Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
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Ruler of the universe Planet X, Godzilla, Rodan, King Ghidorah's great fierce fight! (宇宙の帝王X星をゆるがすゴジラ・ラドン・キングギドラの大激闘!)
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Invasion of Astro-Monster (怪獣大戦争 is a Kaijū Daisensō, lit. Great Monster War)1965 tokusatsu kaiju film co-produced by Toho and UPA, and the sixth installment in the Godzilla series as well as the Showa series. The film was released to Japanese theaters on December 19, 1965.[2]
Plot
In the year 196X, astronauts Glenn and Fuji embark on a mission to Planet X, a world recently discovered behind Jupiter. There, they encounter an alien race called the Xiliens, who ask to borrow the two Earth monsters Godzilla and Rodan to combat their own terror, King Ghidorah, who they call Monster Zero. In return, they promise the men a "miracle drug" which can cure all illness. The nations of the world agree to the trade, seeing no downside to getting rid of the two monsters. Xilien saucers transport Godzilla and Rodan to Planet X, where they drive off Ghidorah after a brief battle. The tape supposed to contain the formula for the miracle drug, however, turns out to be a demand from the Xiliens to surrender Earth. Their magnetic wave technology had placed King Ghidorah under their control before Glenn and Fuji even arrived on Planet X, and now Godzilla and Rodan are theirs to command as well.
As the invasion begins, Miss Namikawa, an undercover Xilien agent who has fallen in love with Glenn, reveals to him that a specific frequency is capable of inflicting catastrophic damage to the aliens. After they kill her, the Xiliens throw Glenn into the same cell as the inventor Tetsuo Teri, who accidentally discovered that frequency while working on a novelty item he calls the Ladyguard Alarm. Using the Alarm, they escape from the base and bring the device to the JSDF. The three monsters' rampages are halted when vehicles called the A-Cycle Light Rays use enormous speakers and magnetic wave projectors to break the Xiliens' control over them. Driven to madness by the frequency, the Xilien invasion force self-destructs its own base and saucers. Godzilla and Rodan engage King Ghidorah again, and all three tumble into the ocean. Only the space monster emerges, but Glenn is certain that Godzilla and Rodan survived. To their dismay, Doctor Sakurai informs Glenn and Fuji that they will be Earth's first ambassadors to Planet X.
Staff
- Main article: Invasion of Astro-Monster/Credits.
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Directed by Ishiro Honda
- Written by Shinichi Sekizawa
- Produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka, Henry G. Saperstein, Reuben Bercovitch
- Music by Akira Ifukube
- Cinematography by Hajime Koizumi
- Edited by Ryohei Fujii
- Production design by Takeo Kita, Akira Watanabe
- Assistant directing by Koji Kajita
- Special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya
- Assistant Director of Special Effects Teruyoshi Nakano
Cast
- Main article: Invasion of Astro-Monster/Credits.
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Nick Adams as Astronaut Glenn (Japanese voice actor: Goro Naya)
- Akira Takarada as Astronaut Kazuo Fuji
- Kumi Mizuno as Miss Namikawa
- Jun Tazaki as Doctor Sakurai
- Akira Kubo as Inventor Tetsuo Teri
- Keiko Sawai as Haruno Fuji
- Yoshio Tsuchiya as Controller of Planet X
- Takamaru Sasaki as Chairman of Earth Committee
- Gen Shimizu as Minister of Defense
- Yoshifumi Tajima as General
- Nadao Kirino as Military Aide
- Kenzo Tabu as Earth Unit Commander from Planet X
- Koji Uno as Namikawa's Associate
- Somesho Matsumoto as Buddhist Priest
- Toru Ibuki as Earth Unit Xilien
- Kazuo Suzuki as Earth Unit Xilien
- Yoshizo Tatake as Xilien
- Mitzuo Tsuda as Xilien
- Takuzo Kumagaya as Xilien
- Masaaki Tachibana as Xilien
- Rioji Shimizu as Xilien
- Minoru Ito as Xilien
- Hideki Furukawa as Xilien
- Haruo Nakajima as Godzilla
- Masaki Shinohara as Rodan
- Shoichi Hirose as King Ghidorah
Appearances
Monsters |
Weapons, Vehicles, and Races
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Gallery
- Main article: Invasion of Astro-Monster/Gallery.
Soundtrack
- Main article: Invasion of Astro-Monster (Soundtrack).
