Sunday, April 7, 2019

Starman Rules!


ATOMIC RULERS-1957/1965-Out in space the unusual inhabitants of “The Emerald Planet” are concerned about the Earth's atomic energy contaminating space. They invent STARMAN (Ken Utsui) out of steel and sent him to Earth. He wears a white jumpsuit with glider wings, has an antenna on his head and an accentuated crotch. He has three special powers: 1) he can fly through space 2) He can detect radiation 3) He can speak and understand any language. He's strong but not Superman strong and is impervious to bullets. He can also disguise himself as an ordinary Japanese human in a suit and tie. He's sent specifically to Japan for two reasons. One, Mongolia plans to use atomic power to rule the world and want to use Japan as an example to the rest of the world and two, this is a Japanese production culled from two movies. Two enemy agents are delivering a detonator but Starman intervenes. During their fight some kids from an orphanage grab the bag containing the detonator and run away but one kid is captured and threatened by one of the spies  (he seems like a child molester to me). Starman goes to the orphanage to retrieve the bag and meets the kids and the nun who runs the place who informs Star that one kid is missing. Also visiting is a police detective and his sister. Star rescues the kid but the bad guys steal the detonator back and take the sister hostage. Eventually all is revealed at a Mongolian embassy banquet and their leader announces his evil plan. Although Starman gets the detonator back and seems to thwart their conquest plan he is force to turn it over to the leader when he vows to kill the sister who’s still his prisoner. Later Star invades their headquarters and saves the sister, although they are almost blown up. He beats up everyone else and saves the world.

Called "Super Giant" in Japan, this adventure is culled from the first two movies in the series. The fights are hysterical and the dubbed dialogue is also funny. All of them were directed by Teruo Ishii.

Thanks for reading!

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