Message from Space
| Message from Space | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 宇宙からのメッセージ | ||||
| |||||
| Directed by | Kinji Fukasaku | ||||
| Screenplay by | Hiro Matusda | ||||
| Story by | Kinji Fukasaku Shotaro Ishinomori Masahiro Noda | ||||
| Produced by |
| ||||
| Starring |
| ||||
| Cinematography | Toru Nakajima | ||||
| Music by | Kenichiro Morioka | ||||
Production companies | |||||
| Distributed by | Toei Company (JPN) United Artists (USA) | ||||
Release date |
| ||||
Running time | 105 minutes | ||||
| Country | Japan | ||||
Message from Space (Japanese: 宇宙からのメッセージ, Hepburn: Uchū Kara no Messēji) is a 1978 Japanese space opera film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. It stars Sonny Chiba, Etsuko Shihomi, and Vic Morrow. Produced by Toei with a cost between the equivalent of US$5 and 6 million, it was the most expensive film made in Japan at the time.
Upon release in the United States, Message from Space received generally negative reviews from critics who not only found many similarities with the previous year's Star Wars (1977), but also felt the special effects were poorly executed in comparison to the American film. It was however nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 7th Saturn Awards in 1980.