Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) User Reviews

Godzilla vs. Monster Zero (1965) ***

[JoeKarlosi · 7/10 · 18 February 2005]

This was one of the first Godzilla films I can recall watching on prime-time network television when I was growing up (back then it went under its Americanized title of simply, MONSTER ZERO). Though pretty far-fetched, it's still a highly enjoyable offering in the Toho series and gives us another chance to see Godzilla and Rodan join forces against the popular three-headed King Ghidorah (Monster Zero).

This time the widescreen English dubbed version is an asset, as American actor Nick Adams adds some spice to this one, since it's always fun to hear his nasal Brooklynese voice delivering such entertaining macho lines of gibberish as: "you stinkin' rats! What have you done to her?" Adams plays one of two astronauts sent to the newly discovered "Planet X" where he meets an alien civilization forced to live underground in order to avoid frequent attacks by Ghidorah up on the surface. The leaders ask our heroes to help them obtain the services of Earth monsters Godzilla and Rodan to help them vanquish 'Monster Zero'. But all may not be quite as it seems...

Some fans don't like the fact that the monster battles are kept to a minimum this time, but they're pretty good when they arrive and it's an added kick seeing the desolate looking Planet X in outer space, with its mountains, craters and dark, star-lit skies. The addition of aliens, flying saucers and double-crosses help make this a good time for Godzilla lovers. *** out of ****

Banzai, Nick Adams!

[murasakiotto · 7/10 · 7 August 2006]

The other day I found this movie at a nearby video shop by chance. Contrary to my anticipation, I found this movie quite fun. The movie I saw was in Japanese and Nick Adams' voice was dubbed, but his acting was pretty good, though he pulled up his pants a lot.

This brought me good memories of Mr. Adams. As a kid about ten years old at that time, my father (who was the USA representative for Toho and manager of the Toho La Brea Theatre) and I went to the LA airport to see him off. He was going to Japan to take this movie. He was very friendly and relaxed, he was with his wife and his little boy, he looked very happy and energetic. I remember asking him, Mr. Adams, how are fight scenes taken in movies? He replied with a nice big smile and with a fighting gesture, we really fight and punch! Gasshou! meaning I join my palms together for Mr. Adams and for my late father.

"They cause trouble sometimes, but..."

[rhinocerosfive-1 · 5/10 · 19 December 2007]

It's the old, old story: an alien race in Devo sunglasses barters a cure for cancer against the loan of Godzilla and Rodan, the only known proof against King Ghidorah, the scourge of Planet X. This is like kids putting a black widow and a praying mantis into a jar so they'll fight. In the last Ghidorah movie it also took the larval Mothra to defeat the flying three-headed beast, but Toho has a short memory and a shorter budget. Guys who wear vinyl suits and never take off their helmets are usually up to something, but only Nick Adams smells a rat with plans for world domination. His suspicions are confirmed when he sleeps with one of the aliens and she immediately pressures him to get married. This means war.

Philosophically, there's something reassuring about the pre-Gamera rubber monster. It is a corporeal manifestation of our worst, most nebulous fears, and as such it is a comfort. The central fact of a giant monster is its implacability. In the best Toho films, giant monsters tend to want nothing. They don't want to eat us; they aren't sending a message. They're just here, and they're just terrible. Ghidorah makes his entrance in this movie, cruising over a landscape already blasted and inhospitable, by blasting it and making it even less hospitable. No reason; just wanted to destroy something. That's what a rubber monster does. It cannot be appeased. The only personality trait it possesses is anger. It is made of the stuff that governs the universe: it is unadulterated chaos personified. All we can do is stare, and hope that another giant monster knocks this one off its present course.

In fewer than fifteen minutes of actual monster action, nobody gets anywhere near Tokyo, but Rodan whips hurricane winds over a small town while Ghidorah strafes it. There isn't much destruction, but what there is of it is quality miniature work - shingles flying, Buicks rolling through showroom windows, the Mobil Oil offices on fire. Godzilla is more acrobatic than usual, though his suit sags at the joints to accommodate his new athleticism. He employs the Ali shuffle here for the first time, dancing between Ghidorah's death rays, but not for about an hour and a half, and not for long.

