History Film / MessageFromSpace

* Shiro and Aaron, two maverick [[AcePilot rocket jockeys]],
* Their [[CowardlyLion cowardly]] friend, Jackie,
* Meia, a bored heiress,
* General Garuda (Morrow), a disgraced soldier,
* Beba-2, Garuda's loyal robot [[spoiler: and {{Expy}} of [[StarWars R2D2]]]],
* Prince Hans (Chiba), the exiled former leader of the Gavanas.

* [[EarthShatteringKaboom Moon Shattering Kaboom]]: Courtesy of the Gavanas.

The peaceful people of the planet Jillucia are under the iron fisted rule of the Gavanas, whose [[TheEmperor emperor]], Rokseia, is himself ruled by his mother (an old crone played by comedian Hideyo Amamoto in drag). Kido, leader of the Jillucians, conducts a ritual to send out eight Liabe Holy Seeds (which look like glowing walnuts) to deep space. He then [[TheMagnificentSevenSamurai sends out his granddaughter Emeralida and her bodyguard Urocco to find the "Liabe heroes" that the seeds have chosen, and bring them back to defend the Jillucians and defeat the Gavanas]].

* CurbStompBattle: Rokseia's forces vs. Earth.

* TenPacesAndTurn: To save face in front of the Emperor, Garuda picks a fight with a nearby warrior, and Rockseia agrees they may duel. The Gavanas warrior panics, firing before he has taken the required 10 steps. Garuda nevertheless continues his ten paces, and turns. The warrior quakes in fear as Garuda aims at the defenseless warrior, but Garuda declines to shoot. Rokseia shoots the guard himself for this [[EvenEvilHasStandards cowardly move]].

''Message from Space'' [[note]]Original Japanese Title: ''Uchu Kara No Messeji''[[/note]] is a film by Kinji Fukasaku, who would eventually do the film version of ''Film/BattleRoyale''. A futuristic reimagining of the 19th-century novel ''Literature/NansouSatomiHakkenden'', it was released in 1978 as Japan's answer to ''StarWars''. Among the film's stars were Creator/SonnyChiba and Creator/VicMorrow.

''Message from Space'' [[note]]Original Japanese Title: ''Uchu Kara No Messeji''[[/note]] is a film by Kinji Fukasaku, who would eventually do the film version of ''Film/BattleRoyale''. It was released in 1978 as Japan's answer to ''StarWars''. Among the film's stars were Creator/SonnyChiba and Creator/VicMorrow.

''Message from Space'' [[note]]Original Japanese Title: ''Uchu Kara No Messeji''[[/note]] is a film by Kinji Fukasaku, who would eventually do the film version of ''Film/BattleRoyale''. It was released in 1978 as Japan's answer to ''StarWars''. Among the film's stars were Sonny Chiba and Vic Morrow.

* TenPacesAndTurn: To save face in front of the Emperor, Garuda picks a fight with a nearby warrior, and Rockseia agrees they may duel. The Gavanas warrior panics, firing before he has taken the required 10 steps. Garuda nevertheless continues his ten paces, and turns. The warrior quakes in fear as Garuda aims at the defenseless warrior, but Garuda declines to shoot.

* [[EarthShatteringKaboom Moon Shattering Kaboom]]: Courtesy of the Gavanas.

* FollowTheLeader: ''StarWars'' clones were rather common during the late 70s.

* Prince Hans (Chiba), the Exiled former leader of the Gavanas.

* CoolSpaceship: The Heroes' ship, piloted by Meia to which Shiro and Aaron's fighters are connected to and said fighters can detach at a moment's notice.

* FuneralInSpace: General Garuda's EstablishingCharacterMoment is being chewed out for arranging for his outdated original robot buddy, Beba-1, to be launched into space instead of being scrapped according to regulations. When Garuda's superior officer threatens to fire him, Garuda simply announces that he's already submitted his resignation.

The peaceful people of the planet Jillucia are under the iron fisted rule of the Gavanas, whose [[TheEmperor emperor]], Rokseia, is himself ruled by his mother (an old crone played by comedian Hideyo Amamoto in drag). Kido, leader of the Jillucians, sends out eight Liabe Holy Seeds (which look like glowing walnuts) to deep space, he then sends out his granddaughter Emeralida and her bodyguard Urocco to find those that the seeds have chosen to defend the Jillucians and defeat the Gavanas.

* RobotBuddy: Beba-2.

* AirstrikeImpossible: Aaron and Shiro have to pilot their fighters through a reactor shaft to destroy the Gavanas base, pursued by enemy fighters. This was a full 5 years before ReturnOfTheJedi. [[FollowTheLeader Who followed whom?]]

VSDFHB

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* ActionGirl: Emeralida suddenly turns into one at the end, fighting alongside her people against the Gavanas.

''Message from Space'' [[hottip:*:Original Japanese Title: ''Uchu Kara No Messeji'']] is a film by Kinji Fukasaku, who would eventually do the film version of ''Film/BattleRoyale''. It was released in 1978 as Japan's answer to ''StarWars''. Among the film's stars were Sonny Chiba and Vic Morrow.

* AbortedArc: Aaron is in love with Emeraldina. For a while at least. It's used as his motivation for getting into the fight with the Gavanas, and is never mentioned again. When the heroes reunite with her near the end of the movie, there's no indication of this supposed undying love at first sight.
* ActionGirl: Emeraldina suddenly turns into one at the end, fighting alongside her people against the Gavanas.

* DontYouDarePityMe: Aaron, having thrown away his Liabe See with the others, becomes sulky and brooding when they get theirs back and he doesn't.

* Leitmotif: Liabe Seeds, and get used to it: the tune plays whenever anyone so much as looks at a Liabe Seed.

* SpaceIsAnOcean: The Jillucians' spacecraft is basically a galleon -- [[RecycledInSpace In SPACE!]]

''Message from Space'' [[hottip:*:Original Japanese Title: ''Uchu Kara No Messeji'']] is a film by Kinji Fukasaku, who would eventually do the film version of ''BattleRoyale''. It was released in 1978 as Japan's answer to ''StarWars''. Among the film's stars were Sonny Chiba and Vic Morrow.

[[spoiler:BetterThanItSounds, but YourMileageMayVary.]]

* TheSeries: ''Uchu kara no messeji: Ginga taisen'', known as ''San Ku Kaï'' in Europe.