Space Amoeba (1970) on Netflix
G19701h 24mActionAdventureSci-Fi
The Helios 7 probe returns to Earth carrying the Space Amoeba, a parasitic alien. The amoeba mutates a cuttlefish into the giant monster Gezora, and photographer Taro Kudo lands on Selgio Island.
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- IMDb5.4/101,692 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Plot summary
Sent to study Jupiter, the Helios 7 probe never reaches the planet: the Space Amoeba, a parasitic life form from space, boards the craft and rides it back to Earth. The probe comes down in the South Pacific, and the amoeba quits the wreck for the body of a cuttlefish, changing it into Gezora, a tentacled giant that can generate extreme cold. Gezora starts attacking ships and islands nearby, while the amoeba's purpose is the conquest of the Earth. Taro Kudo, a photographer, arrives on Selgio Island with companions for a photo shoot, and their camp comes under attack by the monster.
Cast
- Atsuko Takahashias Ayako Hoshino
- Noritake Saitoas Rico
- Yûko Sugiharaas Stewardess
Show all 20 cast
- Yukihiko Gondōas Sergio Islander
- Haruyoshi Nakamuraas Kamoebas
- Sōji Ubukataas Airplane Passenger (uncredited)
- Yoshio Katsudaas News Reporter (uncredited)
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Space Amoeba (1970)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Special effects pioneer Eiji Tsuburaya, though in failing health, wanted to be involved with Space Amoeba and was to be credited as its special effects supervisor, but died two days after filming began on January 25, 1970. Toho rejected staff requests to dedicate the film to him, and effects director Sadamasa Arikawa refused to discuss the film later in life.
- Space Amoeba was the last science-fiction film made under Toho's studio system, and also Ishirō Honda's last film under contract with Toho, though he returned in 1975 to direct Terror of Mechagodzilla. As profits fell, Toho created a subsidiary, Toho Eizo, released most of its actors from their contracts and dissolved Tsuburaya's effects department.
- Studio pressure to keep the budget down forced the staff to rush filming, and Ishirō Honda's plan to shoot in Guam was dropped in favour of Hachijō Island, about 700 miles south of Tokyo. The film was shot in midwinter even though the cast was dressed for a tropical location.
- Space Amoeba's producer Fumio Tanaka recalled that he had to personally transport the film's negatives back to Tokyo himself on a prop plane.
