Customer Reviews

Invasion of Astro-Monster

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

INVASION OF ASTRO MONSTER, is by any other name MONSTER ZERO, or GODZILLA VS MONSTER ZERO. INVASION OF ASTRO MONSTER is the "International title" that Toho gave to KAIJU DAISENSO, released in 1965. It was then acquired for release via AIP and Henry G. Saperstein(the producer)in 1966, and he parted ways with AIP and set out for his own distribution. That didn't happen until 1970 from Maron Films, a small indie release company and it was re-titled MONSTER ZERO and double-billed in roadshow fashion with WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS and did brisk business from late summer to Fall at drive-ins and theaters at the time. The film stars Nick Adams and was released in the US, two years after his untimely and unfortunate death. Still, MONSTER ZERO/INVASION OF ASTRO MONSTER remains one of the best ever of the Toho Godzilla sequels, the last one where all the major talents at Toho were in play to make a knockout film that flies along at a good clip. It has everything-alien invasion, monsters, and a love story. Interestingly, the monster side of things actually takes a back seat to a fairly engaging human story(there are only really 10 or 12 minutes of new monster footage). The FX work is perhaps Eiji Tsuburaya's best as is the score by Akira Ifukube. This version is exactly the same as MONSTER ZERO-same title sequence, however a new title card for INVASION is seen. All the dubbing was the same, and in fact the film has three minutes of footage not seen in the US version. One is the alien Controller saying something in his native language as the earth ship leaves, another is a pretty nifty FX shot looking up at Godzilla and Rodan being transported through the atmosphere by the Xian saucers, and still another shot has what appears to be an un-processed(sound) shot of Akira Takarada saying something like "I've got a bad feeling about this" in Japanese, to Nick Adams who responds in English "Talk to me about it pal". Terrific film in any language!!

THIS IS ACTUALLY THE GODZILLA MOVIE "MONSTER ZERO". INVASION OF ASTRO MONSTER is its absurd and nonsensical international title. It is a U.S./ Japan co-production. The movie was released in Japan in 1965 as GREAT MONSTER WAR. It was released internationally as INVASION OF ASTRO MONSTER. In 1970 it was released
in America as MONSTER ZERO on a double bill with WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS. It continued to play on television
as MONSTER ZERO until it was replaced on TV and on VHS in the late 1980s by a version titled GODZILLA VS.
MONSTER ZERO.
INVASION OF ASTRO MONSTER is unusual in that , though it is basically a sequel to the previous film GHIDORAH THE THREE HEADED MONSTER it takes place in the year 196X:Suggesting it is the future.
The year was changed to 198X for the Champion Festival in the seventies. Most previous video
releases of Invasion of Astro-Monster said 198x at the beginning, causing great confusion.


Here is a list of all the original classic GODZILLA films, it consists of three segments:
Segment 1:
#1 GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS #2 GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN
Segment 2:
#3 KING KONG VS. GODZILLA #4 MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA #5 GHIDORAH: THE THREE HEADED MONSTER
#6 INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER #7 GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER #8 SON OF GODZILLA
#9 DESTROY ALL MONSTERS #10 GODZILLA'S REVENGE
Segment 3
#11 GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH #12 GODZILLA VS. GIGAN #13 GODZILLA VS. MEGALON
#14 GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA #15 TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA
This is a list of the second series:
#16 GODZILLA 1985 #17 GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE #18 GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH
#19 GODZILLA & MOTHRA: THE BATTLE FOR EARTH #20 GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA II
#21 GODZILLA VS. SPACE GODZILLA #22 GODZILLA VS. DESTOROYAH
This is the third series:
#23 GODZILLA (1998) #24 GODZILLA 2000 # 25 GODZILLA VS. MEGAGUIRAS
#26 GODZILLA, MOTHRA & KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK
#27 GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA #28 GODZILLA: TOKYO S.O.S. #29 GODZILLA: FINAL WARS
This is the first GAMERA series:
#1 GAMMERA THE INVINCIBLE #2 WAR OF THE MONSTERS #3 RETURN OF THE GIANT MONSTERS
#4 DESTROY ALL PLANETS #5 ATTACK OF THE MONSTERS #6 GAMERA VS. MONSTER X
#7 GAMERA VS. ZIGRA #8 GAMERA: SUPER MONSTER
The second GAMERA series:
#9 GAMERA: GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE #10 GAMERA: ATTACK OF LEGION
#11 GAMERA: REVENGE OF IRIS
The third series:
#12 GAMERA: THE BRAVE

