Review of “The Green Slime” (1968)

We got our fill of schlock with this week’s Saturday night pizza and bad movie night movie, a romp in space depicting a death struggle with an energy-consuming and -emitting alien life form that could wipe out human existence and seem to squeal with enjoyment while doing it. And we had cheese ravioli.

Plot:

Earth Space Station (or something like that) discovers that asteroid Flora is on a collision course with the Earth. Commander Jack Rankin (Robert Horton) is volunteered to fly to Space Station Gamma 3 and, from there, land on the asteroid and blow it up.

“If you’re unsuccessful, don’t bother coming back,” he’s told. “There won’t be anything here.”

While he’s on Gamma 3, he will be in command of not only the mission but also the whole station.

Mighty generous of the Earth Space Station folk. The station’s present head, Commander Vince Elliott (Richard Jaeckel), had his nose just a bit out of joint. Yeah, he can follow orders. But really, Jack Rankin? Not only do the two have history, but Rankin also has history with Elliott’s fiancée, Dr. Lisa Benson (Luciana Paluzzi). This whole saving-the-Earth gig is turning out just great.

While the crew is on the asteroid, crew member Dr. Hans Halvorsen (Ted Gunther) notices a slimy green substance that appears alive. He wants to bring it back for study, but Rankin nixes the idea, smashing the glass container holding the goo. Unnoticed, a piece of the green slime splashes onto Dr. Halvorsen’s pant leg.

Their bombs are set. Under an accelerated schedule, they blast off, obliterating the asteroid and saving Earth from certain doom. And the crowds go wild. Or at least head for the officers’ club.

During the party, word comes that a problem has arisen with the decontamination unit. It seems the unit where the clothes of the men back from the asteroid were being treated has suffered some damage. The man tending the machinery has suffered electrocution.

Thoughts:

We did not watch this with thoughts that we were about to find material unjustly overlooked by the Academy. The seriousness of its tone and the bizarreness of its situation make for an odd fit with the unconvincing models and hokey dialogue. Just the same, using elaborate sets, vehicles, and lots of extras had to cost a bit.

And there there are the monsters. The green slime, fed energy, becomes tentacled monsters capable of electrocuting humans. The monsters bleed green slime, which can grow more monsters rapidly once it comes into contact with energy.

This movie is a joint Japanese and American film. Most of the on-screen actors are Caucasian, but the director is Japanese, as are many behind-the-scenes crew.

The unintentional silliness of the movie is perhaps its redemption. The monsters, killers of many a crew member, are Japanese children in rubber costumes. After learning that, it’s hard to hate them. Without an atmosphere, the asteroid has somehow managed to secure liquid water. At one point, astronauts fly outside the Gamma-3 station, attacking the monsters in what could be a ballet, given appropriate music.

The theme music is dated now but might have appeared cool…, er, hip, or something at the time.

Because it takes place on Gamma 3, The Green Slime is sometimes considered a sequel to four earlier movies that take place on Gamma 1: Wild, Wild Planet, War of the Planets, War Between the Planets, and Snow Devils. The plots have nothing in common.

The Bubicon Science Fiction Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, awards an annual Green Slime Award for the worst science fiction of the previous year.

This is definitely not for everyone. I enjoyed it, but it’s not something that I would be in a hurry to watch again.

I could not find this for free, but it is available to buy or rent on YouTube if you must. Or your library may have it.

Title: The Green Slime (1968)

Directed by
Kinji Fukasaku

Writing Credits
Ivan Reiner…(story)
Charles Sinclair…(screenplay) &
Bill Finger…(screenplay) (as William Finger) &
Tom Rowe…(screenplay)

Cast (in credits order)
Robert Horton…Commander Jack Rankin
Luciana Paluzzi…Dr. Lisa Benson
Richard Jaeckel…Commander Vince Elliott
Bud Widom…General Jonathan B. Thompson (as Bud Widham)
Ted Gunther…Dr. Hans Halvorsen

Released: 1968
Length: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Viewed: January 18, 2025