Gezora, Ganimes, and Kamoebas: Decisive Battle! (1970)/Yog Monster From Space (1971)

​Space Amoeba (Gezora, Ganime, Kamēba: Kessen! Nankai no Daikaijū (ゲゾラ・ガニメ・カメーバ 決戦! 南海の大怪獣, lit. "Gezora, Ganimes, and Kamoebas: Decisive Battle! Giant Monsters of the South Seas"), is a 1970 Japanese science fiction kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda, and featuring special effects by Sadamasa Arikawa. The film tells the story of extraterrestrial amoeba-like aliens that hijack a probe and, after crash landing on a small South Pacific atoll, create gigantic monsters from native lifeforms (a kisslip cuttlefish, stone crab and mata mata) with plans of conquering the Earth.

The film was released theatrically in the USA in the Summer of 1971 by American International Pictures as Yog-Monster From Space.

​Plot
The Helios 7 space probe is sent on a mission to study the planet Jupiter. While on its outward journey to the gas giant, the probe is overtaken by the Space Amoeba, an amorphous parasitic extraterrestrial. The probe returns to Earth and crashes into the South Pacific, where the Amoeba leaves the device and inhabits the body of a cuttlefish, causing it to mutate into what is called "Gezora". The tentacled kaiju begins attacking ships and islands in the area.

A photographer named Kudo and his entourage land on Selgio Island for a photoshoot, but their camp is attacked by Gezora. Because of its mutation the creature can create extremely cold temperatures with its body. When the survivors discover that Gezora is vulnerable to high temperatures, Kudo and his friends use a leftover Japanese World War II munitions bunker to set fire to the monster. Severely burned, the creature retreats to the water, where it dies.

Later, the Space Amoeba possesses a stone crab, mutating it into "Ganimes" and attacks the surrounding islands. Luckily the humans manage to lure Ganimes into a pit and destroy it with explosives. The Amoeba survives a second time and flees into the surrounding jungles, plotting its revenge.

​The Space Amoeba decides to control two Earth creatures this time: another Ganimes and a mata mata named "Kamoebas". The two monsters raid the human camp. Luckily Kudo realizes the two monsters' weakness: supersonic waves. By releasing a storm of bats, the Amoeba loses control of its creations. Ganimes and Kamoebas, no longer under control, go berserk and begin to battle between them. The humans, using more explosives, cause the volcano to erupt, engulfing the Space Amoeba and the two monsters.

Cast

• Akira Kubo as Taro Kudo
• Atsuko Takahashi as Ayako Hoshino
• Yukiko Kobayashi as Saki
• Kenji Sahara as Makoto Obata
• Yoshio Tsuchiya as Dr. Kyouichi Miya
• Yu Fujiki as the promotion division manager
• Noritake Saito as Rico
• Yuko Sugihara as Stewardess
• Sachio Sakai as the magazine editor
• Chotaro Togin as Engineer Yokoyama
• Wataru Omae as Sakura
• Haruo Nakajima as Gezora / Ganime
• Haruyoshi Nakamura as Kamoebas
• Ichiro Murakoshi as Yog
• Tetsu Nakamura as supplicator Ombo

Release
Space Amoeba was released in Japan on 1 August 1970 where it was distributed by Toho. The film was released theatrically in the United States as Yog-Monster From Space in 1971. The film was distributed by American International Pictures with an English-language dub and had a running time of 81 minutes.

The film was released to home video in 2006 as Space Amoeba in its original Japanese language version with English subtitles.

Production

• Directed by - Ishiro Honda
• Written by - Ei Ogawa
• Produced by - Tomoyuki Tanaka, Fumio Tanaka
• Music by - Akira Ifukube
• Production Designer - Takeo Kita
• Assistant Director - Seiji Tani
• Chief Assistant Special Effects Director - Teruyoshi Nakano
• Special Effects Cinematographer - Yoichi Manoda
• Optical Effects - Yoshiyuki Tokumasa
• Special Effects Set Director - Yasuyuki Inoue