La invasión de los astromonstruos

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.

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 ****

Some astronauts(two to be specific...one of which is Nick Adams) leave planet Earth and fly to planet X. Once there, they discover life underground that supposedly lives in fear of King Ghidorah. They ask Earth to send Rodan and Godzilla to their planet to fight Ghidorah. Earth agrees, and the aliens send a tape back with the astronauts after their second voyage that tells Earthlings to submit to the alien will, or King Ghidorah, really their own private monster, will destroy them. This is an interesting film in the Godzilla series that has some pretty good sci-fi elements blended with good ole Godzilla fun. The monsters are what you would expect and the acting is pretty pedestrian as a rule. Adams is an unwelcome addition as his acting ability is somewhat suspect, and he tends to stick out like a sore thumb. Nevertheless, the film zips along at a nice pace. My only major criticism is that the monsters, and in particular Godzilla, have too few scenes. Inshiro Hondo directed this one, and it has many of his distinctive touches.

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!

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.