The success of Star Wars gave rise to a boom in sci-fi movies
from across the globe in the late '70s. From Japan came director Kinji Fukasaku's 1978 adventure Message from Space, the most expensive Japanese production at the time. In a mashup of
Star Wars and The Seven Samurai, the film sees a group of warriors drawn together to battle an evil
galactic empire.
Message from Space will make its UK bluray debut courtesy
of Eureka Entertainment on July 22nd.
Bonus features include a new audio commentary by Tom Mes and an appreciation of the film by film
writer Patrick Macias.
Check out Eureka's new trailer and artwork below.
The official synopsis reads:
Somewhere in a far-flung galaxy lies the planet of Jillucia. Once a peaceful utopia, it has now fallen under the control of the Gavanas Empire, a warlike race ruled by the ruthless Emperor Rockseia (Mikio Narita). Desperate for help, the leader of the Jillucian people (Junkichi Orimoto) launches eight Liabe seeds into space – glowing orbs that, according to legend, will each summon a powerful warrior to the planet’s aid. The seeds are followed into the void by Princess Emeralida (Etsuko Shihomi) and loyal Jillucian soldier Urocco (Makoto Satō), who attempt to find the prophesied protectors of their home world: ex-military commander General Garuda (Vic Morrow) and his robot companion Beba-2 (Isamu Shimizu), thrill-seekers Shiro (Hiroyuki Sanada) and Aaron (Philip Casnoff), gambler Jack (Masazumi Okabe), aristocrat Meia (Peggy Lee Brennan) and swordsman Hans (Sonny Chiba), who has a deeply personal score to settle with the Gavanas Empire.