By CONNOR KEATING
Tiger Media Network
“Invasion of Astro Monster” also known as “Monster Zero” is the fifth Godzilla movie, and is a sort of follow-up to the prior film, “Ghidorah The Three Headed Monster.”. “Invasion of Astro Monster” has gained a reputation for being the beginning of Godzilla’s descent into goofy schlock, and at a glance, that would certainly seem to be the case. Goofy alien invaders and Godzilla victory dances can make this seem like one of the worst entries in the series, but as the film itself says, “beauty is only skin deep,” and boy, are we gonna “argue the matter.”
The story is that a new planet, Planet X, has been discovered on the far side of Jupiter. A spaceship carrying Japanese astronaut Fuji and American astronaut Glenn is sent to explore it. Meanwhile, on Earth, Fuji’s sister’s boyfriend, Tetsuo, who Fuji doesn’t approve of, is trying to sell his goofy noise maker invention, and does manage to sell it to a toy company. Trust me, this is important.
When the astronauts land on Planet X, they find it inhabited by aliens and meet their leader, the Controller. He explains to them that he wants peace between their two people, and also shows them that their planet is being plagued by King Ghidorah. The Controller wants permission to use his technology to take Godzilla and Rodan and bring them to Planet X to defeat King Ghidorah in exchange for a miracle drug that will cure all diseases. They agree to this seemingly one-sided offer and return to Earth, where preparations are being made for the aliens’ arrival.
However, the aliens were already on Earth. This makes the characters a little suspicious. They go ahead and take the two monsters to Planet X, where they manage to defeat Ghidorah. Back on the planet, Glenn and Fuji learn some strange things about the aliens, most notably that they seem short on water. They return to Earth with the miracle drug, but uh oh! It’s not a miracle drug, it’s a message saying that Planet X is going to take over Earth. Chaos and panic begin to spread across the world, and not only do the people of Planet X have superior technology, but also Godzilla, Rodan, and King Ghidorah are under their control. If only there were a “certain simple sound” capable of stopping them
“Invasion of Astro Monster” is generally considered one of the most character-focused Godzilla movies and it’s pretty clear to see why. Fortunately, it absolutely knocks it out of the park with the story and characters. The cast is definitely one of its strongest aspects. Glenn and Fuji’s chemistry is great; the Controller is cunning, mysterious, and acts very… alien; Ms. Namikawa’s sacrifice is heartbreaking; and seeing Fuji warm up to Tetsuo when his invention comes in handy is great. The film is filled with tons of great moments as the cast battles it out to see which character can steal the show.
I also really dig the various mysteries throughout. It’s fairly easy to see the betrayal coming, but seeing the way everything is pulled off is fantastic. While this film may have the least Godzilla screen time, it definitely makes up for it with its great cast of characters and intriguing story. My only problem with the film’s story is that it moves at a pretty fast pace, and sometimes I wish we got to spend just a bit more time with these characters. It really goes to show how great they are.
“So what about the monster?” I hear at least one of you asking. While they take a back seat in this one and act more so as a plot device, when they’re on screen it’s beautiful. King Ghidorah is definitely the highlight here; his suit looks great, and when he’s got his three heads, two tails, and set of wings all going all at once it looks incredible. I’m also a fan of this particular Godzilla suit, Rodan on the other hand doesn’t look quite as good. Nothing really wrong with the suit, I just don’t think any of the designs after the original look quite as good.
The fight scenes here are pretty short, but in that short time, they pack quite a punch, and seeing the monsters fight on another planet is a nice change of scenery. The real big action scene is actually the one that takes place before the final battle. It’s a pretty lengthy scene of the three monsters tearing Japan to pieces all at once. The miniature work here is great as always, and watching these buildings crumble under the foot of Godzilla and explode upon contact with Ghidorah’s beams is a treat. The people of Planet X and their flying saucers even get to cause a little mayhem during the scene, too. The film then closes with a pretty great little battle between the three monsters, which wraps up the film quite nicely.
“Invasion of Astro Monster” is a favorite among fans for a reason, and while it may have its goofier moments here and there, they’re so minor that I hardly have any reason to mention them. What do you want me to say? “Oh, look Godzilla dances for all of five seconds…” If it bothers you that badly, that’s your problem. The film features a fun cast of characters, solid old-school effects, and some fantastic monster-rampage scenes. It all comes together to create one of the strongest entries in the series. I give this film 8 “STINKIN’ RATS” out of 10.
Connor Keating is a senior at Fort Hays State University, studying Natural Resources. Connor is an old-school movie fan, particularly Japanese monster movies, and is an avid DVD collector.
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