Nick Adams wears a Byzantine combover, which from certain angles seems to feature no fewer than five partings, but he was a Toho kids'-movie favorite, probably not least because he gave the Japanese actors a blonde to be taller than. Adams' suicidal rebel image, cultivated after the death of James Dean, played out when he died of a drug overdose three years after his appearance in this film. Maybe he saw doom in the specter of another diminutive blonde on the Japanese rubber monster movie horizon - Richard Jaeckel.

A Blast From My Childhood

[Sargebri · 16 December 2002]

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.

The jig is up...

[jamesrupert2014 · 6/10 · 17 December 2017]

Yes, this is the movie where Godzilla does his little dance of joy, completing his anthropomorphic change from mindless instrument of destruction to sentient hero. The sixth entry into the series also marks a shift from 'horror' to 'science fiction', as "Invasion of Astro-Monster" opens with some nonsensical 'space talk' while a rocketship carrying two astronauts (Glenn and Fuji; Nick Adams and Akira Takarada respectively) travel to a newly discovered moon of Jupitar (christened 'Planet X'), only to find it populated by 'Xians' and besieged by Ghidorah. The Xians offer a cure for cancer in exchange for permission to 'borrow' Rodan and Godzilla, whom they plan to use to eliminate the Ghidorah threat, or so they claim. Suspicious events are occurring on Earth and the astronauts sense that there might be something malignant behind the Xians benign offer. In this film, the now sentient saurian is a full-fledged hero - recruited by the Xians to fight an evil monster and later defending the Earth itself. His original transgressions seems to have been forgiven or forgotten (Fuji, who feels sorry for leaving the Earth monsters on Planet X, comments that Godzilla and Rodan "cause troubles sometimes" - a considerable understatement, considering that, over the years, they have destroyed the cities of Fukuoka, Osaka and Tokyo, presumably at the costs of thousands of lives and billions of Yen). Notwithstanding Godzilla's infamous victory jig after his initial routing of Ghidorah, the film* is not played for laughs as much as was "King Kong vs. Godzilla" but remains a pretty juvenile outing, with a 'good guys vs. bad guys' plot, simplistic characters, an inconsistent (and at times nonsensical) storyline, a silly script, and lots of monster fights. The decline in the series' budget is apparent as most of the brawls are on the desolate Planet X or in unpopulated parts of Japan rather than in the complex (and expensive) city sets that were common in the earlier films and gave some sense of verisimilitude to the inherently unrealistic suit-mated monsters. There are some good parts - I like the spaceships, the alien 'airlift' of the monsters, the almost surreal scenes on Planet X with Jupitar looming in the sky, and as always, Ghidorah makes for an entertaining foe. Overall, very watchable by fans of the genre but pretty much what most non-fans would expect to see if invited to join in: another goofy Japanese monster movie. *This review refers to the subtitled Japanese version; however, as the film was an American-Japanese coproduction (hence American co-star Nick Adams), there is little difference between the subtitled and English dubbed versions.

battle of the monsters

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 11 March 2021]

This one has many names: Kaijû daisenso Kingughidorah tai Gojira (Japan), Invasion of Astro-Monster and Monster Zero (United States). astronauts in japan are getting ready for launch, and one of them tells his sister not to do anything "foolish" until i get back! whatever that means. as usual, the dialog is silly, and the silliness is multiplied by a bad translation. handsome Nick Adams is the lone american astronaut, and when they are contacted by another planet, he is sent up in space. the aliens want to use Kojira to fight their own monsters, so they can live on the surface, and not stay stuck underground. in return, they will give earth a cure for all disease. the usual shenanigans, and we know there will be a monster showdown. good special effects! it's very much what you expect. adams died of a drug overdose at age 36, in 1968. apparently, being nominated for an oscar in 1964 wasn't enough. had met James Dean in Rebel, although Adams is way down in the cast list. directed by Ishirô Honda, who made SO MANY godzilla films.

MONSTER ZERO!

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 31 March 2021]

Talk about firing on all cylinders. Kaiju Daisenso (The Giant Monster War) is the sixth film in the Godzilla series and it has everything you want in a kaiju film, as the mysterious Planet X is investigated by astronauts Kazuo and Glenn (Nick Adams*, so Americans have a familiar face). They meet the Xiliens and their leader the Controller just in time for Monster Zero - King Ghidorah -to attack. The Controller offers to give humanity the cure for cancer if they loan Godzilla and Rodan to them to take care of Monster Zero.

