Kaijû daisenso (1965)

Director:

Ishirô Honda

Writer:

Shinichi Sekizawa (writer)

Release Date:

29 July 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Romance | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Aliens from Planet X request the use of Godzilla and Rodan to fight off King Ghidorah, but have a better use for the three monsters.

Plot Keywords:

Godzilla | Alien | Rodan | Astronaut | Pterodactyl

Cast

Nick Adams	...	Astronaut Glenn Amer
Akira Takarada	...	Astronaut K. Fuji
Jun Tazaki	...	Dr. Sakurai
Akira Kubo	...	Tetsuo Teri
Kumi Mizuno	...	Miss Namikawa
Keiko Sawai	...	Haruno Fuji
Yoshio Tsuchiya	...	Controller of Planet X
Takamaru Sasaki	...	Chairman of Earth Committee
Gen Shimizu	...	Minister of Defense
Kenzo Tabu	...	Commander from Planet X
Yoshifumi Tajima	...	General
Nadao Kirino	...	Military Aide
Koji Uno	...	Namikawa's Associate
Tôru Ibuki	...	Xian
Kazuo Suzuki	...	Xian

Also Known As:

Battle of the Astros
Godzilla vs. Monster Zero (USA) (video title)
Invasion of Astro-Monster
Invasion of Planet X
Invasion of the Astro-Monsters
Invasion of the Astros (USA) (armed forces circuit title)
Kaijû daisenso Kingughidorah tai Gojira (Japan) (reissue title)
Monster Zero (USA)
The Great Monster War
War of the Monsters (literal English title)

Runtime:

Germany:81 min | Japan:74 min (re-issue) | USA:93 min | Japan:96 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Lake Myojin, Kochi, Japan

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

After the enormous success of the U.S. release of _San daikaiju: Chikyu saidai no kessen (1964)_, some publications ran articles and photographs of this sequel as an upcomeing release under the title "Invasion of Astro-Monster". However, this film was not released in the U.S. until the summer of 1970 under the title "Monster Zero".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In several shots, the track on which the military vehicles move, along with support beams holding them in place can clearly be seen. In some cases these supports hold the vehicles up so high that their tires don't touch the ground.

Quotes:

Tetsuo: [both Glenn and Tetsuo pop up out of the water] Well, what are we going to do now?
Glenn: Well, we sure ain't gonna wait for the next ferry. Swim!

Movie Connections:

References Sora no daikaijû Radon (1956)

A Blast From My Childhood

This film was the first Godzilla film that I really remember seeing from beginning to end. I was so taken by it that I forgot to go to the bathroom (I was only five at the time). This film helped to cultivate my love for the kaiju eiga genre. Even though many people have put this film down as being one of the weakest in the Godzilla series, it will always hold a special place in my heart.