Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Forumrxes Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

brando647 In my 30+ years on this planet, I had never had the pleasure of discovering Starman. Then I bought a 50-movie collection of public domain films long-since lost in the sands of time and there it was buried on a disc amidst a handful of relatively forgettable cine-trash: EVIL BRAIN FROM OUTER SPACE. This "movie" is a treasure. It is something special, and it deserves an audience. Originally airing on television in 1965, EVIL BRAIN FROM OUTER SPACE is an amalgamation of three separate Japanese movies featuring the superhero Starman. Whether he is actually known as Starman in his own films (or if that's an American contribution) or if the plot of any of those three movies reflects in any way the disjointed through-line of EVIL BRAIN FROM OUTER SPACE (I doubt it), I couldn't say for certain. All I know is that this confusing bundle of fun was an absolute blast. The plot, as best I can decipher it: an alien genius was assassinated but his brain survived. This brain now has revenge on its…um, mind. It focuses its vengeance on the planet Earth where it hopes to use its powers of mind control and manipulation to cause nuclear war. This nuclear war will then…pollute space? Wasn't the movie STAR PILOT worried about nuclear space pollution originating from Earth too? Anyway, a space council on the Emerald Planet decides to send their hero Starman to Earth to combat the brain and prevent it from accomplishing its demented, nonsensical goals.A quick introduction to Starman (Ken Utsui): he's a superhero from space that walks the Earth in disguise as a normal human and transforms into Starman through use of a space watch when danger rears its ugly head. I'm not sure of the reason for the disguise since he has no problem introducing himself in all its strange detail when questioned:"I was not born on your planet Earth. Instead, I was sent here to save you from the Zemarians. You will die if I fail to kill him. Starman is what I am called."This is his response to a simple "Who are you?" from a police officer that witnessed Starman (in his alter ego form) save a couple of school children from evil Zemarian henchmen. Rather than lock him up for sounding utterly nutty and having proved himself dangerous, the cop just accepts it. Starman has arrived on our planet to find a means of destroying the evil brain of Balazar in a race against time, but it doesn't mean he won't have time to save the odd citizen from danger. Who are Starman's allies in his battle against evil? Depends on which segment of the movie you're watching. There are three distinct segments to this movie and characters, good and evil, will come and go without much fanfare. Characters who appear in the first segment will disappear from the movie altogether or reappear at the end for a final appearance without explanation. We get two separate pairs of plucky children for Starman to comfort with promises of saving the world. The kids in the second segment are even key players for a while, stumbling across a secret alien base under a hospital to give Starman a reason to bust in and beat up some alien scum. Then the kids disappear from the movie and are later replaced with the original two children from the first segment who show up at the end of the movie inexplicably for the final few shots.There isn't enough room to shower praise on everything I love in EVIL BRAIN FROM OUTER SPACE but here are some of the best bits:Starman's costume: he looks like Quailman (that's a "Doug" reference for those not in the know) joined a circus trapeze troupe. The evil Zemarians look like 1960's Batman at an EYES WIDE SHUT party: jumpsuits, capes, and cheap Halloween store domino masks. Also their salute is very Nazi-esque.The Zemarian mutants. Evil creatures created by the Zemarians that look like an Aztec carving of a monkey come to life and attack with solid cobalt claws (deadly to Starman).The fight scenes are phenomenal. The choreography is erratic and blows never seem to land. When Starman and the mutants use their powers to jump great distances, it's just a jump cut between locations. So, so wonderfully cheesy. Every so often, during a fight with a large group of baddies, Starman will throw one off screen; he then reaches off screen to retrieve a matching dummy for a super toss across the room.Literally EVERYONE has a secret passage leading to a secret Zemarian base.Sudden third act space witch! With nuclear fire attack action!The list goes on and on. Whoever edited these movies together couldn't care less about their job. They were really banking on the English language dubbing to keep the audience in the loop on the story but it often fails. Things happen for no reason. Entire sequences are completely irrelevant. But as long as you keep the premise lodged in your head…Starman is here to save us from the machinations of the evil brain of Balazar…you'll do fine. I'm not suggesting you watch EVIL BRAIN IN OUTER SPACE for the compelling screen writing. I'm suggesting it for literally everything else. This is a movie where you get together with a group of friends, say good-bye to sobriety, and just laugh. I wish I could run you through every delightful moment of this "movie" but, really, you should just do yourself a favor and watch it.