Glenn and Fuji are convinced that the Xiliens have a sinister agenda but can't prove it. The alien race comes to Earth and fly a sleeping Godzilla and Rodan to their planet where they defeat Monster Zero. The astronauts get a tape that has the cancer information on it, but instead contains an ultimatum that informs all of Earth that Planet X now has control of Godzilla, Rodan and King Ghidorah.

One of the alien women is in love with Glenn and tells him the secrets of Planet X. It turns out that a certain noise sends the Xiliens into waves of pain, which allows humanity to defeat them and keep Godzilla and Rodan behind. All ends well, except for Glenn and Fuji having to go back to Planet X to become ambassadors.

This was the first film where Henry G. Saperstein became involved in the actual making of the films, providing half of the film's backing. This is also the first film where Godzilla plays to the audience, doing a victory dance. This is a subject of much debate amongst the filmmakers and fans of these movies.

*Unlike other Americans who did thee films, Adams was genuinely interested in how the special effects worked and was kind to the cast, befriending many of them.

Quite lopsided for a Godzilla flick. Too much set-up with too little pay-off.

[jephtha · 5/10 · 8 July 2016]

A couple of moments in "Invasion of Astro-Monster" show great promise. The first comes during the first appearance of King Ghidorah, with a cascade of gravity beams shown on the screen behind the Xien leader as he explains the situation. The second comes when the Xien spacecraft transport Godzilla and Rodan into space. Both of these show the two intended genre elements working in harmony, and had the rest of the movie followed suit this might have been a seminal entry in the series. Unfortunately, the results are too lopsided to work. Complementary genre elements are of little use if they supplant what unique things are brought by the giant monster genre, especially when said elements have been done much better in past films.

Simply put, "Invasion of Astro-Monster" does not feel like a Godzilla movie. Too much of the running time is devoted to the human/alien conflict, and while this does lend more substance to the human portion of the narrative, it's still clumsily constructed as in any entry of the series. Various ideas are either truncated or plumb never capitalized on, such as the Xiliens' deception, which is made blatant both to the audience and some of the heroes, and explorations of the Xiliens' culture are mostly limited to throwaway details. The pacing is nothing to emulate. Scenes on Planet X seem to go on forever for the sake of imitating "Forbidden Planet", and the multiple trips between Earth and Planet X seem unnecessary.

The point is, "Invasion of Astro-Monster" never gives us an alien invasion plot capable of carrying an entire film on its own, and this issue magnifies the already fundamentally disappointing decision of reduced monster action. If one is to endure the downplaying of the monsters in a monster movie, it's only fair to demand something superb. But, it's difficult to not make comparisons with other alien/space exploration features (e.g. Forbidden Planet, War of the Worlds, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers). The conflict with the Xiliens, with its lack of outstanding qualities, needs the monster element to stand out, and that is unfortunately what the film fails to capitalize on.

Treatment of the monsters is, on the whole, poorer than in the previous entry. While their destruction scenes are adequate, if repetitive, these guys always feel like mere appendages to the plot rather than focal points of concern; they're regarded as assets rather than creatures. Say what you will about the incipient goofiness from "Ghidrah, the Three Headed Monster", but at least these guys had an established presence in that movie, with actual signs of personality. Here, they don't even get a proper send-off, instead suffering from that head-scratchingly unceremonious ending.

There are some good moments, though. Namikawa's sacrifice is moving, and the self-destruction of the Xiliens is certainly dramatic. Additionally, Akira Ifukube delivers a great new rendition of one of his themes from Godzilla (1954), which can be heard over the opening credits. Even so, as far as I'm concerned, this is a pretty middle of the road effort for the Godzilla timeline spanning the 50's, 60's and 70's. It's strengths elevate it above utterly disposable products, like "Godzilla vs. Megalon" and "Godzilla's Revenge", but time has not been very kind to it; later films would incorporate aliens in more ingenious and entertaining ways.

Underrated Godzilla film

[stevenfallonnyc · 8/10 · 4 May 2004]

I always thought "Monster Zero" (along with the one after, "Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster") was a bit underrated in the Godzilla film list. King Ghidrah makes his second appearance, and it is a lot more fun and interesting than his first ("Ghidrah The Three Headed Monster" from 1964).

This definitely isn't the fastest moving Godzilla film, but there are a lot of cool things to look at as the plot goes along slow at times. And the alien invasion/takeover plot is pretty decent if not overly original. The aliens look pretty cool and their hardware is 60's sci-fi retro, you gotta love it.

