Godzilla vs. Monster Zero

Godzilla vs. Monster Zero
Credits
Title:	Godzilla vs. Monster Zero
Genres:	Sci-fi
Directed by:	Ishirô Honda
Written by:	Shin'ichi Sekizawa
Produced by:	Reuben Bercovitch; Henry G. Saperstein; Tomoyuki Tanaka
Music by:	Akira Ifukube
Cinematography:	Hajime Koizumi
Edited by:	Ryôhei Fujii
Production
Distributed by:	Toho Company, Ltd. United Productions of America
Released:	December 19th, 1965
Rating:	G
Running time:	93 min.
Country:	Japan
Language:	Japanese
Gross:	$15,400,000 (Japan)
Navigation
Previous:	Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
Next:	Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966)

Godzilla vs. Monster Zero is a Japanese family film of the science fiction genre. It is classified as a Tokusatsu of the daikaiju ("giant monster") subgenre. It is the sixth installment in the Godzilla film series and was directed by Ishirô Honda with a script written by Shin'ichi Sekizawa. The movie was co-produced by Toho Co., Ltd. and the American company United Productions of America. It was released theatrically in Japan on December 19th, 1965.

Plot

In the year 196X, two astronauts, Fuji and Glenn, are sent to investigate the surface of the mysterious "Planet X". There they encounter advanced and seemingly benevolent human-like beings called the Xiliens and their leader the Controller. The aliens usher the astronauts into their underground base, and moments later the surface is attacked by a creature that the Xiliens call "Monster Zero", but which the astronauts recognize as King Ghidorah, a planet-destroying monster that had attacked Earth once before. The monster eventually leaves, but the Controller states that King Ghidorah has been attacking repeatedly, forcing them to live underground in constant fear. He requests to borrow the Earth monsters Godzilla and Rodan to act as protectors to fight it once more (since 1964), in return for the cure for cancer (the English dub says that the formula can cure any disease). The astronauts return to Earth and deliver the message.

Meanwhile, an inventor named Tetsuo has designed a personal alarm that emits an ear-splitting electric siren. He sells it to a businesswoman named Namikawa, but she disappears before paying him. Tetsuo is romantically involved with Fuji's sister, Haruno, but Fuji disapproves, finding him unworthy of Haruno. Tetsuo sees Namikawa with Glenn and later follows her, but he is captured and imprisoned by Xilien spies.

Glenn and Fuji begin to worry that the Xiliens may have ulterior motives. Their suspicions appear confirmed when three Xilien spacecraft appear in Japan. The Controller apologizes for coming to Earth without permission. The Xiliens locate Godzilla and Rodan, both sleeping, and use their technology to transport them to Planet X. They also bring Glenn, Fuji, and the scientist Sakurai with them. After a brief confrontation, the Earth monsters succeed in driving King Ghidorah away. Glenn and Fuji sneak away during the battle and encounter two Xilien women, both of whom look identical to Namikawa. Xilien guards confront the astronauts and bring them back to the Controller, who reprimands but does not punish them. The astronauts are given a tape with instructions for the miracle cure and sent home, leaving Godzilla and Rodan behind. The tape is played for the world's leaders, but instead, it contains an ultimatum demanding that they surrender Earth to the Xiliens or be destroyed by Godzilla, Rodan, and King Ghidorah, who are all under the aliens' mental control.

Glenn storms into Namikawa's office and finds her in Xilien garb. She admits that she is one of their spies, but confesses that she has fallen in love with him. Her commander arrives to arrest Glenn and executes Namikawa for letting emotion cloud her judgment, but not before she slips a note into Glenn's pocket. Glenn is taken to the same cell as Tetsuo. They read Namikawa's note, which explains that the sound from Tetsuo's invention disrupts the Xiliens' electronics. Tetsuo has a prototype with him, which he activates, weakening their captors and allowing them to escape.

Sakurai and Fuji build a device to disrupt the Xilien's control over the monsters. Glenn and Tetsuo arrive to share the Xilien's weakness. As the monsters attack, Sakurai's device is activated and the sound from Tetsuo's alarm is broadcast over the radio. The invasion is thwarted and the Xiliens, unable to fight back or retreat, destroy themselves en masse. The monsters awaken from their trances and a fight ensues. All three topple off a cliff into the ocean; King Ghidorah surfaces and flies back into outer space, while those watching speculate that Godzilla and Rodan are probably still alive. Fuji acknowledges Tetsuo's important role in the victory and no longer thinks poorly of him. Sakurai states that he wants to send Glenn and Fuji back to Planet X to study the planet thoroughly (the English dub says that they are to be ambassadors). The astronauts are reluctant, but make the best of the moment, happy that Earth is safe.

