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Awix (3310 KP) rated Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) in Movies

Feb 22, 2018

Planet X marks the Spot

Sixth Godzilla movie, third for Rodan, second for Ghidorah, if anyone's counting. Not really a proper monster movie, if we're honest, more a sort of Japanese take on a flying-saucer B-picture. Aliens from Planet X ask to borrow Godzilla and Rodan to help deal with their local monster problem (King Ghidorah); evil plans are naturally afoot.

Almost wholly mad; still quite entertaining, but the lack of actual monster action (the three big beasts get very little screen-time) is inevitably quite disappointing. Rattling pace makes up for a lot of the film's flaws, and the basic idea - aliens try to conquer the world using monsters - would be endlessly recycled in future proper Godzilla films. Easy to dismiss this movie as quaintly dated 60s tosh, but surely a film where the forces of evil are driven off by the power of rape alarms has something to say to the #time's up generation.

Kudos

David McK (3425 KP) rated The Warlord of Mars (Barsoom, #3) in Books

Jan 30, 2019

Entry #3 in Edgar Ruce Burroughs Barsoom series, The Warlord of Mars follows on from the previous entry (The Gods of Mars), with John Carter counting down the days until the release of Dejah Thoris from the prison in which she was trapped at the end of that book. Of course, and quite early in this, she is released and captured by some of Carters enemies from that previous entry, tying the events of this directly into the events of that novel.

Unlike the previous entry (which started on Earth), the entirety of this novel takes place on Mars itself. It is also very much so a 'classic' boys own adventure story, full of numerous battles, a little bit of intrigue and some narrow escapes - as before, it is easy to see the influence this would have on later, perhaps better well known, stories by various authors.