Line #23 Film/TheGreenSlime


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gsposter_1334.jpg]]
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3	''The Green Slime'' is a 1968 ScienceFiction[=/=]{{Horror}} film, co-written by Creator/BillFinger (yes, the creator of ''Franchise/{{Batman}}''), co-produced by Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer and [[Creator/{{Toei Company}} Toei]] and directed by Kinji Fukasaku.
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5	When a giant asteroid dubbed "Flora" [[ColonyDrop threatens the Earth]], a mission to destroy it is quickly launched, led by hard-ass commander Rankin (Robert Horton). The disaster is successfully averted; however, a small piece of space slime is unwittingly smuggled back to the space station Gamma 3, where it begins [[EnergyAbsorption feeding off the station's power cables]] and grows into a tall green monster with [[ShockAndAwe deadly, electrified tentacles]]. Worse, the creature [[HealingFactor heals rapidly]] and regenerates [[FromASingleCell any severed anatomy into a whole new creature]]... eventually building up a veritable army of nigh-unstoppable monsters. Now Rankin and the Gamma 3's crew must fight a seemingly hopeless battle as well as interpersonal tensions in an effort to keep the beasts from reaching Earth.
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7	This film is notable for being the '''first movie ever riffed''' by ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', on the [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000PilotTheGreenSlime pilot episode for the original KTMA-era show]]. Sadly, KTMA lost the rights to the film shortly after the episode was made, making it a LostEpisode (and, given Best Brains' attitude toward their KTMA-era work, it's likely to '''remain''' lost. KeepCirculatingTheTapes!).
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10	!!''The Green Slime'' contains the following tropes:
11	* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: "Captain" Martin is outranked by "Commanders" Rankin and Elliot. One might presume that in this case, "Commander" is a title rather than an actual rank.
12	* AsteroidsMonster[=/=]FromASingleCell[=/=]HealingFactor: What makes the slime creatures so dangerous (besides the fact that they, you know, kill people), and the reason they must be kept away from Earth at all costs.
13	* AvoidTheDreadedGRating: Surprisingly averted; this film, despite having a G rating, has some surprisingly violent scenes that would be pushing the envelope even in a PG-rated film; a standout example is when a RedShirt gets tossed to his death by the first alien, and there’s ''very'' noticeable blood splatter when he hits the ground.
14	* ClosedCircle: Due to the Green Slime's FromASingleCell nature, Gamma 3 must go into a self-imposed quarantine to prevent them from wiping out Earth's population. For bonus points, the station is actually circle-shaped.
15	* ColonyDrop: The whole plot starts when the RoguePlanet "Flora" wanders into the Solar System and threatens to crash into Earth.
16	* CommanderContrarian: Cmdr. Elliott constantly makes decisions that end up endangering the station further just because he doesn't like being told what to do by Rankin.
17	** On the other hand, Rankin constantly emasculates Elliott in front of the crew, up to and including trying to take Lisa back because he can't accept she loves Elliott.
18	* {{Cyclops}}: The slime creatures have a single, huge Creator/{{CBS}}-like eye.
19	** [[RedEyesTakeWarning Red Eye Take Warning]]: The slime creatures' one eye is red, and they are very dangerous to human life.
20	* EnergyAbsorption: The slime creatures can seemingly feed off of ''any'' type of energy, including sunlight and even [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]]. On the other hand, they [[KillItWithFire burn up just fine]].
21	* ForWantOfANail / NiceJobBreakingItHero: On the Flora asteroid, Rankin angrily throws away the scientists' collection device, causing it to shatter and spattering a crewman's spacesuit with the slime, which brings it onto the station and causes the disaster. If he'd just have put it down carefully, the carnage would've been avoided.
22	* GreenIsGross: The titular slime. It's a glop that drips and oozes around, and as soon as it hits electrical power it turns into a GreenAndMean tentacle monster.
23	* HalfwayPlotSwitch: The plot with RoguePlanet Flora takes up only the first act, and is resolved rather quickly. It exists only to explain where the slime creatures come from and how they get onto the space station.
24	* HeroicSacrifice: Elliott finally does ''one'' thing right by TakingTheBullet for Rankin when the two of them set Gamma-3 to burn up in re-entry.
25	* IdiotBall: Lisa, the station's chief medical officer, ''violates quarantine procedure'' when the mission returns from Flora by running in to greet them in the landing bay before they've gone through decontamination.
26	* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Because [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks Throwing Your Rifle Always Works]].
27	* {{Jerkass}}: Both Rankin and Elliott qualify, as they continue their personal bickering even during the station-threatening emergency.
28	* LoveTriangle: Cmdr. Elliott and Lisa are engaged, but Lisa was previously in a relationship with Cmdr. Rankin as well.
29	* TheMedic: Lisa is the chief nurse in Gamma-3 and eventually the main doctor when Halverson's stupidity gets him killed.
30	* MonochromeCasting: Despite the space station supposedly having an international crew, everyone is Caucasian. Pretty odd for a film made in Japan, even if for American audiences.
31	* NoodleIncident: We never get too many details of the incident that rent Elliott's and Rankin's friendship. We do know that Elliott had mounted an attempt to save one life and ended up costing ten, and that Rankin duly reported this.
32	* RaygunGothic: All over the place. The ships all look like {{Retro Rocket}}s, and even if Gamma-3 is donut-shaped, the ArtificialGravity is set so it pulls toward the station's "bottom" rather than its outer circumference.
33	* RedShirt: Michaels, Halverson's assistant, is the first to go.
34	* RoguePlanet: The whole plot starts with the planet Flora wandering into the Solar System on a collision course with Earth.
35	* ShockAndAwe: The creatures' tentacles are so charged with energy, a mere touch is deadly.
36	* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: When Rankin first arrives on the space station, the very first thing Lisa says to Elliott is that she no longer has feelings for Rankin.
37	* ThrowingYourGunAtTheEnemy: During the climax, Rankin's laser gun runs out of power, so he throws the useless weapon at the attacking creatures.
38	* TooDumbToLive: Dr. Halversen runs into a part of the station which is currently overrun by slime creatures in an attempt to retrieve copies of his work. Needless to say, it doesn't end well for him.

Context Film / TheGreenSlime