The Invisible Man Appears
Sci-Fi Stunners
•
1h 22m
Finally released outside Japan for the very first time, these unique riffs on H.G. Wells' classic character (though undoubtedly also indebted to Universal's iconic film series) are two of the earliest examples of tokusatsu (special effects) cinema from Daiei Studios, later the home of Gamera. In The Invisible Man Appears, written and directed by Nobuo Adachi in 1949, a scientist successfully creates an invisibility serum, only to be kidnapped by a gang of thugs who wish to use the formula to rob a priceless jewel. In addition to being the earliest surviving Japanese science fiction film ever made, the film's entertaining special effects were an early credit for the legendary Eiji Tsuburaya, five years before he first brought Godzilla to life.
Up Next in Sci-Fi Stunners
-
The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly
Finally released outside Japan for the very first time, these unique riffs on H.G. Wells' classic character (though undoubtedly also indebted to Universal's iconic film series) are two of the earliest examples of tokusatsu (special effects) cinema from Daiei Studios, later the home of Gamera. Eig...
-
Warning From Space
1956 • Japan • Directed by Kôji Shima
The first Japanese science fiction film to be made in colour, Koji Shima's Warning From Space features eye-popping special effects from the same team at Daiei Studios that would bring Gamera to life a decade later. As Japan is rocked by mysterious sightings ...
-
Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway
What do you get when you cross Afro-futurism, Cold War paranoia, the dystopian world of Philip K. Dick and 60s exploitation cinema, along with a hefty dose of Lynchian surrealism? The answer: 'Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway', the second feature by Miguel Llanso ('Crumbs') and one of the m...