Classic Media has to be applauded for the effort not only given to presenting the best versions of INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER possible (and they truly are some of best I've seen in a long, long while), but also the work that went into the case design. The box is striking, the artwork clever, clear, nostaligc and retro-future at all the same time. It's an attractive and eye catching design that demands (and gets) a second look. My copy has been picked up, picked over, and pick-pocketed a few times off my shelf already and throughly enjoyed.

But, having said that, I must admit that INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER is one of my least favorite GODZILLA films, yet one of my all time favorite TOHO movies. Truth be told, Godzilla here is at best a supporting player in a much larger and more complex story that could have done away with Godzilla and company and still have been just as compelling. Much like THE FIFTH ELEMENT fashion and design triumph over story and plot. This is one good looking movie. From the sets (wide open, with some of the most creative future computer and advanced table top technology), to the costumes (the aliens not only sport the expected antenna atop the head, but tight pants, trim sunglasses, and high useless collars), to the spaceships (which look exactly like spaceships should look), it's all here, and it's all a lot of fun.

It is something of a minor disappointment that Godzilla has been pushed to the margins here and used simply for effect than being the engine that drives the story. Godzilla, Rodan and King Ghidorah do loom large on the stunning minature sets on both PLANET X and Earth, and their battles are worth the long delay between the first and the last, but it does leave you wanting more. But, this does not stop INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER being a true gem.

The prints are the best possible and the extras are well done... although the commentary by Stuart Galbraith IV, while informative, fact filled and trivia stuffed is delivered in such a slow and measured way, that it sounds and feels like he's in fear of tripping over his own words if he talks too fast. Be prepared to feel like a five year old at some points when he wants to to Understand. Clearly. What. He. Is. Saying. To. You. So. You. Had. Better. Listen. While strange, it is a trip, and you will learn a thing or two.

Classic Media has done a great service to not only the fans of Godzilla, but to all those fans still to come. These DVD releases, like King Ghidorah, manages to wear three crowns and wear them well... they are entertaining, history and art all rolled into one.

I remember the first time I saw this on tv. I think it was early 1970s on Chiller... Theater... Saturday night WPIX Channel 11 New York. Fullscreen of coarse, on a 19 inch black and white tv screen. And I loved it. When the same station broadcasted a two day GODZILLATHON in the late 1980s I recorded all the movies. but i made sure this movie got its own tape. Then Simitar released a widescreen version on VHS and it looked really good. Now this awesome classic is available on dvd with both the English dubbed and Japanese spoken version. The information provided by Amazon states this is presented in an aspect ratio of 1:66.1 (at least for the English version) which offers more scope than the fullscreen 1:33.1 but not quite wide enough. But then something happens. After the opening credits are over. It converts to the full cinemascope 2:35.1 widescreen presentation. At least that's what happens on mine. And believe me I'm not complaining. There is no shot cooler than seeing Rodan, Godzilla and Ghidorah all in the same shot spread out across the screen in that big open field. I really appreciate Classic Media's efforts on these new dvds. But I wish they had subtitles for the English versions so I can follow the story while listening to the commentary.

If you're a fan of Toho films then you have probably seen this outer space monster film. This release has a nice DVD transfer and the film is much better than Ghidorah The Three Headed Monster with a lot more monster action and better special effects. I remember Godzilla films fondly from my childhood and this one is memorable at times, but this is not the best in the series. Sure it's got lots a monsters(Godzilla, Rodan, and Ghidorah),but they have all been in better films.

The good news is this release has both the U.S. and Japanese version of the film with the Japanese version running about 6 minutes longer. There is a cool posters and stills gallery and a 9 minute documentary on Godzilla creator Tomoyuki Tanaka. It's not the best in the series, but Godzilla fans should dig this release for sure!

Classic Media presents another first-class release with Invasion of the Astro Monster (Kaiju Daisenso), a.k.a. Monster Zero, its 1970 U.S. theatrical release title (in fact, the U.S. version on this DVD retains the Monster Zero title), a.k.a. Godzilla vs. Monster Zero, its U.S. television/video release title.