Nick Adams is pretty decent enough and gives the film a certain flair. It's a shame he had to leave us so soon, as it would have been a blast to have him return in a future Godzilla film.

The special effects are totally mid-60's Godzilla, with all the obvious miniatures being stomped on by the guys in the monster suits. There's one great shot where a doll of an astronaut gets lowered onto Planet X via an open elevator outside the spaceship, and as the doll is lowered to the ground in one lengthy camera shot, you can't help but laugh a little realizing that there was no attempt whatsoever to make that shot look real, or to hide the fact it's so fake with quick silly editing. But that's part of the charm of the early Godzilla films.

I always thought it was odd when, on Planet X underground, as the leader shows the astronauts the screen showing Ghidrah wildly attacking on the surface, that Ghidrah is in essence attacking nothing but rocks and dirt because that's all there is on the planet's surface. And also how Ghidrah flies past that huge painting of a planet in the distance a few times.

Godzilla and Rodan eventually save the Earth and that's what it's all about in a 1965 Godzilla film. Godzilla by this time was definitely all hero protecting his home planet. It's such a shame that unless a movie looks like a silly music video, so many kids won't watch it. Hopefully a lot of parents are introducing their kids to these old Godzilla films via DVD and video, because they sure aren't on TV much anymore.

An all-out monster-alien war.

[kevinxirau · 6/10 · 20 February 2012]

Now here's a good entry to the franchise starring everyone's favorite fire-breathing dinosaur. Godzilla, having terrorized humanity in the past and battled his first few enemies, had just earned his title of being a hero having helped save the earth from his nemesis King Ghidorah (with some help from Mothra and Rodan). This left him open to being marketed more towards kids and it was time to keep the King of the Monsters on a role to being Japan's defender.

Plot: A new planet has been discovered near Jupiter and soon humanity encounters its inhabitants, the Xilians. The Xilians promise to give to humanity a secret formula to cure diseases provided that they let the aliens borrow Godzilla and Rodan to rid their planet of the menacing King Ghidorah. However, not all is as it seems. They tricked the earthlings and using magnetic waves send the three monsters on a rampage to help conquer the planet. Can our scientific heroes find a way to free the monsters and stop the alien menace? Can Godzilla and Rodan's combined strength rid the Earth of King Ghidorah? The fate of the world hangs by a thread.

There's a lot to like about this flick. This is the first time an alien race has been featured in a Godzilla movie and for the most part the Xiliens are pretty interesting. You don't know whether to trust them or not. All the monster/action scenes are great to watch with plenty of destruction, despite being unfortunately kept to a minimum screen time. Godzilla, along with the other monsters, is given a more lively personality, which allows him to express emotions more effectively. Surprisingly, the human characters are pretty likable, with Nick Adams delivering an amusing performance, and they are all more involved with the story. there's a good deal of realism to the science of this flick and the movie itself has a fun and somewhat mysterious atmosphere.

Overall, this is a nice edition to the Godzilla series. It has all that you would like in a sci-fi creature feature plus a little more. Definitely worth a watch, especially if you're a Godzilla fan. All hail the King of the Monsters!

The Godzilla film that isn't really a Godzilla film

[ajordan-18235 · 5/10 · 7 November 2019]

This film is also known as 'Invasion of Astromonster', which I feel is a more fitting title due to the lack of monster action and lack of Godzilla.

This movie is more of a classic Sci-Fi flick than it is a monster movie. In truth I know little of the context behind the film, but it feels very much like Toho wanted to make a regular alien invasion movie and simply used the allure of Godzilla to create interest. Though I can't be certain that this is a fact, I can be certain that this is the vibe many will have when viewing this film.

The disappointing lack of monsters is why this has five stars.

However my rating is not lower because, in spite of that, this movie struck me as somewhat interesting. Yes, it's an alien invasion movie, but it's more in the vein of 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' than 'War of the Worlds'. The aliens manipulate humanity into a sense of safety and essentially annex Earth through trickery and intrigue... And, occasionally, giant monsters shooting fire form their mouths.

Simultaneously disappointing and surprisingly interesting in such a way that you might not understand until you see it yourself. I would still recommend giving it a watch.

An undervalued gem.

