Kaijû daisenso (1965)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Ishirô Honda

Writer:

Shinichi Sekizawa (writer)

Release Date:

29 July 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Romance | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Aliens from Planet X request the use of Godzilla and Rodan to fight off King Ghidorah, but have a better use for the three monsters.

Plot Keywords:

Godzilla | Alien | Rodan | Astronaut | Pterodactyl

Cast

Nick Adams	...	Astronaut Glenn Amer
Akira Takarada	...	Astronaut K. Fuji
Jun Tazaki	...	Dr. Sakurai
Akira Kubo	...	Tetsuo Teri
Kumi Mizuno	...	Miss Namikawa
Keiko Sawai	...	Haruno Fuji
Yoshio Tsuchiya	...	Controller of Planet X
Takamaru Sasaki	...	Chairman of Earth Committee
Gen Shimizu	...	Minister of Defense
Kenzo Tabu	...	Commander from Planet X
Yoshifumi Tajima	...	General
Nadao Kirino	...	Military Aide
Koji Uno	...	Namikawa's Associate
Tôru Ibuki	...	Xian
Kazuo Suzuki	...	Xian

Also Known As:

Battle of the Astros
Godzilla vs. Monster Zero (USA) (video title)
Invasion of Astro-Monster
Invasion of Planet X
Invasion of the Astro-Monsters
Invasion of the Astros (USA) (armed forces circuit title)
Kaijû daisenso Kingughidorah tai Gojira (Japan) (reissue title)
Monster Zero (USA)
The Great Monster War
War of the Monsters (literal English title)

Runtime:

Germany:81 min | Japan:74 min (re-issue) | USA:93 min | Japan:96 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Lake Myojin, Kochi, Japan

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

For some close-ups of Godzilla's foot stomping on houses, a 1/10 scale model on a metal rod was used. Although there are several shots of this in the final cut, the prop was a bit of a head-ache for the effects crew. On the Japanese DVD of this film, there is blooper footage of the foot coming loose and bouncing away several times.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In several scenes the strings holding Rodan, Ghidorah and the flying saucers are clearly seen.

Quotes:

Glenn: Get a load of that.
Astronaut K. Fuji: Godzilla!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in So war das S.O.36 (1985)

Godzilla Vs. Ghidorah Again!

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.