December 6th: Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)

And the King returns for Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965). That is Ghidorah, not Kong, if you were wondering. And strap yourselves in, because this is the first time that aliens have fully been involved in one of these films, and will absolutely not be the last. The film opens with two astronauts, Glen (Nick Adams) and Fuji (Akira Takarada), who are tasked with exploring Planet X. After landing they meet the inhabitants of the planet who take them in to protect them from an attack from King Ghidorah. They ask the two if they would be able to help them, by allowing them to take Godzilla and Rodan back to their planet to fight Ghidorah, in return for the cure for cancer. The two go back to accept the offer but is it too good to be true.

A much more succinct synopsis for a much more narratively driven film. And I think that will be an issue for a lot of people, because it does mean that the kaiju action is very limited. However, when that action does come it is a lot of fun. Yes, the miniatures in this film are not believable at all, but you keep blowing them up and destroying them in the way this film does I don’t really mind. And the narrative that goes alongside it, while very campy and silly, is at least coherent and makes sense for the film. Nothing feels particularly tacked on and every plot point furthers the narrative going forward, which is a lot more than can be said for the film prior to this one. I even put the character names and actors in my synopsis as they are genuinely important to the story, and we spend the majority of our time with them. The film even has little side plots that then weave into the main narrative by the end. Okay it is not spectacular storytelling, and it would have been nice to have some more kaiju action, but it is a story that you can follow and buy in to. Speaking of kaiju action, Godzilla is back kicking rocks at Ghidorah so we love that.

I feel like I am just repeating myself at this point when it comes to the technical aspects of the film, because each film post Godzilla Raids Again (1955) has the same look and feel. That is no surprise as Ishiro Honda took the reigns for all of them so having that continuity in director makes sense for that continuity in how the films looks and feel. This may change going forward as after this film Honda took a step back for a couple of films so we may see a change up in style. But for now all I can say is the films are very solidly made for what they are, again nothing spectacular. I have already mentioned that the miniatures are obvious in this film, and the costuming and set design for the aliens is very campy, but it all works for the tone of the film, and I don’t have any issue with it really. There is a little else to say, it’s just solid.

If you were to look at the Rotten Tomatoes score this film it has it at 50% and fairly low in terms of rankings for this series, which I feel is harsh. Maybe it is the lack of Godzilla in it or the fact that it is very campy, but I don’t mind that at all. I think it is fun and I enjoy more than at least three of the films that came before it. I do recommend this one, but just be aware that you shouldn’t take it too seriously. Especially when Godzilla does his silly little dance (yes, really).