Invasion of the Astro-Monster

Last night, I sat down with my kid and saw a great science fiction movie.  It features an interloper from another world, one who masquerades as a native.  The alien is a spy, representative of a race that has come to the planet under the guise of peace, but whose hidden agenda is the plundering of the planet’s resources.   The alien, however, falls in love with native ways, joins forces with the less-advanced indigenous species, and plays a crucial role in fighting off the invaders.  The alien’s help, along with the might of the creatures of the exploited planet, drives off the invaders and saves the day.

The alien is Miss Namikawa of the Xians.  The native creatures who, in a rush of Gaian solidarity, repel the invaders are Godzilla and Rodan.  The film is INVASION OF THE ASTRO-MONSTER, a first-rate Godzilla film of the Showa era, directed by Ishiro Honda, written by Shinichi Sekizawa, and featuring special effects by the great Eiji Tsuburaya.

This is a fun, fun, motion picture.  It features an American actor named Nick Adams who is there solely to boost international box office.  It has nonthreatening, yet villainous, antagonists in the evil Xians, who covet Earth for its water.  Its creature designs are first-rate, its story rocks along pleasantly, and its alien spy (played by Kumi Mizuno) is jaw-droppingly gorgeous.  Godzilla even does a happy dance after one mighty victory, an addition the director protested but made the final cut because Eiji Tuburaya insisted that it would “make the children happy.”

I’m telling you, the only thing that could have improved this movie would have been an introduction by Tom Hatten.  INVASION OF THE ASTRO-MONSTER is good, clean Godzilla fun.