Unfortunately, “The Mysterians” is quite laughable. I can only imagine that the BFI put out this DVD re-issue as an example of innovative film effects at the time – and by that I refer to the impressive (for 1957) scenes of landslides, explosions and general destruction as opposed to the horrendous tacked-on lazer beams.
The plot is this. Left planet-less after an atomic war back home, the Mysterians arrive at earth and declare their intent to sustain and rebuild their population via the use of the land and women of Fiji. Both the residents and military are unhappy with the whole idea and proceed to wage war on the newcomers, aiming to shoo the unwelcome Mysterians back into space.
I suppose the scenes depicting the attack of the giant robot aren’t too bad. It’s a shame that the sequence is so bizarrely placed, with the lumbering, bird-like beast making a storming entrance about twenty minutes in and exiting about ten minutes later. The creative team behind “The Mysterians” had actually produced the original “Godzilla” three years before, and strangely decided to embed a monster movie short of the same vein into this project too.
The narrative of the second half essentially boils down to alternating scenes of explosive warfare and governmental/military meetings, at which strategies and weapons are developed to combat the technologically advanced Mysterians. The climactic finale goes unnoticed due to the fact that it’s just a battle scene with all of the booms and bangs of the battle scenes before it. Perhaps the giant bird-robot-monster would have been better unleashed at this point.
In fact, the only conclusive element of the film that really sticks out is the point at which the film’s “message” is painfully spelt out for those viewers with an IQ low enough to trip over. “The tragedy of the Mysterians is a good example for us!” screams Ryoichi Shiraishi. “Don’t use science in the wrong way!” Dear me. Perhaps I took the whole experience a bit too seriously?
WHAT TO DO NOW?