[G.Spider · 9/10 · 15 June 1999]

A lot of 'professional' film critics seem to have an irrational dislike of Godzilla films. True, the special effects in them aren't usually fantastic but they're certainly a lot better than many 60's western dinosaur films which just rely on lizards with fins and spikes blu-tacked to them.

This film, for example, is an excellent piece of sci-fi, imaginative, well-paced and containing genuine characters and interesting monsters. An alien race want to borrow Godzilla and Rodan to stop Ghidorah attacking their home planet, but it soon turns out they are not as friendly as they seem.

One of the best Godzilla films I've seen, a true classic from the golden age of monster movies.

Godzilla and Rodan save the Earth

[vtcavuoto · 6/10 · 20 May 2006]

"Godzilla vs. Monster Zero" is similar to the previous film "Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster". Rodan co-stars but Mothra didn't due to budget limitations. Nick Adams did a very good job as Astronaunt Glenn. I liked his performance. His voice is used in the film but his voice-over doesn't always match his lips. The plot is fairly original: Two Astronaunts land on Planet X. Aliens from the planet ask the two Astronaunts to seek permission to borrow Godzilla and Rodan to defeat Monster Zero(Ghidorah). It turns out the aliens want to conquer the earth(don't they all)? The aliens control Godzilla and Rodan and threaten to destroy the earth unless all the nations surrender. The aliens are later defeated and Godzilla and Rodan go on their way. There is a sub-plot with a young scientist who creates a pocket alarm. It is discovered that the aliens can not tolerate loud noises(as a father I can relate to that). The movie is typical of just about any Godzilla movie but the plot is a bit better than most of his films. Not an exceptional monster film but one that is enjoyable.

Here we go again...

[sveknu · 5/10 · 5 February 2006]

There's nothing new here. Actually, I felt like I was watching "Godzilla versus Ghidrah" all over again. Mothra is gone, but that's it. Godzilla, Rodan and Ghidrah have a new fight, pretty much the same as in the previous movie. Of course they had to create a new plot, and this time it's about some aliens and a voyage into space. The plot wasn't very interesting, and it drove the focus away from where it should have been: On Godzilla. I wonder why they didn't add more monster fight scenes to the movie. It was just too much talking and absence of action.

Cool victory dance by Godzilla, though.

You can dance if you want to....

[markaupe · 8 November 2004]

This film is close to the last of the quality Godzilla films where a budget is evident, and the future of the series became apparent. This film is a sequel to GHIDDORAH: THE THREE HEADED MONSTER and story elements went into the classic, DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. Goji completely went into his Earth defender mode in this story of alien domination against our planet.

This film is a great representation of the series and and Japan's desire and attitude for the times, coupled with our realization that everything is completely impossible. The best way to watch any Godzilla film is to believe that you are watching an alternate universe where all nations are equally powerful and those future dreams of the past did become possible.

For Godzilla fans, there is a lot of love about this film. There are interesting characters and many consider this Nick Adams' best film; which may not be true, but his co-star is BIGGER. For me, it is the images of the two monsters being lifted from the lake and hauled off to Planet X. The battle on the planet is now considered a classic moment too, as Goji does a victory dance(referred to as The Godzilla Shie). Godzilla always seemed to have a personality, but that dance cemented this notion, as he also demonstrates emotions in this story.

The fact that you are reading this review, demonstrates that you may have your own ideas and feelings about this film. This review is for the cinefile who believes in Godzilla and many of the other movies that came from Toho Studios. My recommendation is that you watch DESTROY ALL MONSTERS after this film, and then go play the two Godzilla video games that are now available.

Not one of the best, but still fun

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 21 March 2020]

INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER is a fun addition to the Gojira franchise, although not comparable to the most entertaining of the series like DESTROY ALL MONSTERS or EBIRAH, HORROR OF THE DEEP. This one's more of a science fiction story in which astronauts negotiate with an alien race based on a previously unknown moon of Jupiter known as Planet X. The monsters featured are Godzilla, Rodan and King Ghidorah, brought to life by occasional stock footage, but their presence is in short supply prior to a familiar but fun destructive climax. The human story is acceptable, the dated SFX a lot of fun, Kumi Mizuno is absolutely captivating, and a brief outer-space brawl between the trio of monsters the definite highlight, with Godzilla's victory jig a particular hoot.