When I was a youngster, I caught the double-feature release of War of the Gargantuas/Monster Zero at our local theater, and the pair made a more powerful impression on me than just about any other film experience to that time. Perhaps strangely, given my special fondness for Godzilla, I then preferred War of the Gargantuas--and still do, for that matter. Like all of Toho's fantasy-oriented daikaiju films of the 1960s, Monster Zero is quite silly, and ever since childhood, I've preferred my monsters played straight, as in the original 1954 Godzilla. But Monster Zero is undeniably a colorful, action-packed, superbly crafted monster flick that features some of Eiji Tsuburaya's most accomplished special effects work (if also, sadly, some of his least). Much as its predecessor (Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster), the greater part of the movie revolves around its people scenes, which can be highly disheartening for a young monster enthusiast; fortunately, in both films, the human story plays out as fun and engaging--even more so in Monster Zero than in Ghidrah.

In the same way that Ghidrah maintained some direct continuity with its predecessor (Mothra vs. Godzilla), Monster Zero's script, by veteran screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa, builds on some of the dramatic cues from Ghidrah, such as the Godzilla-Rodan tag team that previously defeated Ghidrah--though there's no mention of Mothra, who played a pivotal monster role in the earlier film. Although Toho had already used the space-aliens-invade-Earth theme in prior films, such as The Mysterians and Battle in Outer Space, Monster Zero is the first (of soon-to-be many) that directly involve Godzilla. When Monster Zero came to the theater in 1970, I had already seen Destroy All Monsters, and with its similar but somewhat grimmer storyline and distinctly superior depictions of the monsters--Godzilla in particular--I naturally felt Monster Zero rather lacking in comparison. In retrospect, however, Monster Zero contains many finer elements, particularly the great chemistry between Nick Adams as Mister Astronaut Glenn and Akira Takarada as Astronaut Fuji. Although Monster Zero boasts fewer special effects scenes than in Destroy All Monsters, the monsters' rampages, particularly King Ghidorah's, stand out as among Toho's all-time best.

In Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster, the monster battles were played for laughs to a greater extent than in any previous Toho daikaiju film, with the possible exception of King Kong vs. Godzilla. Monster Zero continues the trend of anthropomorphizing the terrestrial monsters, though the humorous moments tend to be somewhat more palatable here than in Ghidrah--particularly since the monster interactions contain a few more "straight" moments. Design-wise, the Godzilla suit constructed for Monster Zero doesn't fare as well as the "Mosu-Goji" costume used in Mothra vs. Godzilla and Ghidrah, but the Rodan suit looks somewhat better, especially when shown in the distance and in flight. In the audio commentary of Classic Media's Ghidrah release, author David Kalat posits that the original, "demonic"-looking Rodan suit from 1957's Rodan, the Flying Monster would have been out of place in such a light-hearted fantasy, and there may be something to this; however, if it were up to me, I would have happily seen the original Rodan costume duplicated for these films. Then again, they didn't ask me (possibly because I was very young at the time and didn't work for Toho).

The lighter tone for these films was established by screenwriter Sekizawa and effects director Tsuburaya, whose penchant for entertaining young people was, by this point in their careers, firmly cemented so that it essentially became Toho policy. Yet director Ishiro Honda felt--as I always have--that the monsters should have maintained the dignity of their great stature. He was pained by scenes of Godzilla acting a clown and bouncing ludicrously in a "shie" dance after overcoming King Ghidorah on Planet X. Would that Honda's attitude might have prevailed.

Although the Japanese and American versions of Monster Zero are almost identical, the Japanese version is arguably superior (with a couple of possible exceptions). In the U.S. version Akira Ifukube's opening theme--a rousing military march based on the depth charge attack motif from the original Godzilla--has been replaced by the far more ominous-sounding track, titled "The Electromagnetic Capsule," from later in the film, to much better effect. And during Godzilla's aforementioned "shie" jig, the roars and booming sound effects in the American version offer at least some slight improvement to the otherwise ridiculous and utterly useless scene. However, a handful of special effects scenes--good ones--were excised from the American cut, and, more significantly, a number of lines in "X-ian" language, improvised by Yoshio Tsuchiya as the Controller of Planet X, were also cut.

