So much average

Sick Product of a Sick System

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Back in the day when the Syfy Channel would host the annual Godzilla movie marathon, AMC TV decided to do the same and host the Classic Media Collection of Godzilla films. I was lucky enough to catch Godzilla vs Monster Zero on TV one night. By that time it was one of the few films I was scouting out for my collection. The idea of Godzilla smashing around some place that isn't Earth had fascinated me in the back of my head, and I was shocked that they pulled this card so early in the series, but now I understand it was to compete with Star Trek and War of the Worlds. As a usual science fiction film would go, aliens request to "borrow" Godzilla and Rodan to fight the vengeful King Ghidorah and rubber suit madness ensues. Such a clunky idea but a great watch. Nick Adams helps with the films pacing and Western audience experience, but is dubbed over for the Japanese release. However, that doesn't decrease from his amazing performance. Godzilla vs Monster Zero is a classic cult among most Toho goodie grabbers but tends to be overlooked by other entries such as Godzilla vs Megalon and Godzilla 2000. However, it definitely needs to be seen to be believed.

Sequel to "Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster" sees mysterious aliens contacting UN astronauts to ask for their help in ridding their world of "Monster Zero"/King Ghidorah, by letting them bring Godzilla & Rodan to their world(Why not Mothra?) Earth complies, but then learns that it was all a ruse to leave the planet undefended, and ripe for conquest. How can the Earth survive this mess? Nick Adams guest stars as an American astronaut leading the fight. Far-fetched but entertaining romp has a colorful plot and lots of action to hold viewer interest. Godzilla & Rodan are portrayed sympathetically here, especially in a poignant scene of them being left behind on the alien planet(not to worry, that doesn't last long!)

Now here's a good entry to the franchise starring everyone's favorite fire-breathing dinosaur. Godzilla, having terrorized humanity in the past and battled his first few enemies, had just earned his title of being a hero having helped save the earth from his nemesis King Ghidorah (with some help from Mothra and Rodan). This left him open to being marketed more towards kids and it was time to keep the King of the Monsters on a role to being Japan's defender.Plot: A new planet has been discovered near Jupiter and soon humanity encounters its inhabitants, the Xilians. The Xilians promise to give to humanity a secret formula to cure diseases provided that they let the aliens borrow Godzilla and Rodan to rid their planet of the menacing King Ghidorah. However, not all is as it seems. They tricked the earthlings and using magnetic waves send the three monsters on a rampage to help conquer the planet. Can our scientific heroes find a way to free the monsters and stop the alien menace? Can Godzilla and Rodan's combined strength rid the Earth of King Ghidorah? The fate of the world hangs by a thread.There's a lot to like about this flick. This is the first time an alien race has been featured in a Godzilla movie and for the most part the Xiliens are pretty interesting. You don't know whether to trust them or not. All the monster/action scenes are great to watch with plenty of destruction, despite being unfortunately kept to a minimum screen time. Godzilla, along with the other monsters, is given a more lively personality, which allows him to express emotions more effectively. Surprisingly, the human characters are pretty likable, with Nick Adams delivering an amusing performance, and they are all more involved with the story. there's a good deal of realism to the science of this flick and the movie itself has a fun and somewhat mysterious atmosphere.Overall, this is a nice edition to the Godzilla series. It has all that you would like in a sci-fi creature feature plus a little more. Definitely worth a watch, especially if you're a Godzilla fan. All hail the King of the Monsters!

Invasion of the Astro Monster (a.k.a Monster Zero, a.k.a Godzilla vs. Monster Zero) is one of the most colorful and delightfully campy entries in the long-running Godzilla series. Aliens from planet X (located just behind Jupiter) borrow Godzilla and Rodan to combat Ghidorah, the three-headed dragon. Mothra is nowhere to be seen this time around. Unfortunately, Toho did not have the budget to throw Mothra into the mix.This film marks the end of an era in the Showa series. Despite having to use a little stock footage from Rodan (1956) and Mothra (1961), it still appears to be the last entry in the Showa era to have a fairly decent budget. Sure, Destroy All Monsters features an all-star cast of monsters, but the miniature effects are arguably inferior. The economic strains of the time soon became apparent in the next 2 installments - Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster and Son of Godzilla - where the action is regulated to a tropical island. This flick is a sci fi blast from the past and one of my favorites.