Synopsis:

When astronauts Fuji and Glen investigate the newly discovered Planet X, they encounter a race of super-intelligent beings who need Earth's help. Ghidrah, the three-headed monster, is destroying their planet. Only Godzilla and Rodan can stop Ghidrah and save their civilization from the complete and utter chaos, Ghidrah has created. Unable to get Ghidrah off of Planet X, the aliens want Earth's permission to transport, Godzilla and Rodan to their Planet so that they may do battle with Ghidrah. The astronauts agree to this however, the leaders of Planet X have other plans in store for Earth. Once received, the aliens mentally control Godzilla, Rodan and Ghidrah and unleash them on Earth in an attempt to conquer the planet! Earth's forces are marshaled to meet the threat while the chief scientists of the nations race to discover a chink in the alien defenses! Something has to be done and quickly, for Earth cannot withstand the full attacks of three of the biggest monsters to storm the Planet! Godzilla vs. Monster Zero is Classic Godzilla at his best!

Audio/Video:

The audio for these Simitar discs is far less than thrilling. It's not bad to listen to and it definitely harkens back to the days when you used to watch ole Godzi' on the UHF channels on Sunday afternoons. But for a re-mastered 5.1 presence, it's very unimpressive. The screeches of the monsters at times can be a bit much as they are on the high end of the audio scale. The dialogue however is clear and clean. Go figure. The surround on this disc is non-existent as the film is presented in Mono (Argh!). Mono compresses everything into the front center and the resultant audio experience is pretty poor.

The video however is much better than the film's audio presentation. The colors though slightly faded in parts are generally fair to good in their appearances. The skin tones for the most part are accurate however, the Planet X people look incredibly pasty. Could be a makeup issue but they just look clammy. There were a couple instances of shimmering and only a moment of pixellation during the darker scenes on Planet X. Other than that, this is a fairly decent widescreen version of the film.

Extras:

The extras listed on the disc are incredible…had they worked! None of the film's trailers will play except for the 1956 Godzilla feature KOTM. The Trivia game is pretty spartan and the photos are a handful of publicity shots. In all a great attempt but a failed delivery!

Overall:

In the Coda of great Godzilla films, Godzilla vs. Monster Zero is definitely one of the best! The storyline is great, its execution is equally great and after all, who doesn't want to see Godzilla and a bunch of his cronies tear up a bunch of stuff and each other?! I love this movie in spite of the poor treatment Simitar has given the film. For an enjoyable afternoon view, this movie isn't half bad! Rent it