Both the U.S. and Japanese prints on the Classic Media DVD are of very good quality, far better than the one used on the Simitar release of Godzilla vs. Monster Zero from 1998. As for extra features, the most noteworthy is kaiju authority Stuart Galbraith's informative commentary on the U.S. version. Additionally, the bio documentary of Tomoyuki Tanaka, narrated by Mr. Ed Godziszewski, is highly enjoyable. For Godzilla fans, this release of Monster Zero is a necessity, and I imagine that even more casual monster movie viewers will really have a good time with this one.

This is a sillier Godzilla then in the previous movies of this series. However, it is still entertaining. Classic Media does a wonderful job with the commentary on the American version and by having the Japanese version as well.

Classic Media has done a wonderful service to Godzilla fans by releasing a number of the original Godzilla films on DVD the way they should be....with both the original Japanese versions with subtitles and also with the Original American releases with the dub tracks intact, allowing viewers to see the films the way they like, and with their widescreen format intact!.

Monster Zero is the 6th of the Godzilla series...and one of the most colorful and enjoyable. It finds the Godzilla series and TOHO at its near peak of creative powers...providing a wild, colorful comic book style Godzilla science fiction epic. The plot is familiar to Godzilla fans, so no need to recap it here. The film has a lot going for it...from its wild pop sci fi look, to plentiful monster battles...hissable aliens in full DEVO dress, great cinematography and music, and some fine effects. That is not to say there are not some problems. Rodan is as goofy looking as ever, and would have to wait for 1993s GODZIILLA vs MECHA GODZILLA to regain some dignity. Godzilla's dance o' joy on planet X is groan inducing (Director Honda hated the change of Godzilla into a campy anthropomorphic character, but was over ruled by Tsuburaya and producer Tanaka...too bad) and the film has way too much clumsy and obvious stock footage inserted. Some from RODAN and MOTHRA) and the plot is ludicrous...but the film is such fun that it overcomes these issues to be one of the best of Godzilla's 1960s adventures.

The film also includes a commentary track, as do all the classic media releases. This one is done by Stuart Galbraith author of the excellent and recommended books " Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films" and" The Emperor and the Wolf, The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune." The commentary is fact filled....but also deadly dull. Names and dates are provided...but the commentary seems too mannered...too paced...and without a trace of the joy and fun of the film that it accompanied. One can almost hear the pages being turned as Galbraith speaks....not really conducive to a pleasurable listening experience. One longs for a commentary like the ones Tom Weaver has provided on films like THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and THE WOLFMAN. Those commentaries and both informative and very entertaining. If only more were of that quality. Of the classic media releases...all suffer the same problem, with comments that seem like a laundry list of names and dates. Only the commentary on the GHIDRAH DVD escapes this problem...being almost too enthusiastic...but it is still far more interesting and entertaining. It is however still better than the commentary on the MOTHRA vs GODZIILLA DVD. That one seemed too fawning over the film and its creators.

The print and sound quality on the film is quite good, and the DVD belongs in Any Godzilla Fans collection...high marks for the movies release and middling marks on the extras

