In 1964, we received a strong message on the importance of international cooperation in Mothra vs. Godzilla, and a year later Toho Studios was practicing what they had preached. Invasion of Astro-Monster was one of three co-productions with US producer Henry G. Saperstein, who claimed to provide half the funding, yet budget restrictions still forced a few shortcuts along the way. In spite of these, Invasion of Astro Monster is a fun beautiful romp and the first in the franchise to introduce an alien race. There’s a whole lot of sci-fi DNA throughout the film, so if you’ve branched out beyond the Godzilla franchise, you’ll recognize some nods to those who came before.

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