Cast

Actor	Role
Nick Adams	Astronaut Glenn Amer
Akira Takarada	Astronaut K. Fuji
Jun Tazaki	Doctor Sakuri
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
Kenzô Tabu	Commander from Planet X
Yoshifumi Tajima	General
Nadao Kirino	Military aide
Koji Uno	Namikawa's associate
Toru Ibuki	Xian
Kazuo Suzuki	Xian
Fuyuki Murakami	Councilman
Noriko Sengoku	Female delegate
Senshô Matsumoto	Buddhist priest
Kamayuki Tsubono	Councilman
Toki Shiozawa	Tetsuo's mother
Yasuhisa Tsutsumi	Official
Rinsaku Ogata	Scientist
Masaaki Tachibana	Scientist
Yutaka Oka	Reporter
Saburo Iketani	News reader
Yoshizo Tatake	Xian
Mitsuo Tsuda	Xian
Hideki Furukawa	Xian
Ryoji Shimizu	Xian
Minoru Itô	Xian
Takuzô Kumagai	Xian
Tadashi Okabe	Reporter
Haruo Nakajima	Godzilla
Masaki Shinohara	Rodan
Shôichi Hirose	King Ghidrah
Marvin Miller	K. Fuji (voice)
Gorô Naya	Councilman (voice)

Notes

• Copyright holder: © 1965, Toho Co., Ltd..

• Godzilla vs. Monster Zero (1965) redirects to this page.

• The original Japanese title for this film is Kaijû daisensô (which redirects to this page).

• Later releases of the film are under the title, Invasion of Astro-Monster.

• Godzilla vs. Monster Zero was not released in the United States until July 29th, 1970, where it was distributed by Maron Films.

• Godzilla vs. Monster Zero was released on DVD in Region 1 format by Simitar in 1998. It was released under its original title, Invasion of Astro Monster by Classic Media in 2007.

• Director Ishirô Honda is credited as Inoshirô Honda in this film.

• The U.S. version of the film edits out two minutes of footage from the Japanese version.

• Scenes from this film were shot at Lake Myojin in Kochi, Japan.

• Godzilla vs. Monster Zero is the sixth film in the interior series; seventh if one counts the Americanized 1956 re-edit Godzilla, King of the Monsters! as a separate movie.

• This is the third appearance of Rodan and its' first appearance in a Godzilla film.

• This is the second appearance of King Ghidrah and it's first appearance in a Godzilla film.

• Godzilla vs. Monster Zero is Ishirô Honda's thirty-ninth feature film as a director. It is his eighth film in Godzilla film series.

• Godzilla vs. Monster Zero is Shin'ichi Sekizawa's forty-third feature film as a screenwriter. It is his ninth film in the daikaiju genre and his third film in the primary Godzilla film series (not counting spin-offs).

• The original attendance for this film in Japan was 3,780,000 people.

Recommendations

Giant monster films

Godzilla films

Gojira Godzilla (2014) Godzilla 1985 Godzilla 2000 Godzilla, King of the Monsters! Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla Godzilla Raids Again Godzilla: Final Wars Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. Godzilla vs. Biollante Godzilla vs. Destoroyah Godzilla vs. Gigan Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II Godzilla vs. Megaguirus Godzilla vs. Megalon Godzilla vs. Monster Zero Godzilla vs. Mothra Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster Godzilla's Revenge Destroy All Monsters King Kong vs. Godzilla Mothra vs. Godzilla Return of Godzilla, The Son of Godzilla Terror of Mechagodzilla

Other Kaiju

Atragon Cloverfield Frankenstein Conquers the World Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster King Kong King Kong Escapes Kong: Skull Island

Mothra Pacific Rim Reptisaurus Rodan Varan the Unbelievable War of the Gargantuas Yog, Monster from Space

See also

Godzilla Godzilla films Godzilla media Godzilla images

Godzilla locations Godzilla monsters Godzilla characters Godzilla miscellaneous

External Links

Godzilla vs. Monster Zero at AMG Godzilla vs. Monster Zero at IMDB Godzilla vs. Monster Zero at Wikipedia Godzilla vs. Monster Zero at TV Guide Godzilla vs. Monster Zero at Stomp Tokyo

Godzilla vs. Monster Zero at Toho Kingdom Godzilla vs. Monster Zero at Popcorn Pictures Godzilla vs. Monster Zero at Themoviedb.org Godzilla vs. Monster Zero at Rotten Tomatoes Godzilla vs. Monster Zero at the Godzilla Wiki

Keywords

1960s; Alien invasion; Aliens; Astro-Monster; Astronaut; Chūbu region; Commander; Doctor; Electromagnetism; General; Ghidorah; Giant monster; Godzilla; Japan; Jupiter; Kaiju; King; Mind control; Ministry of Defence; Monster Zero; Mother; Planet; Planet X; Pteradactyl; Reporter; Rodan; Scientist; Shizuoka Prefecture; Sonic projection; Space travel; Space vessel; Tokusatsu; Xians

---