Director: Hajime Tsuburaya
Year: 1967
Country: Japan
Alternate Titles: (オイルSOS Oiru Esu Ō Esu?)
Genre: Tokusatsu TV
Plot:
After a series of oilfield accidents, the Science Patrol is asked to investigate the strange explosions and finds a strange oil-eating monster called Pestar at the center of it all forcing them into action to prevent the creature from completely draining nearby oil reserves.
Story:
Overall, the story here serves this one quite well for a TV show episode. The early half with the series of incidents and accidents that are taking place around oil refineries causing a series of accidental explosions alongside the missing oil shipments creates a wholly intriguing method of introducing the creature here. With some minor comedy about the drunk truck-driver trying to recount the story of an encounter while pleading for his tale to be taken seriously that carries this along into the involvement of the Science Patrol later on.
The plan to stop Pestar also comes off rather nicely, with the group trying to combat the creature out to sea with the oil drums keeping it out away from the local refinery which fails spectacularly. Although it’s not their fault, allowing the creature to come to shore and wreck the area is a given but still comes off rather nicely as it brings about their desire to keep the fire from spreading which is a far more realistic and logical secondary storyline to take place in a monster story like this one.
Even with this great work, there’s still the missed opportunity to dive into Pestar’s backstory and history. Usually, the meeting the Science Patrol has with the scientists and military figures would result in some bits about the monster’s origins and modes of survival which is instead replaced with a brief remark about the dual stomaches containing storage spaces for oil. None of the meetings revolve around why it needs it or the overall purpose behind the creatures’ existence, which shouldn’t be detrimental in a TV show like this but does strike it down slightly.
This is where the episode really scores plenty of points. Starting with the stellar creation of Pestar, a two-man costume following on the heels of Dodongo in the previous episode but looking even more wacked out with the performers in an individual side of the body joined in the middle with the rubbery, bouncy bat-head in the middle to give it a rather unique look. The massive, multi-colored sails on the side of the body featuring the over-the-top wings is a great look to the design where it’s obvious where the actors are inside the suit but manages to still look like a normal creature if you’re not looking for it.
On top of that, the episode features some of the finest miniature work the series has ever seen yet. The dock at the beginning where the creature takes out the truck looks fantastic when intercut with the real footage taken with the actors on the actual sets, where the later scenes of the creature in the tank depicting the oil-tanker attack or the Science Patrol’s plan to attack Pestar for the failed attack before it turns on the refinery creates plenty of enjoyable action within the setting. There’s some great camera-work during this scene as well with the up-close-and-personal battle with the VTOL dumping the miniature barrels of oil into the sea and the brief skirmish is quite fun.
That leads to where this episode scores the most which is the final assault on the oil refinery when Pestar comes ashore. This is accomplished with a massive, sprawling set that serves for a pyrotechnic display the likes of which have rarely been attempted on the show and results in a dazzling display of miniature work on the towers, holding cells and transport pipelines all being turned into a roaring inferno. The scenes intercut with the real-scale footage of the human actors attempting to put the fire out and assess the situation combines into a frenzied, chaotic sequence that has a lot to like with the creature's action and corresponding rescue scenes.
As well, there’s plenty of great special effects work throughout the episode. The underwater flashes of the creature traveling through the water into the dock to attack is pretty effectively rendered with the sphere-like light believably moving under the surface, while the insert shot of the VTOL flying off back to headquarters after dropping Hayata and Arashi at the docks to question the drunk witness is pretty impressive. That also extends to the fine shots of Ultraman shooting a spray from his hand to put the fires out, looking far more believable than expected and appears as a fine extra power to wield as well as being a unique trade-off for not having a monster battle. These are what hold the episode up overall.
This is one of the finest aspects of the episode. This manages to turn Ito into far more than the comedic relief/weapons-expert that he's been shown to be, turning in a fine performance in the later half as he grows into a brave member of the group. Saddened and remorseful about the accident that brought Pestar into the refinery away from the plan to contain it out at sea, this series of events turns into guilt and then rightfully becomes a motivational tool in being proactive in going out to combat the fire by himself. Ignoring Captain Mura's orders to wait for the rest of the team, he takes it upon himself to atone for the mistake and tries to battle the inferno himself before saying his actions didn't deserve to be a member of the team. Regardless of the sanity in the decision, this self-sacrifice is a fantastic quality to witness and helps to add another facet to his character.
Other Factors:
There are a few factors worth mentioning, which actually belong together in this section. The inversion of the usual formula of the show, featuring the Science Patrol finding a monster through ordinary means, battling it to a weakened state but being unable to finish the job requiring Ultraman to arrive and save the day comes off quite nicely here. The idea of the creature's discovery and early battles against the Patrol are incredibly on-point and exciting but the change occurs when their battle spills over into the local refinery, the very same feature they were trying to prevent it from reaching. Here, the turn into a more realistic setting where the Science Patrol turns into everyday heroes working alongside the officers and firefighters as they all battle the blaze together.
Since Ultraman is needed more to battle the spreading fire rather than the fight against Pestar, seeing him in this state is a far more intriguing and enjoyable spin on his character which comes at the expense of the monster fight which is essentially a single Specium Ray blast that is anticlimactic and underwhelming. That is somewhat understandable given the suit design of Pestar which would've been intriguing to see happen but practically doesn't seem like a serviceable brawling design the way it's constructed. However, the change of pace offered up here is a fine trade-off and gives this some overall interesting elements to make it stand out from the pack.
Overview: ****.5/5
Despite missing out on one of the more important elements in the series, the enhanced special effects work, wild monster design and impressive character work are so on point this is certainly one of the finest episodes in the series. It's on the outside of the franchise's classics but is a fun, wild time for those interested in the series.
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