La invasión de los astromonstruos

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.

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 ****

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

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!