Nick Adams joins the Godzilla series for another star vehicle in Japan

[kevinolzak · 7/10 · 21 November 2020]

1965's "Invasion of Astro-Monster" ("Kaiju Daisenso" or The Giant Monster War in Japan) came 6th in Toho's Godzilla series, adding the Hollywood star power of Nick Adams to the mix (after debuting in "Frankenstein Conquers the World"), but having to wait for Maron Films to issue the picture stateside in 1970, paired with the Frankenstein sequel "The War of the Gargantuas," Russ Tamblyn deputizing for Adams in the latter. Previous entry "Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster" introduced the winged alien dragon shooting lethal rays, combining Godzilla, Rodan (its first appearance since its 1956 debut), and Mothra (third appearance) to send him back into the cosmos like a coward. This marks the first time in the series that the otherworldly menaces depicted in THE MYSTERIANS or BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE were incorporated, with Nick Adams aboard as astronaut Glenn, sent with partner Fuji (Akira Takarada) on a mission to investigate a new planet on the far side of Jupiter, swiftly dubbed Planet X, that has been revealed through its use of magnetic radio waves. The Xiliens are human in appearance and led by The Controller (Yoshio Tsuchiya), relating a tale of woe as to why the citizens must live beneath the surface, as the destructive King Ghidrah is revealed in their vernacular as 'Monster Zero' (they identify their creatures by number). In return for a miracle cure to eradicate all disease, Planet X requests the services of both Godzilla and Rodan to drive Ghidrah off their world, but Glenn becomes rightfully suspicious upon learning that their spaceships have already reached Earth and pinpointed the hidden locations of each monster. Reaching Planet X in no time, a brief battle results in our heroic duo triumphant, Godzilla going into a hilarious victory jig as celebration, 'Godzilla Shie' being met with disapproval by director Ishiro Honda and actor Haruo Nakajima, while audiences were divided (Eiji Tsuburaya welcomed more comical elements, on the verge of kicking off his half hour ULTRAMAN series). The promised miracle drug turns out to be an ultimatum demanding mankind's surrender, while Glenn's romantic relationship with Namikawa (Kumi Mizuno) sours after he learns that she's a Xilien spy. Her defiance of protocol in becoming emotionally involved results in her demise, but not before providing the key to the aliens' defeat, an ear shattering device invented by Tetsuo (Akira Kubo) capable of disrupting the magnetic waves used to maintain control over the monsters. The destruction may be saved for the last two reels but there's no shortage of action with a busy script and several subplots for added intrigue. Nick Adams is again a forceful and commanding hero, the most accommodating American import compared to later veterans like Rhodes Reason, Robert Horton, Joseph Cotten, or Cesar Romero. Adams enjoyed working in the Orient so much that he even coproduced a third feature there, "The Killing Bottle," an espionage title with some horrific touches that has yet to see the light of day for Western audiences.

Godzilla & Rodan Vs. Ghidorah & Alien Invaders

[AaronCapenBanner · 6/10 · 1 May 2014]

Sequel to "Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster" sees mysterious aliens contacting UN astronauts to ask for their help in ridding their world of "Monster Zero"/King Ghidorah, by letting them bring Godzilla & Rodan to their world(Why not Mothra?) Earth complies, but then learns that it was all a ruse to leave the planet undefended, and ripe for conquest. How can the Earth survive this mess? Nick Adams guest stars as an American astronaut leading the fight. Far-fetched but entertaining romp has a colorful plot and lots of action to hold viewer interest. Godzilla & Rodan are portrayed sympathetically here, especially in a poignant scene of them being left behind on the alien planet(not to worry, that doesn't last long!)

"It's not my day."

[classicsoncall · 2/10 · 9 August 2018]

I can only take these Japanese monster films in small doses, which is to say about every six months to a year so as not to get permanently loopy. The same thing with Seventies martial arts flicks. But I stick with them for the amusement factor because that's basically what I see as their mission. I see that most of the reviews for this movie are hugely positive, and that's fine, but even so, I don't get the rationale for rating pictures like this a '10' because even if you're a fan, you have to have seen "Star Wars" or "Alien" by way of comparison. I merely shake my head.

At least the bonus for this viewer was the inclusion of Nick Adams in the cast. He proved he really was a rebel to take on this assignment, appearing in the cast credits as Nikku Adamusu. But the odd thing was that his name in the story was Glenn, without noting whether that was the character's first or last name. His astronaut partner on the space mission went by the last name of Fuji (Akira Takarada), which led me to question why everyone simply called him Glenn, no matter the context. The cast credit here on IMDb states Adam's character as Glenn Amer, but one wouldn't know that from watching the picture. Maybe Amer was short for American.

