Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1972)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Following the child-focused "All Monsters Attack" (1969), Godzilla returns as an ally of man in the battle against pollution, as personified (kaijufied?) by Hedorah (the Smog Monster)*. There are a number of stylistic changes from previous movies in the franchise, including James Bond-like opening credits, surreal psychedelic interludes (the fish-headed people at the 'go-go' club are memorable) and a number of odd animated inserts reminiscent of early 70's public service cartoons. The musical score, much of which sounds like background music for slapstick comedy or uplifting marches similar to the grating (but catchy) Gamera theme, is horrible. The franchise is still targeting younger audiences, so the central human character is a little kid (Ken Yano, played by Hiroyuki Kawase) who, among other things, comes up with the name for the new monster (Hedorah) as well as a method to destroy it. He also seems to have a psychic bond with Godzilla, and the last scenes of the film are straight out of "Shane" (1953, except that Shane is now a giant mutated dinosaur). Despite being a child-oriented film, "Godzilla vs. Hedorah" is much grimmer than any of the previous sequels, with human body counts after the monsters clash, on-camera 'deaths' of individuals (such as the gamblers or the driver of the truck crushed by Hedorah), and most jarringly, the 'melting' of people exposed to Hedorah's noxious exhalent (Ken encounters the gruesome partially-dissolved bodies of a number of these victims). Hedorah itself is so improbable looking that it might as well be accepted as a metaphor rather than a monster, but the titular fights are pretty good. The anthropomorphisation of Godzilla, who now constantly uses human-like gestures (almost rolling his eyes at mankind's ineffectual attempts to stop Hedorah), continues (although one delirious surprise in the film is the revelation that Godzilla can fly (!), a ridiculous-looking skill that would have come in handy in previous outings). All in all, "Godzilla vs. Hedorah" (the eleventh film in the franchise) while not a great kaiju film, is eccentric, imaginative and entertaining: a deviation from the downward slide that leads to the next two entries in the series (the woeful "G. vs Gigan" and "G. vs Megalon"). (*these comments pertain to an English subtitled version of the film).

Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster, or Godzilla vs. Hedorah, is a psychedelic acid trip that remains one of the strangest entries in the franchise. Much like 1977's House, the film has strange editing and camera-work, all backed up by a very un-Godzillaesque soundtrack by Richiro Manabe (Godzilla's leitmotif in this movie, for example, always makes it sound like he's about to sneeze). Occasionally, the cinematography can be surprisingly effective, seen in the shot before the final battle with Hedorah emerging from the darkness with his ominous, pseudo-baby mobile leitmotif accompanying him; but other times the cinematography can be… strange? There are a couple instances where a wide-angle lens is used and I'm not sure what Yoshimitsu Banno was going for other than making the film even weirder. There's a less-than-subtle environmental message present throughout the entire film too, but it's all drowned out by the film's strange, occasionally dark tone. It's honestly kinda hard to talk about this movie in a basic "this is positive, this is negative" template because the film is all over the place in terms of quality; but I can still safely say that I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Even after all these years of regularly viewing it, I still find the film completely baffling, and that combined with the always-entertaining monster battles make this film a blast from start to finish. Six "things you don't see every day" out of ten.

After the absurd travesty of the previous installment, Godzilla needed something familiar yet fresh. We got a film that has split many a fan. It brings a dark warning about pollution, as Godzilla's latest foe is created from man's ignorance. As Godzilla arrives to destroy the monster, should we take this as a suggestion to use nuclear mistakes to clean up current ones? Probably not, as is delightfully portrayed in the stunning opening shots as a young boy plays with a Godzilla action figure. This clearly illustrates his place as a commercial saviour of the world. Hedorah is a great villain. He can change forms, and really causes a lot of damage. His gunk and gas is able to physically deform humans forever. This dark reveal is presented in the opening scenes as a father and son are scarred. The whole film has a bizarre 60's funk thing going for it. Bizarre musical interludes, PSA cartoon segments, and scenes that would fit into an Austin Powers movie. It's darker than some of the previous Godzillas, but it's also a lot more fun at the same time. A nice offering for the series, though the flying segment at the end should have been cut.

This is a very, very, very weird movie. The acting is OK. I'm serious it's OK. Now the plot is very strange. pollution monster named Hedorah comes from outer space. First it terrorizes sea, then it goes on land where it encounters the big G. After it's after the fight with Godzilla it retreats, only to reappear again in a flying form, it's starts to kill people. Then it takes on it's final form, that's when the Big G comes and the battle that decides the fate of the world begins. Special thanks to Spaceroach for providing the synopsis. But needless to say that story line makes little since. To be honest I have no idea what age group this movie is aiming for, weather it's kids or adults. The effects are.............................I don't know weather to call them good or bad. Well if you want to watch the weirdest film in the Godzilla franchise than check it out.