This movie was first released in Japan on December 19, 1965. It was originally titled Great Monster War and ran 96 minutes long. It didn’t make it to America until July 29, 1970, perhaps because of the death of star Nick Adams or that the producer, Henry Saperstein had had a falling out with his previous business partners, Sam Arkoff and James Nicholson of American International Pictures. Eventually, Maron Films distributed the film in the US. Under the title “ Invasion of Astro-Monster” and was trimmed to 92 minutes. It was later released on home video under the more marketable title of Godzilla versus Monster Zero.

This one is a sequel to the very popular Ghidrah, the Three Headed Monster from 1964. That movie first introduced Ghidrah and the audiences loved him. The next Godzilla movie was rushed through production to capitalize on this interest and wisely involved Ghidrah as well.

Godzilla versus Monster Zero is also the first in a long and often painful series of Godzilla movies featuring Godzilla involved in invasion attempts by aliens from other worlds. Following on the success of 1957′s The Mysterians, Godzilla versus Monster Zero reflects the 1960s fascination with aliens, space and Sci-Fi. This is probably the best of them.

The film has a fabulous 60s comic book look to it and the special effects are fun: in no way photo-realistic, but undeniably appealing. The Rodan effects are much improved this time round, as is the fight choreography with the comedy largely limited to the fan-enraging sight of Godzilla doing a victory dance that looks amazingly like the Safety dance performed by Men without hats. Really. Another curiosity is the look of the aliens from planet x which obviously influenced the look of the band Devo. While the plot bored me at times, the monster battles are quite entertaining, especially if you ad-lib dialogue for the monsters (alcohol helps with this). The film also features the larvae version of Mothra who must convince Godzilla and Rodan to co-exist and fight Ghidrah together. Personally, I think this is the most entertaining part of the film.

Here is the basic plot (from wiki); Astronauts Glen and Fuji travel to Planet X, a newly discovered moon of Jupiter, which for some reason has been transmitting radio waves to Earth. While there the two astronauts go down to the the caverns where the people of the planet are forced to go because they are now being attacked on a regular basis by Ghidorah, who moved there after being defeated by Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra several months earlier. The aliens then request that they be allowed to “borrow” Godzilla and Rodan as a means of repelling Ghidorah and that in exchange they would be given a formula for a “miracle drug” to combat all forms of cancer. In the meantime, Fuji’s sister Haruno is dating inventor Tetsuo Torii, who has just invented a high frequency transmitter to ward off muggers, (In the end if was actually discovered to kill aliens). A few weeks later the aliens take Godzilla and Rodan back to their planet and they seemingly defeat Ghidorah. The astronauts then get a tape recording supposedly containing the formula. The tape actually contains an ultimatum for the people of Earth to surrender or else face destruction from the combined strengths of Godzilla, Rodan and Ghidorah. At the last minute, humanity manages to thwart the evil scheme and Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan drive Ghidorah and the aliens away.

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The third installment in the Hammer series, we have Dracula has risen from the Grave. The title alone is awesome and a new director is in the seat, Freddie Francis.

Dracula is one of the greatest characters ever to be written and portrayed on screen, and it’s also one that Christopher Lee has become famous for playing. Unfortunately, Christopher Lee doesn’t have a great deal of screen time in this flick; but every moment he is on screen is a highlight and, as usual, he does well with the role and proves that he is the only man other than Bela Lugosi to do it right. The only problem I have with this version of Dracula is that the vampire abilities he possesses are are bit weak and lame. I would expect more from the Prince of Darkness!

I remember this most fondly of all the Hammer Dracula films, on a par with the original “Horror of Dracula”. Yes, its a Hammer Film, so it is a bit campy and outdated, but that is what you should expect from them. The story line isn’t bad but can drag at times. However, that is not a problem as long as you time your munchie and bathroom breaks accordingly.

Basic Plot (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/)  CAUTION! SPOILER BELOW!

The film opens in a middle-European village still in the throes of Dracula’s reign of terror, where an altar boy discovers the body of a woman stuffed in the church’s bell. She is another victim of Dracula, and the village – which Dracula’s castle overlooks – is terrified.

A year after Dracula has been destroyed, a Monsignor (Davies) comes to the village on a routine visit only to find the altar boy is now a frightened mute. The villagers refuse to attend Mass at church because “the shadow of his castle touches it”. The Priest has apparently lost his faith. To bring to an end the villagers’ fears, the Monsignor climbs to the Castle to exorcise it.

The Priest cannot follow him up the mountain and the Monsignor continues alone. As the Monsignor exorcises the castle, attaching a large metal cross to its gate, a storm strikes, and the Priest tries to run, but falls and is knocked out, cutting his head on rock. His blood trickles into a frozen stream; through a crack in the melting ice it trickles on to the lips of the preserved body of Count Dracula and brings it to life.

The Monsignor goes back to the village believing that the Priest had already safely returned, and assures the villagers that the castle is sanctified to protect them from Dracula’s evil. He returns to his home city of Kleinenberg.

Unknown to the Monsignor, the Priest is under the control of the resurrected Count. Furious that the cross prevents him from entering his castle, Dracula demands that the enslaved Priest says who is responsible. The Priest leads Dracula in pursuit of the Monsignor and he discovers a new victim for Dracula’s revenge – the Monsignor’s beautiful niece, Maria (Carlson). First, Dracula bites and enslaves Zena the tavern girl (Ewing). Zena almost succeeds in bringing Maria under Dracula’s power, despite her jealousy. However, Maria’s boyfriend Paul (Andrews) works in the bakery beneath the tavern, and he rescues her. Dracula punishes the tavern girl for her “failure” by biting and killing her. The Priest is summoned to burn her corpse in the fire of the bakery oven before she turns into a vampire (her teeth have already grown into fangs) and he helps Dracula find Maria. Dracula comes into her bedroom at night over the rooftops. The scene where he bites her is intense and ends with her hand pushing away her china doll.

The Monsignor sees the signs of vampirism in his niece and follows the fleeing figure, but is knocked insensible on the rooftop by the Priest. In his dying state he recruits Paul to help. Paul is an atheist but his love for Maria drives him. Unwittingly he enlists the Priest’s help who, unable to break free from Dracula’s influence, tries to attack Paul. Paul forces the Priest to lead him to Dracula’s lair beyond the tavern bakery. They stake Dracula through the heart; the faithless Priest and the atheist Paul cannot complete the rite and Dracula removes the stake himself. He draws Maria to him on the rooftop, and they are pursued by Paul and the Priest.

Dracula carries Maria to his castle, orders her to remove the metal cross. She tumbles it over the parapet to the ravine below. Paul faces the Count outside the castle and during the struggle Dracula drops over the parapet and lands on his back, impaled on the cross. He fights to free himself, bleeding heavily from his eyes, ears and mouth as well as his wound. The Priest recites the Lord’s Prayer and Count Dracula perishes, dissolving into dust. Reunited with Maria and his religion, Paul crosses himself over the spectacle.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Highly recommended for vampire movie fans and Hammer enthusiasts. A movie well worth seeing, even if not quite as good as it could have been.