Out of print for almost a decade in the United States, Classic Media has finally released another of Godzilla's more highly regarded productions to DVD with their best release yet. Sporting a great video presentation, a solid audio offering, and a familiar variety of extras, there is a lot to praise about this particular disc that leaves high hopes for future offerings from the company.Quite simply the best video quality from Classic Media to date, this disc offers a great presentation of the movie. From the minute the Toho logo appeared on the screen, with a wonderful array of colors and with a good level of detail, I knew I was in for a treat. This impression stuck through most of the feature as well, as the source was devoid of scratches, featured little grain and boasted a very distinct level of colors. To be fair, there are moments in the movie where the color is a little off, typically tinted slightly brown or yellow which was a common trait on Toho's earlier region 2 releases, but it's fairly minor problem when all is said and done.In terms of the US release, there are some mixed things to note. First off, like the firm's Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster DVD, the US version here has primarily been reconstructed from the restored Japanese print already available on this release. Classic Media has done the right thing, though, in including sequences which differ from that print from the original US version, such as: the opening titles, the riot sequences with overlapping English headlines and "The End". Unfortunately, the US print used appears to be in fairly awful condition, as it's discolored, has a lot of print damage and the frame is also sometimes unstable. Still, it's preferable that it try to keep with the presentation of the original cut as much as possible, and in that regard they succeeded, even editing the movie to directly match the removed scenes from the US version.As for the quality, it's, expectantly on par with the Japanese version already present, sans the few scenes taken from a US version source. The main difference is the level of compression apparent in the two, as the US one looks very soft in contrast.It's not a deal breaker, although just the same it's still clear that of the two the Japanese one found in this set is clearly superior.Invasion of Astro-Monster is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 across the two versions, and is Anamorphic for widescreen TVs.The disc boasts two different audio tracks, both tied to their respective versions. The first is the Japanese track, which is also available in its original mono format. The quality is more or less superb, given the limitations of the format, as the dialogue is clear while there are no overt inconsistencies. The track can also be accompanied with, removable, English subtitles. Unfortunately, the subtitles are a little "iffy" in places, and could certainly have done with another proof reading before release, as it features things like: "Plane X" and "Deploy Monster Zero and mount strongest attack". Thankfully, the errors are generally of the typo variety, so they shouldn't interfere with the enjoyment of the movie too much.As for the English dub track, it also gets fairly high marks, again taking into consideration the limitations of a mono track. Overall, dialogue is clear while nothing stands out as being particularly off in the track, which is a solid improvement over the dubbed track available on the company's Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster release.
This disc continues with the variety of supplemental content found on previous releases from Classic Media. This includes a short video feature biography, this time of producer and one time Toho president Tomoyuki Tanaka. Like before, this feature is voiced by Ed Godziszewski, who covers a lot of detail on the life and career of Tanaka leading up to his death in 1997. Also, like with previous biographies in this line, the feature is complimented with a number of production stills, poster and other images.Next up are a pair of galleries, the first of which focuses on posters, both from initial and re-releases, and the other on various production stills and promotional images. Both of these features also come with a brief amount of text to explain the current picture, which is navigated with the remote.The disc also has the movie's trailer in its 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Unfortunately, the quality of the trailer is pretty lacking. Apparently, they decided to go with a trailer for the movie's re-release, as the advert sports the "King Ghidorah vs. Godzilla" subtitle that was added later. In terms of what's off with the trailer, well a multitude of things, including a noticeable brown tint, a ton of print damage and a very apparent blue line to the left of the image. For whatever reason, the trailer is also not anamorphic.Anyway, the last supplement on this DVD is an audio commentary track, again attached to the US version of the movie. This time, the commentary is done by author Stuart Galbraith, who provides a great deal of insight into the production with a good paced delivery through out. My only problem with the audio track was a fairly awkward minute plus break, which starts around the 23 minute mark and takes awhile to pick back up again. At first I thought it might have been a mistake, but it seems to be intentional.
Bottom line, this release is the best from the company to date for the Godzilla films. Something that can be attributed largely to the superior video quality compared to other offerings from the firm, and one that easily blows the Simitar Godzilla Versus Monster Zero release out of the water. Hopefully, the four remaining Toho titles from Classic Media maintain this level of quality.

King Ghidorah, who made his debut in the previous film of the Showa series, Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster, returns here to plague an alien civilization, and only Godzilla & Rodan can stop him. But things are not as they seem on Planet X, and the fate of the whole world soon hangs in the balance. This is a wonderfully rollicking Godzilla adventure, filled with elaborate miniatures, impressive pyrotechnics and some truly epic monster battles. The cast joins in on the fun, not taking any of this seriously but not mocking the material either. Nick Adams, Kumi Mizuno & Akira Takarada all turn in good performances. However, the real stars here are the monsters. Godzilla looks good, though not as fearsome as he did in King Kong vs. Godzilla and Mothra vs. Godzilla. Rodan's appearance works as the monster sidekick he has become, but it pales in comparison to how he looked in his original film. King Ghidorah, three headed golden dragon from the stars, is quite simply a wonder to behold. Considering the logistics involved in bringing the enormous kaiju to life, it's amazing the spfx team was able to succeed in making him seem so alive. Some deride Japanese spfx as "inferior." As far as I am concerned, that's an insult to the talented craftsmen who helped make these films. Once again Akira Ifukube delivers a magnificent score. Highly recommended!!