Atomic Rulers (1965)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Great Film overall

Absolutely the worst movie.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Honestly I enjoyed this movie. It was great fun to watch, but I still have the common sense that it's a piece of crap. This original Japanese superhero made exclusively for this film, is the most ridiculous idea ever. The movie takes place in 1964 japan with an alien race attempting to rule the planet earth. A nearby alien race, notices the nuclear yes nuclear threat from the other alien species. So they send their mightiest warrior of peace... Starman! to save the human race. They hand him some device that permits him to fly and understand human languages and stuff like that. The name is lame, so are his powers and special effects of the movie, but that's what makes it so great. Still the acting is terrible and the dubbing does'nt help. I received the film in a 50 movie pack so I really had no other way to watch the film. I doubt it would have been much better. There are a lot of fighting sequences all poorly done. The film has an anti-nuclear feel which keeps it from feeling really out-dated. The film's hero reminds me of Gamera just without the saber teeth, fire breath, hunger for fire, and rocket propulsion flight out of his shell. I guess it's the whole fact that he's a friend of all children. Which I guess makes it more of a kids film now-a-days but it was placed in a film pack with a label that says, For Mature Audiences. If your looking for a movie to laugh at this one is preferably your best bet. 2/10

Ken Utsui stars in his fourth and final outing as Starman, Japan's favorite fruity spandex clad superhero. This time he's out to stop the evil country of Magolia (no not Mongolia) from getting their hands on atomic weapons deadly enough to destroy the entire world. Unlike it's predecessors which featured lots of funny fighting and goofy effects, this flick plays like a third rate version of the George Reeves' Superman show (Starman's alter ego even dresses up like a mild mannered Oriental in a suit and fedora) and it's pretty dull to boot. There's also a lot of rigmarole with a bunch of snotty Japanese Little Rascals types that slow things down considerably as well. And instead of the goofy aliens in Evil Brain from Outer Space, all the villains in this one are a bunch of cheap thugs who are straight out of the forties. (And why is it that all those hired thugs are always dressed so impeccably in their dapper suits?) Anyway, die hard Starman fans (no not you Jeff Bridges enthusiasts out there) will want to check it out, but this one didn't nearly have enough goofy fight scenes for my liking. Oh yeah, and despite the title, there isn't a radioactive yardstick to be seen in this flick.

I remember this series of films from my childhood. The Saturday afternoon cinema on local(Chicago) television ran this and other films of this genre on a regular basis. That's something that is sorely missed by the author.This particular film, along with the other films in the "Starman" series, was fun in several ways. As a child, the fight scenes were action-filled, yet not very brutal or vicious. He threw folks around and occasionally struck them, but nothing graphically harmful. The bad guys were evil, yet not frighteningly so. The film also made sure that you knew they would get theirs in the end. When I found a copy of this film about 5 years ago, I snatched it up at once. However, this is a film for a genre fan. I would not suggest this in any way to be a mainstream hit. Do not come to view this film with any typical American or modern stereotypes in your head about what a film of this type should be. Leave your preconceptions at the door and enter a black and white world where the forces of good have a very visible and stalwart champion...Starman!

We're all familiar with the man of steel who fights for truth and justice the American way! However, the infamous Starman is a different story. This is only one of the few movies that currently exist featuring the Japanese superhero who saves the world from certain doom. Now consider this: Starman is not in bold and brilliant form compared to those DC Comics you're reading. It is a vintage trip back about 40+ years ago when superheroes were meant to amuse proud audiences at a Saturday afternoon matinee. Today, a new generation of viewers who may ever get a chance to see this, will see how weird the costumes and sets appear, plus the way Starman fights evildoers. This is probably the best feature of Starman movies as an endless horde of bad guys creates long continuous battles that make it more fun-filled than Superman, but it has its repetition. The outcome is the same where a superhero struggles his way to the end and wins, and it's also ultimately repetitive when our hero does the same things over and over again in each film. This one, ATOMIC RULERS, is more campier than the other Starman movie, ATTACK FROM SPACE, which was close to instant sci-fi. Most of the time, it has nothing to do with saving Earth from peril. A lot of "B" movies such as this rely on useless stock footage to make for a full production. Since this was a Japanese creation, it stood out as fascinating for its time. Although it's still strange, it's no worse than THE PUMAMAN. I'm not certain if anyone is willing to accept movies like this today. Leave those up to the old coot crowd who saw them in their younger generations. The motion picture industry may not have changed, but the times sure have! Whether young or old, if you are in serious desperation for an outdatedly campy experience, then I, Jason, can't fully blame you for that!