Only 1 Movie Ever Sent Godzilla to Space (& It’s Streaming Free)

The Shōwa era Godzilla movies are nothing short of a delight. They’re iconic for being goofy adventures with a high rewatch factor and an endearing ’60s and ’70s aura that wasn’t even fully replicated in the Heisei era, much less in the Millennium or Reiwa eras. When people are asked to picture a Godzilla movie, be they a franchise fan or relative layman, they’re likely going to imagine a Shōwa era entry. And, to the outsider, there’s a good chance they just might imagine the Big G in space. But, throughout 70 years and over 30 movies, only one has ever actually sent him up to the stars, as it were, and it was fairly early in the IP’s run.

More specifically, Invasion of Astro-Monster‘s Planet X, recently discovered on the far side of Jupiter. On that planet are a group of subterranean aliens in what can only be described as the very clothing you would imagine a person in the 1960s might imagine an alien would wear. And flying just above that planet? King Ghidorah or, as the Xiliens call him, “Monster Zero.”

What Makes Invasion of Astro-Monster Such an All-Timer of a Godzilla Movie?

The Shōwa era effectively consists of multiple sub-eras. Those were the two monochrome movies, they top-tier sequels, the jungle-set slash more kid-friendly movies, and the five extra-cheesy era-closing films. People tend to agree that the jungle run of films is the weakest.

Invasion of Astro-monster is the final entry before those jungle movies. And, as long as you can get on its wavelength, you’ll find it to be one of the most rewatchable and lovable sci-fi movies of the ’60s. The core mystery of who the Xiliens are works, their revealed duplicity is a moment that plays as big as it should, and the romance between Nick Adams’ Glenn and Kumi Mizuno’s Namikawa is the easiest to root for of the entire franchise.

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It’s basically a re-do of Ghirdorah: The Three-Headed Monster without the inclusion of Mothra. And, while that may make the film sound as though it’s lazy, it actually totally works. The plot is so different that we ultimately don’t care that it once again involves Godzilla, Rodan, and King Ghidorah wreaking havoc.

This movie also served as another example of how nobody was ever better with monster reveals than Toho. Godzilla first appearing over the top of a mountain in Gojira? Great. His bursting out of an iceberg in King Kong vs. Godzilla? A great bit of connective tissue. Emerging from a gravel pit after the protagonists detect some radiation in Mothra vs. Godzilla? The best of the franchise.

But Invasion of Astro-Monster nearly beats Mothra vs. Godzilla in that regard. In an early show of the Xiliens’ sketchiness, they send three of their spaceships down to Earth without the Earthlings’ knowledge. One of them extracts Godzilla from the lake and another grabs Rodan out of a mountainside. It’s a monster reveal that furthers the plot in a way other than the simple fact that the plot now involves a monster.

Check out this Godzilla movie, because it couldn’t be more accessible. It’s currently for free on Tubi alongside fellow Shōwa era movies Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (the next movie after Astro-Monster), All Monsters Attack (which you can very much skip), and the era’s final entry, Terror of Mechagodzilla.

What is your favorite Shōwa era Godzilla movie? Let us know in the comments.