Warning From Space (1956) coming from Arrow

[DR Herbert West]

the first japanese science fiction film to be made in colour, koji shima’s warning from space features eye-popping special effects from the same team at daiei studios that would bring gamera to life a decade later.

As japan is rocked by mysterious sightings of ufos over tokyo and large one-eyed aliens attempting contact, scientists collaborate to investigate the unexpected rise in extraterrestrial activity. Unbeknownst to them, one of the aliens has already assumed human form and is about to deliver a very important message… that could be humanity’s last hope for survival.

With a witty script by hideo oguni (screenwriter of several akira kurosawa classics including seven samurai) and iconic starfish-like aliens designed by avant-garde artist taro okamoto, the original japanese version of warning from space finally makes its official english-language video debut.

Special edition contents

high definition blu-ray (1080p) presentation
original uncompressed japanese mono audio
optional newly translated english subtitles
brand new commentary by stuart galbraith iv, author of monsters are attacking tokyo!
First-ever hd transfer of the american release version of the film, including a newly restored english dub track
theatrical trailers
image galleries
reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by matt griffin
first pressing only: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring an essay on artist taro okamoto by japanese art historian nick west, and an essay on the production of the american edit of the film by david cairns

[DR Herbert West]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oRptenuayk

[SlimerJoel]

Always remember seeing this one included among those horrible Alpha Video releases from the early 2000's. Exciting to see it finally get the treatment it deserves. I hope Daimajin is next.

[Member-222782]

They finally found someone other than Kim Newman, Kat Ellinger or Troy Howarth to record a commentary. Good for them.

[WaverBoy]

FANTASTIC news! Day one!

[Zillamon51]

A definite preorder for me.

Just like the Gamera set. And just like Daimajin and Yokai, if Arrow releases them, as well.

[vortexx]

Good news to finally get a properly transferred copy of this. I hadn't realized that it was from the 50s when I saw it long ago.

[aaron2970]

toho put this out a few months ago-was it bad?

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by aaron2970

toho put this out a few months ago-was it bad?

That was a bootleg. This isn't a Toho film.

[John_Drake]

Produced as a Daiei film, Kadokawa now controls the rights and has been actively releasing their older catalog titles in Japan.

Last July, Kadokawa released the BD in Japan without the English dub (or English subs). They used an existing HD master (the same one used for the DVD) but some additional digital restoration was performed. Kadokawa has not included documentation on what was done and been careful not to refer to this as a new restoration or a new print. Detail and color is improved over the DVD but one Amazon reviewer noted minimal color fading (it's not prevalent). The transfer looks quite good with no large scratches, flicker, and only minimal speckling. Just don't expect it to look like Rashomon, another Daiei film of the same era, which underwent a full restoration.

In Japan, this title is part of Kadokawa's "Blu-ray Collection" which includes the main film as well as a "secret DVD from the vaults." This isn't a dual format release but rather the inclusion of an entirely different film that has typically not been released on DVD. These 'secret' films are not advertised on the surface packaging, you have to purchase and open the case to see underneath. The appended films appear to be mostly curated by theme, however, in this case, "Tokyo Tower at Twilight" (1959, dir. Abe Atushi, 63min.) is a romantic melodrama with no link to Warning other than that they both are set in Tokyo. Kadokawa has also included a reproduction of the original Daiei press sheet for Warning. It's a nice package and a delirious film (but in a good way).

Arrow has added significant value by including the English dub--this one is an easy double dip.

[DrEricVornoff]

Yeah I think this is gonna be a day 1 blind buy for me as well!

I love old 50's & 60's Japanese Sci-Fi. Plus, since it's Arrow - it's gonna be a quality release as always (PQ/SQ/extras).

This has been on my Amazon Prime watchlist forever!

[Hellhound]

The film Message from Space doesn't have any connection to this movie, does it?

[Zillamon51]

Originally Posted by Hellhound

The film Message from Space doesn't have any connection to this movie, does it?

No. It's not a sequel or anything.

The same kind of aliens from Warning do show up in the Starman films, as members of a galactic council or something. But it's a different studio. So, kind of like spotting E.T. in The Phantom Menace.

[broseph71]

Hey guys. Y’all know why this is so expensive? Compared to most normal arrow releases at least. I know it just went down in price on amazon, but does anyone know where the cheapest place to get this is?

[Zillamon51]

Originally Posted by broseph71

Hey guys. Y’all know why this is so expensive? Compared to most normal arrow releases at least. I know it just went down in price on amazon, but does anyone know where the cheapest place to get this is?

I just preorder from Amazon, because the price always drops in the interim, and they honor the lowest price on preorders. I did that on the Gamera set, and ended up paying the same ~$125, the low end of what most places were charging on release day. I'll do the same thing here, and I expect to be paying >$30 in the end.

[Zillamon51]

$27.99 at Amazon.

[DR Herbert West]

Originally Posted by Zillamon51

$27.99 at Amazon.

Ordered.

[vertigop1ayer]

Originally Posted by Hellhound

The film Message from Space doesn't have any connection to this movie, does it?

Nope! Different studios and everything.

Warning from Space was part of the 1950s sci-fi phenomenon that was so popular in both Japan and the US, along the lines of The Mysterians or the like.

In comparison, Message from Space was one of many movies inspired by Star Wars and is more of a space opera.

[Mikezilla3k]

Review's up.

[JetJagga]

Luv it when effortful, technologically imaginative, historically important Japanese movies like this continue to receive backhanded compliments and brain dead comparisons to Ed Wood. Keep up the uninspired reviews!

"a film which evidently never received much of an official theatrical exhibition in its native Japan" - ???????????? where did Brain Dead Film Take Man get this objectively false information from