Alternate Titles
- Great Monster War (Literal Japanese Title)
- Great Monster War: King Ghidorah vs. Godzilla (怪獣大戦争 キングギドラ対ゴジラTemplate:Whijcs, Kaijū Daisensō: Kingu Gidora tai Gojira; Japan Re-Release Title)
- Monster Zero (United States)
- Invasion of the Astros (United States)
- Godzilla vs. Monster Zero (Initial United States Home Video Title)
- Godzilla vs. the Three-Headed Dragon (Thailand)
- Invasion Planet "X" (Invasion Planet 'X'; France; French Belgium; Invasion Planeet X; Dutch Belgium)
- The Monsters Invade the Earth (Los monstruos invaden la tierra; Spain)
- Monsters of the Galaxies (Monstruos de las galaxias; Mexico)
- Command from the Dark (Befel aus dem Dunkel; Germany)
- The Invasion of the Astro Monsters (La invasion de los Astro-Monstruos; Mexico; L'invasione degli Astro Mostri; Italy)
- Year 2000: The Invasion of the Astro Monsters (Anno 2000: L'invasione degli Astro Mostri; Italy)
- The Space Monsters Are Attacking (Avaruushirviöt hyökkäävät; Finland)
- Monster Invasion (Inwazja potworow; Poland)
- Monsters Coming from Space (Uzaydan canavar geliyor; Turkey)
- Attack from the Unknown (Utok z neznama; Czechoslovakia)
- Invasion from Space (Invazija iz svemira; Yugoslavia)
- War of the Monsters (A Guerra dos Monstros; Brazil)
- The Invasion of Astro-Monsters (A Invasão dos Astro-Monstros; Alternative Brazilian Title)
Theatrical Releases
View all posters for the film here.
- Japan - December 19, 1965[2] [view poster]; March 17, 1971 (Re-Release) [view poster]
- United States - 1970 [view poster]
- Spain - 1965
- Italy - 1965 [view poster]
- France - 1967 [view poster]
- Germany - 1967 [view poster]
- Poland - 1970 [view poster]
- Finland - 1973
- Belgium [view poster]
- Turkey [view poster]
- Colombia [view poster]
- Mexico [view poster]
- Brazil [view poster]Brazilian poster
- Thailand [view poster]
- Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic) [view poster]
- Yugoslavia [view poster]
U.S. Release
Invasion of Astro-Monster was released in North America by UPA and distributed by Maron Films in 1970 under the title Monster Zero. English dubbing was provided by Glen Glenn Sound. Ironically, since Nick Adams delivered his lines in English on the set, Glenn was the only character whose voice was not dubbed over. Monster Zero played on a double bill with The War of the Gargantuas. There were several alterations made:
- Dialogue was dubbed to English.
- The title song was changed, and some of Akira Ifukube's score was re-arranged.
- Several sound effects were added.
- Deleted: several shots of Godzilla's foot stepping on houses and huts.
- Deleted: some short shots of the Xilien UFOs.
- Deleted: Rodan blowing away tanks from the top of a hill.
- Deleted: a scene of the Controller of Planet X speaking in the language of Planet X.
The American version runs 93 minutes, three minutes shorter than the Japanese version. In his book Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: An Unauthorized History of 'The Big G', Steve Ryfle says "The Americanization...is respectful to the original Japanese version."
Box Office
When Invasion of Astro-Monster was first released on December 19, 1965, it received an attendance of 3,780,000. On its March 17, 1971 re-issue, it sold 1,350,000 tickets, adding up to a rough total of 5,130,000 attendees.
When the film was released in the U.S. in 1970, double-billed with The The The War of the Gargantuas, it gained $3,000,000.
Reception
Invasion of Astro-Monster is very popular among fans, often dubbed a classic due to its extraordinary sci-fi story, special effects, plot, and cast.
DVD and Blu-ray Releases
Simitar DVD (1998)[3]
- Region: N/A
- Discs: 1
- Audio: English (2.0 Mono and 5.1 Surround)
- Subtitles: None
- Special Features: Optional 1.33:1 presentation (cropped), Simitar-produced trailers for the company's kaiju releases, art gallery, trivia game
- Notes: Out of print.
Toho DVD (2003)
- Region: 2
- Discs: 1
- Audio: Japanese (2.0 and 5.1)
- Subtitles: Japanese
- Special Features: Audio commentary by Yoshio Tsuchiya, theatrical trailer, interactive storybook, 8mm version of the film (5 minutes)
Madman DVD (2005)
- Region: 4
- Discs: 1
- Audio: Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Dual Mono and 5.1)
- Subtitles: English
- Special Features: Poster gallery, Japanese trailer, Madman-made trailers
Classic Media DVD (2007)[4]
- Region: 1
- Discs: 1
- Audio: Japanese (2.0 Mono), English (2.0 Mono)
- Subtitles: English
- Special Features: Audio commentary for Monster Zero by Stuart Galbraith IV, Tomoyuki Tanaka featurette (8 minutes), poster slideshow
- Notes: Read the details of the U.S. version's reconstruction here.
Videos
Trailers
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Miscellaneous
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Trivia
- This film marks the very first appearance of an alien race in a Godzilla film.
- Invasion of Astro-Monster is the first Godzilla film to use extensive stock footage during action scenes, recycling shots from Rodan, The Mysterians, and Mothra during the Xilien-directed rampages of Godzilla, Rodan, and King Ghidorah.
- An updated version of the "Frigate March" from the soundtrack for the original Godzilla film is heard multiple times in this film, including during the opening credits and the scene where the Xiliens' mind control is broken.
- Godzilla's victory dance from this film appears as an unlockable attack in Bandai Namco's Godzilla that can be used by Godzilla, Godzilla 1964, and Burning Godzilla.
- The kiss between Miss Namikawa and Glenn in this film is the first and only onscreen kiss in a Toho Godzilla film.
- Invasion of Astro-Monster was the first Godzilla film Toho co-produced with an American studio.
External Links
References
This is a list of references for Invasion of Astro-Monster. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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