The Green Slime (1968)

Wildly entertaining, 27 September 2017

After successfully destroying an asteroid that was on a collision course with Earth, the team returns to space station Gamma III. They don't know it, but they brought a little something back with them from the asteroid. It's a very small sample of some sort of green slime. The slime reacts with the energy flowing through the base and, in no time at all, it's grown into a full size, one-eye, tentacled creature capable of killing with its electric touch. At first, the team on the base tries to shot and kill it. But they discover that with each wound, the creature loses a certain amount of green blood. This green blood is capable of rapid cell division and will turn into another creature. The main goal now is to defeat these creatures and make sure none reaches the Earth.

Believe it or not, but The Green Slime has been on my "To See" list as long as I've had a "To See" list. I watched it last night and wasn't disappointed. I've read any number of reviews where people write about liking the movie because it's campy or cheesy or "so bad, it's good". I'll go along with campy and cheesy, but bad – no way. I enjoyed The Green Slime because I found it wildly entertaining. Here's a laundry list of things that worked for me while watching the film:

1. The three main actors – If The Green Slime was going to work for me, I had to buy into the performances of the three main actors – Robert Horton, Richard Jaeckel, and the insanely gorgeous Luciana Paluzzi. All three made this movie special. All three contributed immensely to my overall enjoyment of the film.

2. The special effects – I loved 'em! The miniatures were just so cool. From the space station to the UN building to the bombs on the asteroid – the miniatures worked on me. The creature design was also a hit with me. These wild, green-bumpy-skinned creatures with their electric arms flailing about might have been cheesy, but they were also effective. The first one we see, wriggling on the floor, was actually creepy.

3. The direction – Director Kinji Fukasaku hit all the right notes. This thing was a blast from start to finish. The pacing was spot on. There's drama and excitement around every corner. The action, particularly as space station gang is trying to corral the creatures, never stops. Very nice show.

4. The love triangle – I'm as surprised as anyone, but the love triangle worked on me. Kudos has to go to Horton and Jaeckel for the chest-thumping performances and the way Paluzzi played both of them. And I loved the way it all played out in the end. The two that belonged together could finally be together. Usually I don't care about stuff like this, but I found it enjoyable here.

I could go on and on. I haven't even touched on the cool 60s set design, the opening theme song, or the incredible lighting/cinematography. I keep saying this, but it all worked on me. Overall, The Green Slime is one of the most entertaining films I've seen in a long, long time. Given the joy it brought me, I feel good about the 9/10 rating I've given the film.

9/10