Invasion of Astro-Monster

A dull alien invasion, recycled monster action, and boring human characters make "Invasion of Astro-Monster" a really weak Godzilla movie. In the end, it's all just too silly for me to really get drawn into the plot. And the monsters are pretty much the same as in the direct predecessor. Obviously, Toho couldn't keep up here anymore to ensure a certain base quality. At this point, though, I just have to assume that most films from the Shōwa era are simply not my thing.

Godzilla goes to outer space. Actually, so does Rodan and Monster Zero (King Ghidorah). Aliens from Planet X ask for help from Earth to rid their planet of Monster Zero, who terrorizes the surface of their planet, forcing them to live below ground. There is really nothing of note here in terms of story or acting. But there is some fantastic set design and very impressive matte paintings and miniature work on display. Usually Godzilla movies have plenty of that already but this time the design of the film really stands out. It has that "retro" look that many of the James Bond films of the '60s had. The most important thing to note is that this is the movie that contains the inexplicable, notorious Godzilla victory dance. It's the strongest indication yet of how childish the movies have become since the original "Gojira" horror film of 1954.