NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Masters of Cinema Blu-ray (August 2024): Masters of Cinema have transferred Kinji Fukasaku's Message from Space to Blu-ray. It is cited as being a "1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a restoration of the original film elements supplied by Toei". It looks, predictably, thick, and reasonably clean but the effects are inconsistent which does not suit the digital presentation. A handful of the space shots are quite impressive but they are absorbed inro a mish-mash on the overcrowded screen. I suspect this probably looks faithful to its theatrical roots, i.e. goofy. 

NOTE: We have added 44 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Masters of Cinema use a linear PCM 2.0 channel track (24-bit) in the original Japanese with an optional, weak, English language DUB. Message from Space has plenty of zappy sci-fi / space effects and the track exports it with a hollowness. The dated score was by Ken'ichirô Morioka (This Is Noriko), sounding 70's funky and/or noble - basically kitschy. In that sense it suits the presentation. Masters of Cinema offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.

The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Tom Mes (Japanese Film and the Challenge of Video.) He talks about Kinji Fukasaku and his other sci-fi efforts like The Green Slime and Black Lizard plus many other genres that the director ventured into. Fukasaku wrote and directed over 60 films between 1961 and 2003 with many commercial successes. Tom talks about Toei studios and the profitable chivalrous Yakuza genre, and eventually films that appealed to delinquents like Pinky Violence / exploitation cinema. He discusses Japanese 'kaijū' movies and a relationship to the space opera special effects. Tom is entertaining and informative. Message from Earth is a 1/2 hour 2011 documentary featuring interviews with Sonny Chiba and Kenta Fukasaku by Elijah Drenner, Tino Zimmermann and Stuart Galbraith IV. There is also a brand new 1/4 hour appreciation of the film by Patrick Macias (Tokyoscope: the Japanese Cult Film Companion.) Lastly are stills galleries and four trailers plus the package has a reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork and a collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Christopher Stewardson. He writes about cult and genre cinema. He is currently writing a book on Ghidorah, the Three-headed Monster with Liverpool University Press.    

Kinji Fukasaku's Message from Space is a horrible Star Wars rip-off... and like that series I have no 'suspension of disbelief'. It felt rushed with poor, cheap-looking effects, gaudy costumes and weird make-up. Janet Maslin of The New York Times stated that "Message from Space was so terrible it has a certain comic integrity". I didn't even find that. The cinematography was by Tôru Nakajima (Yakuza Graveyard) and special effects by Michio Mikami (Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell) and I can see a nostalgia component for a certain niche of viewers. For another patient group it could be considered risible, I suppose. The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray offers a lot for this indefensible film. To each his own.

Gary Tooze