Say, I had to laugh when Spaceship P-1 landed on Planet X, and the hatch door used to leave the ship actually had dents in it. Still, that was a whole lot better than the spaceship used in the 1959 flick "Teenagers From Outer Space". In that one, you can see the futuristic technology of space age hammer and nails at work. So you can actually measure the progress of sci-fi special effects used in this film compared to the one that came out six years earlier.

The best and funniest moment in this picture occurred when Godzilla and Rodan defeated King Ghidorah on Planet X. Right after, Godzilla went into this goofy looking dance number that had me baffled. That simply reminded me that these Toho films were primarily put together for a pre-teen audience, so with that in mind, it seemed rather logical. What's not logical is why I still watch this stuff. But rest assured I'll be back in another six months or so. Or wait, maybe sooner, because I just happened to come across a copy of "Mothra vs. Godzilla".

We need from you Monster Zero 1 and Monster Zero 2, Godzilla and Rodan.

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 24 May 2015]

It's one of those Godzilla movies where you fully understand why some fans of the "Zilla" series positively dislike it. The big atomic lizard is only a bit part player here, and when push comes to shove the monster mayhem is in short supply, which considering we also have Ghidorah and Rodan in the mix is for sure a bit of a waste. Yet this is one of the better sequels from Toho's original wave, it quite literally has all the ingredients that made "Zilla" and the off-shoots so iconic.

We are in live action cartoon territory, a sci-fi story of bonkers proportions yet engrossing all the same. The joyous model work synonymous with the series remains intact, the cardboard sets being obliterated are still fun to watch, and the divisive sight of "Zilla" doing the "shay" dance is in here whether you like it or not. More fun, though, is watching "Zilla" boxing the three headed Ghidorah, now that is comedy gold, if only the moody lizard had gone southpaw a bit earlier then saving the world could have been achieved quicker.

Great fun, could have been better from a monster point of view? Yes, definitely, but this be a nutty fruitcake production from Toho and amen to that. 8/10

In Space

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 13 October 2019]

In the year 196X, astronauts Glenn Amer and Fuji are traveling to Planet X. They are met by an alien underground civilization. The aliens want to use Rodan and Godzilla against Monster Zero which is ravishing their surface world. It turns out to be another King Ghidorah. In exchange, they promise to give a wonder drug to cure all human diseases.

Aliens and monsters. It's such a campy concept that one cannot help but love it. I love the aliens. The story needs a lot more simplification. A simpler story would work easier. This has all the classic Japanese monster bits from the genre. All the monsters get to crush miniatures. The Japanese actors get to point and yell in shock. It has all that plus aliens.

Total cheeze: nothing more, nothing less.

[kergillian · 4/10 · 24 April 2001]

First and foremost: this is a cheezy sci-fi Godzilla movie, so I can't and won't consider it even in the same category as a Blade Runner or Alien when rating it.

That aside, it's utterly and horribly cheezy. Frighteningly ridiculous, even for its time, this film basically laughs at science (though hey, it's a film about a massive 400 ft. tall fire-breathing reptile, a massive bird-like reptile, and a three-headed electricity breathing flying dragon...I'm thinking science is already waaaaaay out of the picture here;)

The dubbing....OMG the dubbing!!! On the bottom of the scale...this is the worst dub-job I've seen since Shaolin Temple. And as for the token English guy, Nick Adams is no Raymond Burr!

A couple of questions that I probably shouldn't even waste my time with: why is it aliens can always speak Earth languages? And would they really call their planet by the same name as Earthlings do? Never mind the questions about basic scientific principles that are completely disregarded (I must now remind myself to look at my previous statement about the creatures we're dealing with...)

Overall: nowhere near as good as the first one, but a hell of a lot more funny! Quality is awful though, but there are *many* worse films of this type out there (the '98 Broderick Godzilla comes to mind...) Still, I had to fast-forward through parts of this; it starts to get so repetitive and dreary from scene to scene, never mind film to film. 4/10.

Godzilla goes to Space!

