Amazing Colossal Grade: I like it very much
Movie Pain: High - Soooo repetitive it hurts!
Riffing: Solid, good humor
Skits: Chuckle-Fest
Riffing: Solid, good humor
Skits: Chuckle-Fest
A humble but lovable shoeshine boy protects the 'Land of the Rising Sun' against the... Chicken People from Outer Space - Oh The Japanity!
Lord this one annoyed me. It's sooo painfully repetitive, what with all the empty threats being swapped back and forth between PoS and his cackling foe. Fortunately, Mike and his robot pals help ease the suffering brought about by this plodding Japanese star warp.
Though they harp on the same themes -and by the end, I'd had my fill of chicken noises and cram school jokes- for the most part; the guy's jests are playfully funny. Prince is a fan favorite that has the required kids in shorts (We like them very much) aiding the Prince in his battle against Krankor (or Crank-whore as Crow calls him). Includes a big ugly Ogre in lumpy pants, so there you go, need I say more?
The host segments involve a wormhole and all the chaos it causes when the crew goes through it. The funniest bit has Mike as a robot, plus we get to see the gang frolic in the Minnesota woods.
Host Segments
Intro: The bots play a game of "Dog and Bear". Segment 1: Everything is sucked into a wormhole. Segment 2: M&TB: Unstuck in time. Segment 3: Mike is suddenly a robot. Segment 4: And now M&TB find themselves in a wooded area. End: Krankor stops by; Pearl & Observer are in Roman Times. Stinger: Laugh Krankor, Laugh!
* "No one can resist my, uh, things!" - Mike
* "Swing me over there, trusty string" - Mike
* "I like it very much" - Crow
* "A giant roast turkey!" - Crow
* "When Chickens Attack!" - ??
* "An exchange of deadly negative scratches." - Mike
* "Holy Santa, pray for us" - Mike as Japanese men
* "I'll throw my doll at you" - Mike as Krankor
* "Medical Center: Starring Evel Knievel" - Crow
* "I have no powers, but I can skip reasonably well" - Crow as the Prince
* "That miserable scum!" - "He stole my cup!" - Krankor/Servo
* "Oh, the Stanley Cup invaded Earth." - Servo
* "Now watch as we turn the lawn sprinklers on our little Johnny." - Servo
* "Yes, a monster which I created. He obeys my slightest command." - "Like, wander around aimlessly and gain weight." - Krankor/Crow
* "You know, this movie made me want to renounce my Toyota." - Mike
* "Goodbye people I seem to share a house with." - Servo
* "Sounds like the Earth needs new brake pads" - Crow
* "Fine, just go light on the probes." - Mike as the professor
* "So you know about my rash?" - Crow as captive scientist
* "Oy! He waived his stinky foot at me!" - Crow
* "It's Pat!" - Crow on the giant
* "Ooo he's a yam with features." - Mike on the giant
* "So no accumulated memory whatsoever" - Crow
Riff Explained
"I'm Hardrock, I'm Coco, I'm Joe" - M&TB
The story of Santa and "The Three Little Dwarfs?" "Hardrock, Coco and Joe", is a stop-motion animated Christmas short that has aired on Chicago's WGN-TV since 1951.
* The Phantom of Kankor was played by Joji Oka, who acted in films by 2 of Japan's master directors, Naruse and Ozu. Oka is very good in both, playing a handsome tough guy - I actually watched Ozu's silent classic Dragnet Girl without realizing its star was the villain in Prince of Space.
* Our hero is played by Tatsuo Umemiya, who is quite popular in Japan. Noted for playing tough guys, mostly Yakuza, "Wally" also had a rep as a ladies man back in the day. He finally settled down to family life and is the father of model Anna Umemiya.
* If you find this movie painful... This is actually comprised of 2 hour-long movies, Planet Prince (Yusei Oji) and Planet Prince: The Terrifying Spaceship (Yusei Oji: Kyofu no Uchusen) both originally released in 1959 and merged into a single 90 min film for U.S. release.
Available on DVD: Volume 7
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