Invasion of the Astro-Monster (1965)

Title: Invasion of the Astro-Monster (1965)

Director: Ishiro Honda

Review:

There’s something about older Godzilla movies, they seem better produced than some of the newer ones; I dont know if its the caliber of directors behind these films, or the way they were made (probably a bit of both) but the production values seem higher on these old movies. I mentioned something about this on my review for Godzilla: Final Wars (2004). The polished look and feel we see on these older films had a lot to do with what veteran Godzilla director Ishiro Honda was aiming to achieve. It appears to me that Mr. Honda made some of the best movies in the whole series, and the film I'll be reviewing today, Invasion of the Astro-Monster is certainly one of them. I mean, he really did  some great sci-fi films, he even made sci-fi out of the Godzilla universe of films. Ishiro Honda  is certainly an important director from Japan. By this I don’t mean that the newer Godzilla films are a joke, I’m just saying that these older films took themselves more seriously somehow. Invasion of the Astro-Monster has many good things going for it, lots of elements that make it one of the best Godzilla films out there. Come with me as I review Godzilla film #6, Invasion of the Astro-Monster a.k.a. Godzilla vs. Monster Zero!

Story is all about these alien beings from Planet X; who call upon the help of the earthlings to battle against a creature that doesn’t let them live in peace. The inhabitants of Planet X call the creature ‘Monster Zero’ because they name everything by numbers; these aliens are numerical that way. So anyhow, we soon find out that this creature they call ‘Monster X’ is actually King Gihdorah! That’s right my friends, this is King Gihdorah, the same creature that fought Godzilla just one year before in Gihdorah: The Three Headed Monster (1964)! This is the reason why some people see this film as a direct sequel to Gihdorah: The Three Headed Monster, cause Gihdorah attacks again. So anyways, the aliens from Planet X are forced to live underground because King Gihdorah is constantly terrorizing the planet. So they ask the humans for permission to use Godzilla and Rodan to fight against King Gihdorah on the surface of Planet X! As a special prize for agreeing to help them in this matter, they aliens offer the humans the cure for cancer, and quite possibly the cure for all deceases on earth! Are these aliens to be trusted? Should the humans agree to give Godzilla and Rodan to the aliens? Will they truly hand over the cure for cancer?

Aliens take Godzilla and Rodan to their home planet

Well, what I liked most about this film is that apart from being a good Godzilla flick, it was also a great sci-fi story. This was Toho's succesful attempt at uniting Kaiju movies (giant monster movies) with more traditional science fiction, the kind of films that Ishiro Honda was making when he wasnt making Godzilla films. Films like The Mysterians (1957) for example, a film I've yet to see, but I'm looking forward to the experience. This is the kind of science fiction film that was made back then, with flying saucers that make that strange whistling sound when they fly, and aliens that come from ‘Planet X’.

Monster Zero, terrorizing the inhabitants of Planet X

On this film, Godzilla doesn’t spring into action for a long time, I think the film hits the one hour mark and we still don’t see Godzilla fighting. Godzilla is frozen beneath the sea for a huge part of the film until he is finally reawakened by the aliens. But here’s the thing about this Godzilla movie: the human stories where actually good, the characters were interesting, and well portrayed. We have Fuji and Nick, two astronauts who are the best of buddies. One is Japanese the other is American, together they explore the universe for the Japanese nation. On this particular trip they head towards the mysterious Planet X, going where no man has gone before! Cool thing is they act as if they've gone to a new planet a few times already, and they are just having a casual conversation during the flight, cracking jokes. I thought that was kinda funny also, they go on this long journey to a planet thats behind Jupiter, and they dont get up from their seats not once! Nick is in love with a Japanese woman while Fuji is an overprotective brother who doesn’t want his sister marrying her crazy boyfriend Tetsuo, who also happens to be an inventor. Fuji thinks Tetsuo is unworthy of his sister, but Tetsuo’s inventions just might end up saving the human race! Point is, the stories that go on amongst the humans are solid, a bonus in my book.