Red-Barracuda This Japanese sci-fi movie was seemingly edited together from a TV serial. There appear to have been others of the same ilk such as Invaders from Space (1965). In this one a man of steel from a distant planet called Starman is sent to Earth by an intergalactic council to save it from a series of monsters and villains under the control of the being known as the evil brain from outer space.This film is quite poor overall but with aspects that elevate it somewhat. While Starman is a somewhat dull hero, luckily there are some decidedly interesting monsters and minions. There is a sprite-like demon that makes weird jarring sounds and an ominous silent witch-like woman with long nails and a beak-like nose. These characters appear from out of nowhere throughout the story and always enliven events when they do. In addition, the space council is populated by an assortment of very odd looking alien creatures and a large planet seen in the background clearly appears to be swinging on a bit of string. For the most part though, the events in the story are not terribly engaging or interesting and it's only the aforementioned weird aspects that keep it from being a snooze-fest. Certainly okay for a watch though if you like the particular strangely specific forms of sci-fi that came out of Japan in the 60's.

BA_Harrison The high council of The Emerald Planet—a motley collection of cardboard/papier-mâché extraterrestrials—are so embarrassed by their 'superhero' Starman (Ken Utsui) that they once again elect to send him billions of miles away to help the inhabitants of an insignificant blue planet called Earth who are under attack from Balazar, a disembodied brain, and his army of mutants.Flying to wherever there is trouble with the aid of his clearly visible harness, Starman uses his amazing martial arts/dance moves to defeat the creatures without ever seeming to make contact (I imagine that they're more stunned by his hysterical attire than by any of his punches). Once again, Starman is aided in his quest by a couple of cute Japanese kids with whom the superhero sneaks in a few surreptitious hugs whenever possible (a strange, fully-grown man in a leotard getting pally with minors: I'm surprised he's not been picked up by the police for questioning).If you've already been unfortunate enough to witness the horror of a Starman movie, you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect—choppy editing, diabolical dubbing, no sense of excitement whatsoever, really bad monsters—and you will have no doubt prepared yourself mentally for what is in store for you this time around. On the other hand, If you haven't already had the pleasure of Ken Utsui prancing around in the daftest space get-up since Ming the Merciless, then all I can say is, expect the worst: you won't be disappointed.

classicsoncall Keep in mind that the last movie I saw and reviewed just before this one was "Gone With The Wind". I can't really say why I watch stuff like "Evil Brain From Outer Space", I guess it's a need to achieve some kind of balance. What surprised me right off the bat was that this was a Japanese monster movie, but without your traditional Godzilla, Gamera or Rodan. It features a Japanese super-hero named Starman sent to Earth to defeat a horde of multiplying Sumerian mutations from the planet Zimar, whose leader Balazar was assassinated by a de-controlled robot. Balazar's brain lives on and plans to conquer Earth via nuclear war. Whew! Can you keep up with that? You know, if all the characters in this flick weren't Japanese, I could almost swear it was a sample of Mexican lucha libre, as Starman battles a couple of nasty spandex suited mutants in choreographed martial arts dance routines. It's all fairly well suited for the pre teen-ager, just like most of the Japanese monster films of the same era. I did get a kick out of one scene when the civilian Kuwota opens a book and runs his finger left to right over a line of Japanese writing. Even this novice knows that Japanese is read right to left! At least the movie gets as much mileage as it can from 'one of the most ingenious devices ever invented'. With the help of the globe meter, a wristwatch with five dials, one can fly through space, detect radioactivity, and speak and understand all the known languages on Earth. I'll have to get me one of those!