Plot: What’s it about?
In Attack from Space, two youngsters find themselves involved in an intergalactic crisis of monumental magnitude. As they help their father work on a rocket ship, they wind up captured by aliens hailing from the Sapphire Galaxy. These aliens are known as Superians and they force the father to lend his skills to their own project. This means he has to build them a large spacecraft that will serve as a connection between the Superian headquarters and other exotic ports of call, a most demanding request. But have no fear, as the authorities in the Emerald Galaxy has learned of this peril and has dispatched Starman, a superhero above all others. Starman has immense speed, strength, and all kinds of special powers, including flight. Can Starman demolish the evil Superians and free this poor family from their clutches? In Evil Brain from Outer Space, Starman is back in action and this time, the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance. A full scale assault has been mounted, as a slew of hideous monsters has been unleashed. This attack was orchestrated by a super genius mind, or I should say, super genius brain. The attack even includes use of a special super-germ, which has some potent firepower of the female kind. But of course, Starman soon comes to the rescue, though can even he overcome this kind of opposition?
I’ve seen a lot of unusual movies over the years, but I have to admit, the adventures of Starman are some of the most bizarre flicks I’ve witnessed. You know some of those old serials (i.e. Flash Gordon) are sometimes pasted together to form a feature length picture? That is what seems to have been done with the Starman (a.k.a. Super Giant) movies, but not much care was taken, as we’re subjected to all sorts of abstract plot movement. You’ll be baffled as some subplots vanish without a trace, while others spring from nowhere to take their place, in a constant rotation of unusual events, characters, and of course, monsters. In addition to wacky costumes, memorable monsters, and the mystical storylines, you’ll see other binding ties between them, the most obvious one being the same cast members. In this double feature from Something Weird, we’re given two of these wild adventures in one package. I really enjoyed seeing Starman again, a kind of Japanese Superman pitted against an assortment of creatures like the ones you might see on Power Rangers, so lots of entertainment here. Evil Brain from Outer Space is a nonstop riot, while Attack from Space offers some outrageous and wild moments also. As such, I highly recommend this disc to fans of cult cinema and of course, make sure to check out Something Weird’s other Starman releases, as they’re all loads of fun.
Video: How does it look?
Both of these outlandish sci/fi epics are presented in full frame, as intended. I found both to be much sharper and more refined than expected, but the source prints pull down the score a couple notches. The prints have been banged up and show frequent marks, scratches, and scuffs, but under the defects, these movies look terrific. The images are very sharp and crystal clear, without much grain to soften the visuals. The contrast is also right on, with accurate black levels and no visible loss of detail. You couldn’t ask for much else here really, as aside from the nicks and marks, these look very, very good. I mean, these flicks are about as obscure as they come and have a lot of miles on them, but they still look solid here.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included English language mono options seem up to task most of the time, with much less wear evident than I had expected. A few small instances of distortion can be detected, but nothing to be overly concerned with. The silly sound effects come through without much trouble, as does the nice musical score, although not as full as I’ve become used to. I heard no flaws with the vocals either, as dialogue is sharp and always at a proper volume. This is about as good as Starman can sound, so no need for complaints here. It would have been cool to have the Japanese language tracks too, but you can’t win them all.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes an episode of Prince Planet, a hilarious bonus short titled My Milkman Joe, and a large selection of sci/fi trailers.