Things get crazier when the film amps up the sci-fi angle and we get to meet the inhabitants of Planet X. These aliens are a funky looking bunch, they might end up reminding you of something you might have seen in a DEVO music video. They talk in numbers and calculations, they are cold and robotic. They follow rules, to the point where it becomes constrictive. I liked this angle the film has, the human vs. the robotic. In many ways, this story comments on oppressive governments. Are we to loose our humanity in order to become a strict, law abiding society? There has to be a balance somewhere, can it be achieved? This is the core of this films story, and actually, it took me by surprise, the interesting themes. But then again, in one form or another Godzilla films have always criticized governments and their experiments on humanity, when we get right down to the core of who Godzilla is, he's a mutant caused by Nuclear Bombs hurled at Japan by the United States, the  results of years of nuclear testing near Japan. This isn’t the first Godzilla film I see that criticizes governments; Godzilla vs. King Gihdora (1989) did the same thing if I remember correctly. In fact, Godzilla vs. King Gihdorah is very similar to this one especially when it comes to having flying saucers and aliens that control giant creatures through thought waves. So this film my friends, same as the best science fiction films, comments on human nature, and why we do the things we do. The aliens from Planet X are a reflection of any oppressive government that wants to strip its people of its culture and uniqueness. God knows there’s a lot of those out there! This films message is as relevant today as it was way back in 1965.

Then there’s Godzilla himself and the monster fights! We don’t see Godzilla as often on this movie, but the rest of the movie was so interesting, it really didn’t bother me. This was classic 1960 style sci-fi and I was loving it. On this one, Godzilla and Rodan end up being dragged through space, carried to Planet X by alien spaceships. We get to see a re-match between Godzilla and King Gihdorah on the surface of an alien planet! That was pretty cool! Best part is that after Godzilla wins the fight (of course he wins it, you already know that) Godzilla does this hilarious victory dance, it has to be the funniest moment on any Godzilla movie. I mean Godzilla leaps in the air and literally does this little dance, moving his arms and legs, it was hilarious! It made me chuckle, but Godzilla's victory dance also felt kind of out of place in the film. It completely takes you out of the film, it made Godzilla a little too silly, a little too human for me. I guess this sort of thing was done on purpose though. Toho was purposely trying to make Godzilla look friendlier and less scary. They even changed his face so it wouldn't be as monstrous as the previous films.  I guess they didn’t want the kids being too scared of Godzilla, and so this is one of the first movies to portray Godzilla as saviour of humanity, though at one moment he does get to destroy a little bit of Japan, which I guess Godzilla cant help doing. It’s as if he saw houses, and the impulse immediately takes, like instinct. If we could hear Godzilla's thoughts, they'd probably go something like this: "Destroy Japan, destroy, destroy!" But then again, his brain was being controlled by the evil aliens at one point, so I have to cut him some slack on this one. His a good guy on this one, not a force of nature destroying everything. But speaking of Godzilla's 'friendlier' look, its the only thing I didnt like about the movie. He doesn't look menacing at all, in fact, the suit looks too baggy, like it doesnt fit the actor properly. I like the newer Godzilla films where Godzilla looks lean and strong and muscular, ready to kick some ass. My main problem with this one is that its too obvious that its a guy in a suit. Way too obvious and its the only reason why I didnt give the film a perfect five.

My final thoughts on this one are that it was one of the best Godzilla movies I've seen in terms of the humans. I also liked the art direction on the film which was very art deco. At times, I felt as if I was watching a Mario Bava movie when it came down to the sets and art direction, it kind of brought to mind  Planet of the Vampires (1965) which I loved so much. They are from the same era, and have a similar vibe going for them. If you like old school science fiction films, and you love Godzilla films, then this is your ticket right here. 

Rating: 4 out of 5