By Ken Hulsey
Prince of Space was originally a Japanese children's television series that was later edited into a feature film. The film adaptation suffers greatly from this choppily edited format. While the acting, special effects, and story were intended for a children's TV audience, the production values fall far short of other Japanese sci-fi films from the same era, most notably The Mysterians.
The film has the feel of a low-budget American B-movie, complete with silly alien costumes and cardboard sets. However, fans of campy cult classics like Robot Monster will likely enjoy Prince of Space just as much. The film's story revolves around an attempted alien invasion by the evil Phantom of Krankor and his henchmen, who seek to steal a top-secret rocket fuel that could power Krankor's fleet and help him conquer the galaxy. The only thing standing in their way is the heroic Prince of Space, a humble bootblack by day who moonlights as Earth's cosmic protector.
Despite the Phantom's powerful weapons, the Prince of Space always manages to foil his plans, whether it's destroying Earth's first rocket or kidnapping the scientist's grandchildren. While the film may be cheesy, its influence on later Japanese sci-fi and superhero franchises, such as Ultraman, is evident. The Krankor warship in particular may have been an inspiration for the design of the more famous Atragon.
Directed by Eijirô Wakabayashi and written by Masaru Igami and Shin Morita, the film stars Tatsuo Umemiya as Wally/Prince of Space, Ushio Skashi, Joji Oka as the Phantom of Krankor, Hiroko Mine, Takashi Kanda, Ken Sudoh, and Nobu Yatsuna.
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