Curing Cancer

Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) review

This one has a special place in my heart. It is the Showa-era Godzilla movie for me.

As with the previous movie, we have completed the transition into pure sci-fi. We are in the realm of space missions to hidden planets, weird aliens and intergalactic monsters. This time it works for me though. It is the exact amount of pulp, where I can lean back and let all the blinking diodes and ridiculous costumes beam straight into me. 

The difference here is that it is all held together by a plot you can actually engage in, with twisty turns and drama. The central premise of the narrative is the discovery of a hitherto unknown alien civilization on the amazingly named »Planet X«. The foreign planet is ravaged by King Ghidorah, so the local Xians besiege humanity to lend them the strongest monsters of Earth to fight the devastating astro-dragon. In turn, the advanced alien race will give humanity the cure to cancer. Yes cancer. Every time we have watched this movie we are hooting and hollering at every plot development.

With pulp and schlock it is a delicate balance of when something is entertaining and when it becomes too ridiculous. Personally, Astro-Monster threads the needle here, but your mileage may vary.

At its core this movie is a surprising buddy-movie. The plot follows two astronauts Fuji and Glenn. They make the initial contact with the Xians and they spearhead the effort in combating them — after the aliens inevitably betray humanity. As protagonists they are proactive and resourceful, something often lacking in the human sideplots of these movies. 

Special mention goes to Glenn. Played by a white actor, speaking perfect Japanese — courtesy of some tasteful dubbing. It fits the 60’s new age optimism that the space mission is a transnational effort, but it never ceases to be funny having a single white guy alongside the overwhelmingly Japanese cast. The comedy is only enhanced by Glenn being an almost James Bond-like figure, driving expensive cars and seducing the hot female alien sent to spy on Earth.

If there is one criticism of this movie, it is that Godzilla itself is put on the back-burner for most of the movie. I do not think our main guy actually has significantly less screentime compared to other movies, but he certainly feels less important. Charitably, you could remove Godzilla from the script and it would not take significant rewrites to fill the holes. That is certainly a flaw  with the movie, but I will take that any day over having the main plot be an incomprehensible mess.

People often ask me what Godzilla movie is a good first entry (Yes, they do. Shut up). And it can be surprisingly hard to give a straight answer. The obvious answer would be the original from 1954. It is the best and most prominent Godzilla movie. But it is also, y’know, old. If you recommend a movie from the fifties, most people will look at you disappointed. So, for the less cinematically curious, I go for the modern Reiwa run of movies. Both Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus Zero are great movies and easy watches.

But still, do you want to check out a famous monster franchise for an easy watch? Part of the charm is the old-school practical effects and distinct cinematic language. And as much as I like those new movies, they lack that specific aspect. So my compromising suggestion is the Heisei revival title, Return of Godzilla from 1984. It is modern enough to be a fairly frictionless experience, while still fitting square into the core Godzilla experience.

Those are all fine starting points. But, what if you were curious about the schlock? The Showa era’s wacky adventures and silly hijinks is something to be experienced. And here the original ‘54 feature is actually not very indicative of that era. So, where would you go?

For my money’s worth, it is right here with Invasion of the Astro-Monster. It is the height of Showa-style Godzilla. It has the pulpy sci-fi story, monster-of-the-week bash-up and stunt actors in suits slamming down on model cities. It is pure Godzilla, without the common irritations of the era.

While a lot of Showa Godzilla is pretty shoddy, I do not think you can really be a fan without appreciating their distinct flair. And in that regard, this is a personal favourite of mine — a cornerstone of what Godzilla can also be.