Invasion of the Neptune Men

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Matt R Pointy headed missile-like invaders from outer space land in Japan! A group of kids, good scientists and Iron Sharp aka Space Chief are the Earth's only defense! INVASION OF THE NEPTUNE MEN (1961) is an early example of a tokusatsu hero here to help humanity and entertain. A very young Sonny Chiba is Dr. Tachibana, a scientist and teacher, and also Iron Sharp although it is never acknowledged or explained. The kids dream of a hero and he appears when they need him. He has an amazing rocket car and he battles the Neptune Men. The production design and sound design are really cool. I like that the Neptunians don't speak a human language and don't explain their intent. They are here to take over. It is a fun and fast movie with good special effects. In the original Japanese and in the context of 1961, INVASION OF THE NEPTUNE MEN has some great qualities. If it was made in the USA and came out a decade earlier, it would be considered a great sci-fi flick. Sure, I wish there was more character development and plot. But you can see the beginnings of fundamental tokusatsu heroes in it. I know MST3K has introduced a lot of folks to obscure genre cinema with humor and commentary. But sometimes it is better to leave the lampooning comedy, cynicism, and satire behind and just enjoy the film with the sincerity in which it was made. I think it is because of goofy dubbing and MST3K that NEPTUNE MEN is considered one of the worst ever but I've seen many movies that are worse and less enjoyable. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/11/25 Full Review Audience Member I'm giving this movie all 5 stars ONLY for the reason that this is one of the best, one of my favorite & one of the most hilarious episodes of MST3K, BUT that should tell you everything you need to know about how horribly absurd this movie is without the MST3K treatment. From the annoying kids that run everywhere to the hero that's kind of a jerk & can inexplicably fly a car, this movie on it's own merits is a disaster on every level. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member The plot doesn't flow right, and the bad editing drags the already sluggish pace. The hero is pretty forgettable, as are the invaders and the action. Some fun moments, but not a easy watch. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Invasion of the Neptune Men is Japan's answer to the success of Forbidden Planet, or so it seems anyway. Not only do the aliens look like Robby the Robot, but the kids in the movie actually play with a toy of Robby the Robot. Yeah, it's that blatant. It's also another attempt at a Prince of Space-type movie. I'm sure these movies were successful at the time and children ate them up, especially when you consider that the children in the movie play a major role. You might even say there is far too much of them, and the horrible shrill overdubbing doesn't help. The film was featured on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, which is about the only thing people remember about it. It also pops up in these big 50 Movie Sci-Fi DVD sets every so often, which should tell you everything you need to know about the quality of it. It's just not a great movie and it doesn't hold up at all. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member one of the worst movies ever, horrible almost funny special effects don't help story much Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Really great stuff. 90% of the film is the characters running back and forth between points A and B. And Space Chief? He's the awesomest superhero/single father of like five adopted kids ever. Space Chief is so cool you don't need to know where he got his AMAZING ability to dodge laser beams or how his car flies through space. If you find yourself running back and forth from points A and B, be sure to give Invasion of the Neptune Men a watch! (As long as you don't take any of it seriously. It's even funnier with the MST3k commentary.) Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Invasion of the Neptune Men

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