Space Amoeba has to fall into the realm of obscure creature features, and in the Toho realm, this is a rare one. Its highlights make a viewing worthy to the studio's fans base. If you're interested in special effects, there's some spectacular work mixed in with the not so spectacular, and the suits are amongst the creative you'll ever see. (*** out of *****)

Given the general obscurity and age, Space Amoeba is a small miracle on DVD. This is a pristine print, showing only a little bit of fading and slightly inconsistent black levels. There isn't a speck of damage to be found on this picture, and transfer process has left no signs of compression. You'll have a hard time finding a movie like this that turned out this beautiful on the format. (****)

Numerous audio options are available to please anyone, including both English 5.1 and mono, and the same two specs for the Japanese dialogue. This is one of the rare cases where the mono is the better choice. The dialogue in the 5.1 mixes is lowered, while Ifukube's soundtrack overpowers. Bass is non-existent, leveling the playing field with the mono versions. There's an extra level of clarity to the mono tracks as well, the English remaster is especially strong. (****)

Extras here are surprising, including a commentary track - with subtitles - with producer Fumio Tanaka (and a host). They have a blast with this one, pointing out the flaws, and even taking on a Mystery Science Theater approach a few times. However, they also respect the material where appropriate. Add those two styles up and you have one of the best commentaries out of all the US released kaiju movies.

There's a small documentary about the three real life creatures in the movie. It's around 10-minutes total, with plenty of footage of the actual animals. The narration is in Japanese with subtitles. There's also an odd trailer titled "special announcement" that doesn't seem to have much difference aside from the shorter length when compared to the full trailer (also included). Finally, four extra Toho trailers are here on the disc. (****)

Ignoring the Godzilla series, this was the first true sign of the shrinking focus on monster movies at Toho. The idea is only slightly new, the budget cuts obvious, and plotline more ridiculous than usual. This one was desperately calling out for a city locale at some point.