zemar whose brain has been preserved after his own assassination.

American adaptation

The 9 "Super Giant" films were purchased for distribution to U.S. television and edited into 4 films by Walter Manley Enterprises and Medallion Films. The 3 original Japanese films which went into "Evil Brain from Outer Space" ("The Space Mutant Appears", "The Devil's Incarnation" and "The Poison Moth Kingdom") were 45 minutes, 57 minutes and 57 minutes in duration respectively. The total 159 minutes of the three films were edited into one 78-minute film. Since the three original films were self-contained stories, three different plots had to be edited together, and a considerable amount of all three films dropped. The result has been called, "an alternately mind-blowing and mind-numbing adventure... a non-ending cavalcade of characters, chases, captures, rescues and fight scenes." [*Ragone, August. "THE ORIGINAL "STARMAN"]

Contributing to the difficulties of editing these three films together was the fact that the first film was in the older 4:3 ratio, while the latter two films were shot in widescreen format. This necessitated the use of pan-and-scan methods to make the three films match.

DVD releases

"Evil Brain from Outer Space" is currently available on two DVD releases. Something Weird Video with Image Entertainment released the film and the other Starman film, "Attack from Space" on a single disc on December 10, 2002. Alpha Video also released a budget-priced disc of the film on July 27, 2004.

ee also

* "Super Giant"

External links

*

Cited references

References

*Ragone, August. "THE ORIGINAL "STARMAN"; the Forgotten Supergiant of Steel Who Fought for Peace, Justice and the Japanese Way" Originally published in Planet X Magazine, included in Something Weird Video's DVD release.