[OllieSuave-007 · 8/10 · 18 June 2001]

This is one of the more exciting Japanese monster films from Toho Studios that features the alien-invasion plot. A mysterious planet is discovered in our solar system and movie leads Nick Adams and Akira Takarada go explore. The planet, called Planet X, is inhabited by a race of aliens who claims King Ghidorah, the three-headed monster, is menacing their home. The aliens offer Earth a miracle drug to cure all disease (yeah, sure) in return for the possession of Godzilla and Rodan, which they plan to use to fend off King Ghidorah. But, the aliens' true mission is soon revealed and you'll have to watch this movie to find out what happens.

There are a lot of city destruction at the doing of the three giant monsters (albiet a little on the short side with the monster battles), all highlighted with Tsuburaya's spectacular special effects. There is a marching and perfect Ifukube score and a dramatic and action-packed script by Sekizawa, with a touch of romance and comedy. Honda once again directed a fine movie, with heroic characters like Akira Kubo, Kumi Mizuno, Jun Tazaki and Keiko Sawai. This is also the Godzilla movie that shows infamous victory dance by the monster. An action-packed sci-fi flick that is not to be missed.

Grade B+

Monster Zero is My Favorite Godzilla Villain

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 9 March 2012]

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.

Often, Godzilla films are naturally cheesy, but I think this one really steps up the cheese. I was especially put off by the over-use of the Godzilla sound effect (he apparently cannot even change his tone, pitch or volume). Rodan made for a nice addition, and Ghidorah is a great villain.

American star Nick Adams (whom Leonard Maltin calls the "poor man's James Dean") may be best known among horror fans as the star of "Die Monster Die" alongside Boris Karloff or from "Frankenstein Conquers the World", both of which came out the same year as this film. Sadly, he died at age 36 from an overdose of enough paraldehyde, sedatives and other drugs in the body "to cause instant unconsciousness."

The film was co-produced between the Japanese company Toho, and Henry G. Saperstein's American company UPA, marking the only time a Godzilla film was co-produced with an American studio. The film was edited into Japanese and American versions, but perhaps because of this cooperation, the changes are very minor and the American version is only three minutes shorter.

Despite my relatively low ranking of the film, I actually really enjoyed it... I just think it seemed cheesy and the twist was far too predictable. The big question for me, though, is why IMDb (or anyone) would use the name "Invasion of Astro-Monster"... terrible, terrible name. "Godzilla vs. Monster Zero" sounds so much better.

Goofy cheesy fun

[LordXenu · 5/10 · 8 January 2001]

Made ten or so years after the original Godzilla movie, you can tell that by the time "Godzilla vs. Monster Zero" was made, the series had drifted into self-parody. Nonetheless it's still fun to watch.

The premise of the story is that a new "Planet X" has been discovered in orbit behind Jupiter. When a rocket is dispatched, the astronauts discover that Planet X is populated by robot-like humanoid aliens who live underground because the surface has been ravaged by Monster Zero, none other than the three-headed King Ghidorah. The aliens promise to supply the cure for all known disease if they can borrow earthbound monsters Godzilla and Rodan to team up against Ghidorah. It turns out that the aliens have double crossed us gullible Earthlings and intend to invade Earth, using the three monsters as weapons.

Fighting for the good guys are a tough-guy American astronaut and his Japanese partner whose sister is a scientist working for the space organization, and her inventor boyfriend who can't figure out why he can't sell his invention (hint: invent something that does more than just make an annoying noise!). And, of course, the usual army guys. What would a Godzilla movie be without a few platoons of cannon fodder?

Obviously the budget for this film didn't go into the detailed miniatures that Godzilla movies are known for. The two major battles take place largely on the rocky terrain of Planet X or in open fields on Earth. Except for a couple of impressive explosions, relatively little gets smashed. The monsters spend more time flexing and posturing than fighting. And in my growing collection of Godzilla movies, in no other movie (yet) is it as obvious that these are grown men in rubber suits - at one point Godzilla even spars with Ghidorah bare-knuckle style!

Nonetheless, the movie has its moments. The dialogue, at least, the English-dubbed version, is full of great, cheesy lines: "The final hour is approaching for the people of Earth!" and "You rats! You stinkin' rats!" just to name two. The Planet X-ians' "futuristic" costumes, complete with new-wave dark glasses, have to be seen to be believed. And, of course, there's the Great Green One's "victory jig."

Invite some friends over, pop up a bowl of popcorn, shut your brains off, and enjoy.