Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

I can only take these Japanese monster films in small doses, which is to say about every six months to a year so as not to get permanently loopy. The same thing with Seventies martial arts flicks. But I stick with them for the amusement factor because that's basically what I see as their mission. I see that most of the reviews for this movie are hugely positive, and that's fine, but even so, I don't get the rationale for rating pictures like this a '10' because even if you're a fan, you have to have seen "Star Wars" or "Alien" by way of comparison. I merely shake my head.At least the bonus for this viewer was the inclusion of Nick Adams in the cast. He proved he really was a rebel to take on this assignment, appearing in the cast credits as Nikku Adamusu. But the odd thing was that his name in the story was Glenn, without noting whether that was the character's first or last name. His astronaut partner on the space mission went by the last name of Fuji (Akira Takarada), which led me to question why everyone simply called him Glenn, no matter the context. The cast credit here on IMDb states Adam's character as Glenn Amer, but one wouldn't know that from watching the picture. Maybe Amer was short for American.Say, I had to laugh when Spaceship P-1 landed on Planet X, and the hatch door used to leave the ship actually had dents in it. Still, that was a whole lot better than the spaceship used in the 1959 flick "Teenagers From Outer Space". In that one, you can see the futuristic technology of space age hammer and nails at work. So you can actually measure the progress of sci-fi special effects used in this film compared to the one that came out six years earlier.The best and funniest moment in this picture occurred when Godzilla and Rodan defeated King Ghidorah on Planet X. Right after, Godzilla went into this goofy looking dance number that had me baffled. That simply reminded me that these Toho films were primarily put together for a pre-teen audience, so with that in mind, it seemed rather logical. What's not logical is why I still watch this stuff. But rest assured I'll be back in another six months or so. Or wait, maybe sooner, because I just happened to come across a copy of "Mothra vs. Godzilla".

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.Often, Godzilla films are naturally cheesy, but I think this one really steps up the cheese. I was especially put off by the over-use of the Godzilla sound effect (he apparently cannot even change his tone, pitch or volume). Rodan made for a nice addition, and Ghidorah is a great villain.American star Nick Adams (whom Leonard Maltin calls the "poor man's James Dean") may be best known among horror fans as the star of "Die Monster Die" alongside Boris Karloff or from "Frankenstein Conquers the World", both of which came out the same year as this film. Sadly, he died at age 36 from an overdose of enough paraldehyde, sedatives and other drugs in the body "to cause instant unconsciousness."The film was co-produced between the Japanese company Toho, and Henry G. Saperstein's American company UPA, marking the only time a Godzilla film was co-produced with an American studio. The film was edited into Japanese and American versions, but perhaps because of this cooperation, the changes are very minor and the American version is only three minutes shorter.Despite my relatively low ranking of the film, I actually really enjoyed it... I just think it seemed cheesy and the twist was far too predictable. The big question for me, though, is why IMDb (or anyone) would use the name "Invasion of Astro-Monster"... terrible, terrible name. "Godzilla vs. Monster Zero" sounds so much better.

My friend Stuart Galbraith IV (Steve Ryfle who interviewed me for Shock Cinema Magazine United States "Black Actress On The Make!" Fall 2000) sent me a copy of the 1965 Japanese film "Invasion of Astro-Monster (Monster Zero)" which he did the audio commentary for the 2008 re-release which stars Nick Adams (The Rebel 1959-1961 Television Series with Johnny Cash singing the title song "The Ballad of Johnny Yuma") Akira Kubo, Kumi Mizuno, and Harvo Nakajima is a must see for true Godzilla fans. The opening scenes of the "Invasion of Astro-Monster," put me in mind of the NASA Program that was started in the 1960's, watching Nick Adams and Akira Kubo wearing orange space suits in a space shuttle on their way to a planet on the other side of the largest planet in the solar system Jupiter. Although, the "Invasion of Astro-Monster" is a fun film to look at, it did make me review my feelings about the United States NASA Space Program. Rhodie Franklin, an extended family grandmother, never believe that man walked on the moon, "For Carolyn those men ain't walked on no moon." So the NASA Space Program and the "Invasion of Astro-Monster" are just great film projects and very entertaining to watch.

The title for this movie, Godzilla Versus Monster Zero, is a little misleading. It was actually titled something else in the US for a short while when originally released- Invasion of the Astros- though Monster Zero eventually stuck. Because for the bits of Godzilla action that are in the film, and there are a few to appease the fans, it's really more of an invaders-from-another-planet movie, with the aliens from Planet X being a bunch of guys in thin sunglasses and silver suits looking to take over the Earth. And as a typical B (or less than B) science fiction knock-off of ten different other ones all leading back to the Day the Earth Stood Still, it actually isn't that bad, or as bas as one might expect. Astronauts head to Planet X to see if there is hospitable life, only to find a group of aliens who are being bothered incessantly by King Ghidra. A proposal is hatched: bring the aliens to Earth to get Godzilla and Rodan to fight Ghidra on Planet X home turf, then the human race gets, get this, a cure for all known diseases! Sounds like a trap? It is, of course, and the aliens follow the astronauts back to their planet to conquer them, using Godzilla, Rodan and Ghidra under command to destroy the world. Through this, there's some story-padding that the filmmakers put in involving a romantic tryst between the American (yes, American) astronaut, played by Nick Adams, and with the Japanese astronaut's younger brother, an unsuccessful inventor, who late in the film finally gets his due. And then, meanwhile, the planet is under threat, the people protest (in newspaper montage- not newsreel, news*paper*), and the military strikes back, only to find that only one thing can stop the Planet X-ians: a specific sound. In the realm of meaningless, hokey monster-movie fare, Godzilla Versus Monster Zero is fun enough, though lacks a lot of the meaty monster battles one is expecting. Aside from a brief mid-point where we see the three monsters go at it on Planet X (with Godzilla providing a classically hilarious victory dance that looks like he's doing a jig), all the monster action is confined to the last ten minutes.At this point, finally, Ishiro Honda and FX man Tsuburyara finally unleash their special effects fury (toy tanks included), and there's some cheesy enjoyment in that. But in general, this flick suffers from a bit too much talk, a little too much time spent on the people from Planet X, who's cool look fades after thirty seconds, and the usual paper-thin characters. It might make some mild enjoyment to watch, if you're young, but those looking for a lot of action may be disappointed. A decent entry that suffers from taking a little for granted what it means to have GODZILLA appearing first on the title card.